Mild anxiety can be a normal part of life, but if you are dealing with anxiety that is overwhelming and that keeps you from enjoying a normal life, then it is time to get your anxiety under control. Fortunately, this article contains many ways to help you deal with overwhelming anxiety and help you get back to the life you love.
In the throes of an anxiety attack, practice diaphramatic breathing to help you calm down. Place one hand on your stomach and inhale deeply, pushing your hand outward. Hold that breath for several seconds, and exhale slowly. This keeps you from hyperventilating and gives you something besides your panic to focus on.
To help you reduce your anxiety symptoms, keep a journal of all of the events or issues that make you anxious throughout the day. Refer back to these events and see how they actually transpired. You will realize that you are often imagining a worst case scenario which does not transpire.
If you frequently suffer from attacks of anxiety, don’t suffer in silence. See a doctor or therapist who can help you to overcome the anxiety before it turns into other problems, such as panic attacks or generalized anxiety disorder. There are therapies and medications that will help you to overcome anxiety problems.
Keep yourself busy. Many times anxiety occurs because of having too much time to think about things. Keep busy with exercise or other types of hobbies to give you less time to think about negative thoughts. If you have less time to think negative thoughts, you will lessen your chances of experiencing anxiety.
Do not worry alone. When your worrisome thoughts go unchecked, they can easily spiral into terrible doomsday scenarios unnecessarily. Call a friend or supportive loved one, and run your fears past them. They can probably offer you some reassurance and perspective on what is bothering you, keeping your fears under control.
Keep yourself as busy as you possibly can. Being very active helps prevent any anxiety that may occur. As soon as you get up in the mornings, begin doing something immediately. Make sure you keep yourself busy all day long. Clean up the house, walk the dog, clean up your garden, read, or exercise. All these things can decrease your anxiety. Remaining idle just causes you to think about the negative things that are occurring in your life, which makes your anxiety worse.
Workplace anxiety can often be reduced or eliminated by taking a simple walk. As deadlines approach and employers pile on more work, many people forget the power of taking a short break. Going outside and walking around the building gives you a chance to refresh your mind and body.
Eat a balanced and healthy diet when you are trying to combat anxiety; it helps you prevent any attack from happening. A balanced, nutritional diet contains vitamins and minerals your body requires to be healthy, instead of the bad things you could be ingesting.
Try creating your own anxious worrying period. Choose a single or two 10 minute spots each day where you can worry and just feel anxious. During this worry period, try focusing only on the anxious, negative thoughts without trying to correct them. The rest of the day should remain anxiety-free.
When you feel your anxiety coming to a head, you can help get the feelings of worry under control by controlling your breathing. When you are anxious, your breathing rate increases, which itself, can cause a heightened sense of fear. Breathe in and out slowly, counting to four on each inhale and exhale. In addition to slowing down your breathing, it also gives you something to focus on besides the source of your anxiety.
Learn to exaggerate your fears. This may sound crazy, but it has been proven to work. If you are afraid you will trip when walking down the stairs at an event, imagine yourself not only tripping, but rolling all the way down the staircase and taking other people down with you. Make it a funny, extreme mental picture, and you will feel your anxiety melt away quickly.
Find a hobby. When your mind is idle, it is free to worry. Instead of sitting and dwelling on whatever is making you anxious, find something that you enjoy doing to serve as a distraction. If you don’t have a hobby already, start looking for one. Whether you start knitting, constructing model cars, or restoring old furniture, you give your mind something to focus on besides the fear. As a bonus, having a hobby that you enjoy can reduce your stress levels all around.
Doing silly things while in the midst of a panic attack can help you forget about your anxiety. A small amount of distraction can help you to get your thinking back on track and work through the attack. Do what you need, wherever you currently are.
Whenever you feel your anxiety escalating, it may be helpful to turn on some relaxing music and close your eyes. Your mind will drift off and you will not be so focused on the negative way you are feeling. Classical music and ocean sounds seem to help out many people.
When you begin to feel overwhelmed, or anxious, give yourself a time-out. Do some yoga, play pleasant music, learn techniques to relax, or get a massage. Taking a step back, and regaining your composure should stop the attack in its tracks, before it turns into a full blown anxiety attack.
Have you considered a life coach for your anxiety? Many people have anxiety in some form or another, as they worry about the future and what it holds. A life coach can help you to make plans, encourage you to do things that will help you towards those goals, and also give you the skills that you need to deal with challenges and setbacks as they arise.
As previously mentioned, mild anxiety can simply be a normal reaction the things that people deal with everyday in life. However, it is usually mild and passing. Nevertheless, if you are dealing with anxiety that is never ending, then use the helpful tips and methods from the above article to help you get back to a less anxious way of life.