9 things that saved me money on therapy.

Now, for the disclaimer, I am not recommending whether or not you should seek the help of a therapist. I’m also not attempting to convince you that our problems are all the same and that what worked for me would undoubtedly work for you. I couldn’t afford a therapist, so I had no choice but to research natural ways to manage my mental health.

Here are 10 things that helped ME a lot with my gut-twisting, pain-in-the-throat anxiety ( not particularly in a preferability order)

1) Breathwork:

This is deserving of being at the top of the list. While we are accustomed to unconsciously performing various activities in our daily lives, conscious control of breathing aids in eliciting the relaxation response, reducing stress, releasing trapped emotions (anger, grief, anxiety, depression), and making you feel relaxed and more open to love and peace. It contributes to your emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. The Wim hof breathing method is one of my favorites.

2) Deepest Fear Inventory

Fear is the most common emotion we all experience when our fight-or-flight response is activated. We can save ourselves a lot of unnecessary pain if we know how to deal with our emotions properly. Carolyn grace Elliot’s Deepest fear inventory provides you with steps you could take to uncover your deepest fears and help release them. Inner work is underrated but has the highest potential for changes to happen.

3) Getting comfortable with your emotions

What we judge, we get to keep. The more we deny the emotions we are feeling or the more we try to distract ourselves from the overwhelming sensations shooting through our bodies, the more emotions will get stuck into our bodies. Emotions that get trapped into the body, manifest themselves in the form of diseases or other ailments. Sitting with your emotions and feeling them fully in your body without judging or denying them, releases the emotions and makes you feel lighter than before.

4) Mediation and Exercising:

You knew this one was coming right? Well, the big-ole meditation is as effective as the monks say. It helps you connect with yourself more and calms your “monkey mind”. Exercising and physical activities are told to have a good influence on your mental health and vice versa. Start small, don’t try to do every exercise or meditate for an hour straight on the very first day.

5) Living in the present

What makes someone more anxious than re-living the past events in your head over and over again? Thinking about what might happen in the future, maybe. The more you bring back your attention to the present and focus on what is presented in front of you right now, the more you can save yourselves from spending unnecessary time stressing out about unwanted thoughts. This helps in keeping your worries at bay.

6) “ I AM” Affirmations

When you find yourself in an undesired circumstance where there is a sure chance of feeling those unwanted emotions of fear and panic, reassuring yourself that this situation will eventually pass is very liberating. Affirming “ I am safe”, “ I am stronger than I think” makes you bold enough to get through the situation and keeps you stable.

7) Books I’d recommend

Here’s a list of books that helped me a lot in my discovery of the well-being of my mind, body, and spirit.

a. Breaking the habit of being yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza

b. Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

c. Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz

d. The Body keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

e. Healing Developmental Trauma by Laurence Heller and Aline LaPierre

8) Youtube channels I watched

a. Therapy in Nutshell

b. Reid Wilson PhD

c. drjoedispenza

d. Freedom in Thought

9) Spending time with yourself

As cliche as it might sound, knowing how you behave in certain situations and knowing what thoughts cross your mind most of the time is an excellent first step to have your reactions in check. Discovering more about yourself and having a connection with your self makes you reflect more on your everyday choices and gives a chance to always go for a healthier one.