why so many headstands?

 

I have rambled on about anxiety a few times now, and had a ton of feedback. I have yet to explain how yoga has been the saving grace of this mental illness that 10% of teenagers suffer from and 40% of adults. 

I can remember getting shortness of breath in middle school worrying about assignments that teachers hadn’t even assigned yet. I remember worrying about who was picking me up or if I would have a ride home from school, even though I always did. I remember worrying about who was going to be captain of our soccer team, and I didn’t even play on the soccer team…. Needless to say, worry was always something I was good at. Granted both sides of my family suffer from anxiety and it is hereditary – I think this was something I didn’t know how to control and was unsure of what there was to do about it. 

Throughout my middle school and highschool years, I had panic attacks that led to me crying for no reason and sometimes made me lash out at my parents, even though it was rarely their fault. I have always been an over thinker and a huge planner. I think this is because when I was organized and had thought over every possible scenario of a situation, it calmed me down (kinda.)

I have mentioned the panic attack that led to my attempt at suicide in August of 2014. I have had multiple people message me asking why I did this while “succeeding at so much” (i.e. graduating early, starting my own company, having a boyfriend) and the answer is simple: a mental illness such as anxiety can distract you from it all. (Granted, the boyfriend was my own mistake and was just unnecessary anxiety I put myself through) I was hanging out with the wrong people, I lost vision in dreams I once had, I was distancing myself from true friends and my family. I was avoiding life and all of its worrys and stopped caring about myself. This where I came to terms with self-worth and how much it truly means in one’s life. 

    

I became infatuated with the benefits yoga had, specifically on people with anxiety and depression. I thought it was incredible that a simple inversion (head below your heart) led to decreased heart rates and completely wiped my mind of all worry due to calming the nervous system and producing feelings of balance. 

 

I began to read more and more on the subject which led to running into people with the same exact problems (and solutions) I had found. 

(As we know: I also love pictures, and yoga made for a good one…so that was just another bonus!) 

 

I can’t go a day without yoga now. Whether that consists of 30 minutes of gentle practice, or 2 hours of detox hot power yoga – it’s the prescription that works for me. I no longer take anxiety medicines (which are leading to Alzheimer’s in most recent studies) and I rarely suffer from panic attacks. My practice will only continue to get deeper the longer I work at it, but yoga reall did save my life. It gives me something to work harder at, it puts my mind at ease in the healthiest way, and for the most part it’s really fun to do. (Yes I get the strangest looks out in public, but it is totally worth the concerned faces amongst people!) go out and try it, and if you have any questions – you know where to find me 😊

x o x o 

@kelseysook