Are you constantly finding yourself full of anxiety? Is this holding you back from speaking your mind at work or school, or attending social events? If you are feeling like you need to change something with the way your reacts to certain things then you’re in the right place. This article is designed for those that suffer from anxiety and is here to help.
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.
Find a visual or aural anchor that makes you feel calm or relaxed. Try to choose something abundant and ever-present, such as clouds or water. When you feel anxious, look to the sky or play a soothing track of flowing water on an mp3 player. These anchors can give you a focal point when you feel anxious and head off a full-blown panic attack.
Keeping yourself busy can really help reduce anxiety. Sometimes, simple tasks, such as, washing the dishes or raking the yard, will help you stay busy. Most people have more than enough to do, so get excited about just a few projects that will keep you smiling.
Positive interaction is a must when you are going through rough anxiety. Helping others is a great cure for anxiety. Find a neighbor or a friend who needs a helping hand, and watch it work wonders for how you feel. There is no better medicine than helping other people in times of need.
Try to stay busy as much as you can when you are dealing with anxiety. While meditation and deep breathing exercises are a good idea, other things that keep you idle are not good for you. Staying active will keep your mind off of all the things that are creating your feelings of anxiety.
Learning to control your thoughts is essential when you are dealing with anxiety. Negative thoughts have a lot to do with why people experience this affliction. If you are able to put these negative thoughts out of your head, then you will be able to be free of it.
Stay busy; the more you have to do, the less time you will have to think about what might be bothering you in your life. You will be able to then set some time aside to figure out your issues, without constantly having to worry about them throughout the day.
If the news is contributing to your anxiety, just turn it off. There is no reason to cause yourself unneeded anxiety with issues you may not be able to do anything about. Just breathe deep and concern yourself with making your own life as positive as you possibly can!
Set aside a particular time during which you can devote yourself to your worries and doubts. Continue to tell yourself that you can’t think about these things until your scheduled time. Give yourself an hour to address your anxieties. When you have reached the end of your scheduled time, go back to not allowing yourself to focus on them. This is a structured approach, and a great way to stay in control.
Write a letter to your greatest fear about why you are so worried about it. Be sure to write exactly why it is making you feel that way and how it is affecting you. Now write a hate letter to your greatest anxiety, then battle it through the letter and dismiss it!
If you suffer from anxiety, you may want to consider seeing a therapist, particularly if your anxiety is serious enough to impact large aspects of your life. Therapists are trained to help you deal with your problems and together, the two of you can begin fighting back your anxiety.
Don’t be afraid to seek professional help if anxiety is interfering with your ability to function. Anxiety is a common and treatable ailment and there are numerous sources you can depend on for advice and help. Doing nothing can lead to increased anxiety and other things like depression and health problems.
Limit caffeine and other stimulants. Too much caffeine in a healthy person’s diet can induce feelings of anxiety, so in someone who is already struggling with this disorder, it can have disastrous effects. Caffeine and other stimulants enhance alertness by blocking certain chemicals in the brain, and in individuals predisposed to anxiety, can cause increased heart rate, sweating palms, ringing in the ears, and even panic attacks.
When you are starting to let anxiety get on top of you, use visual anchors. This means when you are feeling anxiety creep in to your thoughts look up to the clouds, or try to find some water to look at to calm you down. You could even use a stress ball.
Try to reduce your consumption of caffeinated beverages. Caffeine increases your state of awareness and stimulates the production of adrenaline. If you suffer from anxiety, you are already in a state of heightened awareness and your adrenaline levels are already too high most of the time. Therefore, consuming any beverages with caffeine in them could cause your anxiety symptoms to spiral out of control.
Treating your anxiety disorder will involve some experimentation with a variety of treatment methods. Doctors can analyze your situation and prescribe medication. At the same time, natural approaches, such as dietary changes, can make a world of difference. People who combine both treatment methods often have the best results.
Avoid alcohol. While it is true that alcohol’s depressive effects can reduce anxiety levels temporarily, in the long run it does more harm than good. The body quickly adjusts to alcohol, meaning that each time a person relies on it to calm him or herself, it will require more alcohol to achieve the same effects. This can quickly lead to dependence and alcoholism.
Learning how to fight anxiety is just the beginning of the battle. Now it is up to you to apply all that you have learned here today in order to truly fend off your anxiety once and for all. It is possible to live anxiety free, it’s just a matter of how much you apply yourself with what you know.