All anti-anxiety medications such as Paxil or Effexor XR which are serotonin re-uptake inhibitors require routine. You need to take your prescribed dosage every day as the doctor and pharmacist instruct you. No missing your pill, and no stopping your pills. You must avoid any other drugs that may conflict with your anti-anxiety medication as well.

You must give it an honest effort and after a few weeks you will start to feel some relief from your anxiety symptoms. If you don’t feel any improvement, then get back to your doctor to try a different medication. Why? Different medications work for different people. A medication that works for me might not work for you and vice versa.

Don’t be afraid of trying medication because it does work, and it’s not addictive. Short term anti-anxiety drugs such as Ativan are addictive if taken or abused for an extended period of time, but if you take 3 Ativan a day for a few weeks while your Paxil or Effexor kicks in then so be it. It won’t kill you to do that and you won’t become addicted with a short term solution. Besides, your doctor won’t likely give you enough of a prescription to allow your body to become dependant.

If you can still sleep and you can manage your life fairly well then you likely don’t need any anti-anxiety medication. Just feeling bored or blue doesn’t mean you need to take medication so don’t just take medication off hand. Only try anxiety medication if you can’t manage your life anymore and you have symptoms of extreme anxiety.

Now My Anxiety Tip #1

Don’t get caught up in your own mental movement. Remember that the thoughts rattling around in your head are useless to you unless they’re good thoughts. If you have any negative thoughts keep in mind that in this universe only positive thought is true energy. Negative thoughts are simply trash that is going in and going out.

Treat your stinkin’ thinkin’, negative fears, concerns, and anger as the garbage that needs to be tossed out. Don’t fight your negative dialogue. Just don’t give it credit. Don’t treat a negative thought with respect. Laugh at it. Giggle at it. Don’t get angry at yourself for having negative thoughts because that is just another way to dwell in negative thoughts.

Dwell in Your Positive Thoughts

When you feel any kind of positive thought coming forward, hold it. Dwell in it for this the truth coming through you. Your positive thought patterns are truly in sync with the universal energy of life. Dwell and bask in the thoughts that make you feel safe, happy, peaceful or relaxed. When you dwell in these thoughts you are dwelling in truth.

When negative thoughts and fear creep back in to your thinking, say this to yourself.

“Hello there negative thought – I’m going to recognize you for what you are, and I’m going to let you go now because you don’t hold any weight in my life or in my mind.”

If this kind of inner dialogue doesn’t help, make sure to identify what is causing you the stress. When you identify what is the cause of your stress you are in a much better position to eradicate the stress.