Reduce your anxiety in just few steps.
If you think about it, anxiety is just a natural response to pressure and can be beneficial in some situations. It can alert us to dangers and help us prepare and pay attention. Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness, and involve excessive fear or anxiety. But anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of effective treatments are available. Treatment helps most people lead normal productive lives. When it comes to working through anxiety, keep in mind that there are many different ways to deal with it which I am going to discuss in this blog.
Learn how to breathe.
The first step to solving anxiety is learning how to breathe. In an anxious state, you take rapid, shallow breaths that come from the upper chest rather than from the diaphragm. This type of breathing triggers the sympathetic nervous system, which then produces a fight-or-flight response. Luckily, breathing exercises can help turn off this response and send a signal to your brain that everything’s OK. To practice controlled inhalation and exhalation:
- Slowly inhale through your nose for five seconds and exhale through your mouth for five seconds (counting 1…2…3…4…5 both times).
- Repeat this pattern for about five minutes or until you feel calmer.
- Practice these deep breaths daily so that they’ll come naturally when you need them most.
Remember nothing is permanent.
There’s nothing fun about anxiety. It makes you feel completely powerless and puts a damper on your life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Remember that things will get better!
Try reminding yourself of this simple fact so that it helps stop being such a downer over time. If people really do come back from the dead, then why not try coming back from an anxious state? I mean, literally every moment feels temporary anyway so what does it matter if 6 months later you still feel anxious?
Look at the big picture.
One of the best things you can do to minimize anxiety is try to take a step back from your immediate concerns and look at the big picture. Instead of focusing on getting through today, ask yourself what you’ll be worrying about in five years, or ten. Even though it may seem as if something is life-or-death right now, remember that this too shall pass.
Some people are naturally more optimistic than others, but with time and effort, you can improve your ability to see the bright side. One study found that optimism can help you cope with stress, while another found that optimists have better overall mental health and fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Pay attention to the good things in your life. Researchers have found that it’s possible to be grateful for the little things and still appreciate how lucky you are not to have serious problems like homelessness or unemployment. Being grateful for all kinds of good fortune—from small random acts of kindness to large personal achievements—can help reduce anxiety in the long run.
Focus on what you can change.
Those who suffer from anxiety are often harboring a laundry list of worries in their head. Whether you’re planning your wedding or worried about a relationship, there’s always something weighing on your mind. Researchers have found that the more you try to figure out what will happen or what could go wrong, the more anxious you’ll become, since that’s all you’re focusing on.
Remember: thoughts create reality! And when our thoughts lead us into anxiety and stress, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t have to stay this way forever. You can start changing your reactions by choosing thoughts like gratitude over ones like worry and surprise.
Take care of yourself physically.
Take care of yourself physically: get plenty of sleep; eat healthy meals at regular intervals; exercise regularly (but don’t overdo it); meditate; spend time with friends and family; do things that make you feel good about yourself and that help you relax; take breaks when working on something challenging or intense; be kind to yourself!
Get help when you're feeling overwhelmed or hopeless.
It can be difficult for someone with generalized anxiety disorder to ask for help, so it’s important to recognize what is and isn’t an effective strategy in managing your anxiety. Your doctor or a mental health professional can refer you to a therapist who has experience with treating GAD. If left untreated, GAD can lead to other complications such as depression or physical health problems like insomnia, heart disease and more frequent illness.
There are things you can do to help reduce anxiety every day in small ways.
It’s important to remember that anxiety is a normal part of life. Anxiety can be helpful because it motivates us and can drive us to achieve our goals. A little bit of anxiety is actually good for you—it helps keep you alert and ready to meet life’s daily challenges. But most people with anxiety would agree that too much anxiety can interfere with your ability to live a happy, healthy life.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to managing symptoms, there are many things you can do every day to help reduce anxiety in small ways. Find out what works best for you by experimenting with the ideas mentioned.
