Anxiety is a tremendously debilitating condition that affects millions of people. Though you may not find yourself to be overly anxious, you can find yourself succumbing to extreme anxiety from various sources. The key is to keep yourself informed about how anxiety can affect your life, and how you can find the help you need. Read on for ideas to cope with, and solve, your anxiety issues.
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.
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.
If you have an anxiety disorder, it may be wise to seek out a support group for people with anxiety disorder and panic attack. Being around others who share your symptoms can be a great comfort and will allow you to share ideas for controlling anxiety and overcoming your fears.
Eliminate negative vocabulary from your speech. Just using negative words, can bring you down and when you feel down, you are more likely to have an anxiety attack. Replace those negative words with words of encouragement or simple positive words. Use them in your conversations, as well as, your inner chatter.
Do not feel embarrassed or ashamed to seek professional help if your anxiety has become something that you cannot effectively deal with on your own. It will help you to talk to a doctor and let those feelings out. They will then, be able to prescribe you something that can help you, if that is what is needed.
Speak with friends, family, or a doctor about your anxiety. It is going to intensify your feelings if you try to keep too much bottled in. Sharing your feelings makes you feel better while reducing anxiety.
When you are having an anxiety attack, it is a good idea to splash your face with cold water. Many people have heard this, but they may not do it because they think that it is not going to really help them. Actually, it causes what is known as a dive reflex, and it sends a message to your brain to tell your body to slow down.
Exercise is a good way to change the chemicals in your brain. When your serotonin levels are low it can cause anxiety, but this can be alleviated with exercise. Gardening, going on a brisk walk with the dog or a workout at the gym all stimulate the brain to produce serotonin and dopamine, two of the brain’s natural relaxants. In addition to decreasing your anxiety, it also lifts depression.
Keep a log or a journal to try to figure out what your triggers are. Once you have the triggers mapped out, you will have a better idea of what you can do to reduce the anxiety that you feel in the different situations. Each situation may require a different management technique.
A helpful tip that you should think about in your times of stress is to have some snacks that contain carbohydrates. Eating these types of snacks will help to release serotonin in your brain. This is a natural occurring chemical that will make you feel good once it is released.
If you feel like nothing is working for your anxiety and your doctor recommends it, take medication. Many people do not like the idea of relying on medication for assistance, but sometimes, it is the only thing that works. But, only resort to this if your doctor feels it is needed.
Learn to feel the anxiety in your body. Focus on where it is located, such as a tight chest feeling, and stay focused on it until the feeling dissolves. This may seem difficult at first, but with just a bit of practice you will be able to release anxious feelings within seconds or a few minutes.
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.
If you suffer from anxiety, try exercising regularly. Exercise is a natural way to deal with stress and to relieve anxiety. To get the most from your aerobic exercise routine, attempt to work out for 30 minutes several days a week.
One way to cope with anxiety is to just breathe! By focusing on your breathing and taking slow, even breaths is one of the easiest ways to relax. Start by counting to five as you inhale, then exhale for the same amount of time. You’ll start to feel calmer, and you’ll buy yourself some time to deal with a difficult situation.
A great tip to help reduce the amount of anxiety you feel is to cut back on your caffeine intake. Caffeine is a stimulant which only increases the anxiousness or nervousness you are already feeling. Reducing the amount of caffeine you take will help reduce the amount of anxiety you feel.
Learn to breathe from your stomach. This form of breathing technique is called diaphragmatic breathing. It is simply taking deep breaths to the point where your belly button is pushed out. Count as you inhale and exhale; and you will find yourself becoming calmer and more relaxed with each breath you take.
Now that you can see some great ways to move forward in dealing with anxiety, it is time for you to get a medical opinion to see if there is more that needs to be done, or if the advice, you have gained here can make the needed impact in getting you to a more stable frame of mind.
