- Parallel feelings between anxiety and excitement -

By The Anxiety Wellness Queen

"Pregnancy can be one of the most joyous, yet overwhelming and stressful times of a woman’s life. Anxiety is a normal experience in pregnancy, particularly in the first 12 weeks where there are a lot of unknowns. Amanda from The Anxiety Wellness Queen shares with us some simple tips for trying to keep the anxiety down."

Catching up on the ZZZzz’s
This is the perfect time to catch up on your sleep before bub arrives. Lack of sleep alone can heighten your anxiety and stress levels. If you are having trouble switching your mind off and falling asleep try a nice relaxing camomile tea, some light hearted reading or close your eyes and do some mediation to help relax and slow down the mind.

Master the Breathing
Learning how to breathe is so underrated. One of the first things that changes when feeling stressed and anxious is your regular calm breathing. Commonly when feeling anxious, your breathing increases rapidly or you might find yourself holding your breath and then grasping for air. This has the ability to switch on your fight or flight response and gets the adrenalin pumping. Believe it or not there are so many different ways to ‘breathe’ but let's stick to the basics:
- First, breathe air in to the count of three, filling up your lungs, so your belly expands.
- Then, to the count of three, breathe out the air from your lungs, so your belly deflates to its normal resting position.
- Many find it helpful to close their eyes and place one hand of their chest and one on their abdomen whilst doing this exercise.

Write it out
I am positive people are sick of me saying this, but there is something so magical and
therapeutic about physically writing things out using the old fashioned pen and paper. So many thoughts and emotions are flowing right now and keeping it all in your mind is not only exhausting but also leaves you feeling a sense of ‘heaviness’.
Try to get in the habit of writing out your thoughts and feelings as you go along. By doing this you will:
a) Clear them from your mind
b) You are now able to visually look at your thoughts and feelings, address them more objectively, enabling you to make more rational and thought-out decisions.

Keep Moving
Physical exercise or movement produces all those feel good hormones we all want and LOVE! Not only will it make you feel good, it is fantastic for your physical health during your pregnancy as well. A great place to start is by doing some walking, pregnancy yoga, or having a dance around the house while doing your daily tasks (who doesn’t love a good dance around the house)
Note: It is extremely important to listen to your body, and it is recommended especially during the early stages of pregnancy to discuss with your health care practioner prior to commencing any physical activity.

Amanda - Anxiety Wellness Queen