Anxiety can be a normal reaction in a situation that is new or unfamiliar. It can even be a healthy reaction that protects us from dangerous situations. However, experiencing severe anxiety constantly that interferes with your everyday life is not normal or helpful. Use the advice and techniques in this article to get your anxiety in check so you can return to a less stress state of minds.
Have a trusted resource to call on, whenever you may be subject to an attack. Be it a relative or friend, you should have someone who is aware of your condition and can help talk you through an attack. Having to face one alone is very overwhelming, and you will work through them quicker if you have someone to help.
Dealing with anxiety before it paralyzes your actions is the best way to handle these feelings. If each situation is resolved with as it arises, the stress can be released and an anxiety attack can be avoided. Think calmly about the situation and decide on the best course of action.
Music could help reduce anxiety. Once you feel the anxiety starting to take hold, play your favorite tunes. Get into the music. Before long you will experience a reduction in your anxiety and an improvement in your mind set. Keeping your mind occupied can help you with your anxiety.
If you begin to feel an anxiety attack coming on while you are driving, pull over and stop your car, as soon as possible. Take some deep breaths, close your eyes, and wait for it to pass. Anxiety attacks are common when you are at the wheel and have been known to cause accidents.
A trusting friend is a valuable benefit. Look to this person as an ear when you need to talk about your anxious feelings. Don’t let your feelings get bottled up; talk to someone you can rely on. Keeping your feelings inside will only make you feel worse.
There are certain foods that should be avoided, if you are trying to cut down on the symptoms of anxiety. Foods that are sweetened with sugar, those with processed white flour and caffeinated beverages should not be consumed very often. They will only serve to make your condition worse, than it already is.
Soda is one of the worst things that you can drink during the course of the day ang you should avoid this beverage at all costs. Soda contains a lot of sugar and caffeine that can exacerbate your mood and dehydrate your body of essential nutrients, causing more tension and anxiety.
Learn to say no. Overextending yourself can quickly drain your reserves and leave your mind racing as you try to live up to your commitments. Your refusal to put more on your plate than you can manage may cause disappointment for someone, but your mental health and well-being are most important.
If you are having high levels of anxiety, you need to make sure that you are getting enough sleep every day. When your body is deprived of sleep, it will make your adrenal glands work harder. If you have to, take short naps during the day to help your body not use as much adrenaline to keep going.
Know when to seek professional help. If your anxiety causes you to self-medicate, decreases the quality or length of your sleep, or causes you to consider harming yourself, medical attention is necessary. A therapist, counselor or psychiatrist, can help you to create a treatment plan to alleviate your anxiety and keep you from hurting yourself.
Know your limits if you suffer from anxiety. If you have had a stressful day, cancel anything that may have been on the schedule for the rest of the night. Pop a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner and allow yourself to recuperate from the stress, otherwise you may be inviting anxiety to take over.
One of the biggest triggers for anxiety is caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant. Not only does it stimulate your body, but it also stimulate stress hormones as well. If you want to remove anxiety from your life, you need to start with the removal of all caffeine from your diet.
Help others whenever you have a chance. If you see someone that needs help, ask them. You may also find an opportunity to help out family and friends by simply asking them if they need anything. This will keep your mind off of anxiety and will help you feel better about yourself.
At times you will find yourself in different positions during a panic attack. If you have an anxiety attack, do whatever you can do in order to keep you distracted. Count down from 100, do math problems in your head, talk about good times you’ve had recently, and anything else that you can think of that could distract you in a positive manner.
Go outside for one of the best free therapies available for treating anxiety and depression. The sun is a necessary part of any treatment for anxiety. It supplies your body with Vitamin D and also has a positive influence on your brain. Many people become depressed in the winter without the sun, so whenever possible, get outside and enjoy some free therapy.
Avoid things that could raise your blood pressure. This includes high levels of salt and sodium, caffeine and even alcohol. These substances can raise your heart rate and your blood pressure, making your anxiety symptoms worse. While avoiding these items might not eliminate your anxiety, it will keep it from feeling so out of control.
Create a list of the things that stress you out every day. Make two lists for things that can be changed and those which cannot. Focus on trying to change the things that you can; try to stop worrying about those that you cannot.
As previously covered, anxiety can be a normal reaction when you are faced with a new or unfamiliar situation. Anxiety can even be a helpful emotion to protect us in stressful situations but if your anxiety is extreme and interferes with your everyday life, then use the recommendations and techniques from above to help you.