Managing Anxiety
Do you find yourself consistently worrying about various occurrences in your life, whether they be positive or negative? And cannot seem to give the fears of “what if” out of your mind? You may be facing an anxiety disorder.
Chronic Anxiety & Its Effect on the Body
Anxiety is something that is normal for all people to experience at some point in their lives. Ranging from starting a new career to life transitions to big presentations, we all have lived through something that made us feel nervous and uneasy. However, it is not normal (or healthy) to continue enduring fearful thoughts for extended periods of time. If you allow your mind to continue thinking heavily on a particular situation, person, etc. that is worrying you, your health will begin to decline. According to Healthline, chronic anxiety affects the body in twelve different ways. It can bring “a sense of doom, panic attacks, depression, headaches, irritability, a pounding heart, breathing problems, loss of libido (sex drive), upset stomach, extreme fatigue, increase in blood pressure, and muscle aches.”
Types of Anxiety Disorders
The four typical types of anxiety disorders include Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Specific Phobias, and Panic Disorder.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed when “a person feels anxious on most days, worrying about lots of different things, for a period of six months or more”.
Social anxiety is diagnosed for when “a person has an intense fear of being criticized, embarrassed, or humiliated, even in everyday situations, such as speaking publicly, eating in public, being assertive at work, or making small talk”.
Specific Phobias are diagnosed when “a person feels very fearful about a particular object or situation and may go to great lengths to avoid it. For example, getting a shot, travelling on a plane, or seeing a spider.
Panic Disorder is diagnosed when “a person has panic attacks (intense, uncontrollable feelings of anxiety combined with symptoms such as chest pain or dizziness). If a person has recurrent panic attacks or persistently fears having one for more than a month, they’re said to have panic disorder”.
For people that have diagnoses of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), these types of anxiety also occur with them. According to Beyond Blue, “Many types of people experience anxiety symptoms of more than one type of anxiety condition and may experience depression as well. It is important to seek support early on if you are experiencing anxiety. Your symptoms may not go away on their own and if left untreated, they can start to take over your life.”
How to Free Your Mind from Anxiety
So, are you ready to rid your mind of all the unnecessary things that it tries so hard to hold onto? Here is a list of things that you can begin to do to re-focus your mind:
· Stay in the present (do not allow your mind to go to the past or the future)
· Re-label what is happening if you are feeling anxious
· Check your thoughts (are you putting yourself down?)
· Focus on breathing in and out with slow, controlled breaths
· Follow the 3-3-3 Rule (name 3 sounds you hear & 3 things you see)
· Go do something (chores, take a walk, listen to music)
· Stand up straight (gives body sense of control)
· Stay away from sugar (sugar worsens anxious feelings)
· Ask for a second opinion (a friend or family member can change your perspective)
· Watch a funny video (laughing is a good cure for an anxious mind)
· Meditation
Out of all the options on this list, meditation is one that seems to come up most often. According to VeryWellMind.com, meditation, in its simplest terms, refers to learning how to pay attention. It allows you to slow down and observe the world without judgment on yourself. It brings calm, focus, and balance. A type of meditation practice used often is Mindfulness-Based Meditation. This will help you detach yourself from those anxious thoughts. You will be practicing awareness, identifying tension in your body, understanding your thinking patterns, and dealing with difficult emotions.
There is no single approach to miraculously curing the anxiety you have sustained. You must find the solution(s) that works for you. Trial and Error. If the technique you try does not work, try something else. For myself, I find that writing in my gratitude & anxiety journals, along with consistent exercise, help to “empower” my mind to think differently about whatever it is that is giving me anxious thoughts. My gratitude journal helps to put my focus on things and people in my life that are supportive and positive. I also have an anxiety journal that I write in whenever I find myself getting nervous or stressed about something that is happening. After I write down the thing that is bothering me, I will give myself five minutes to think about solutions to the issue, why my mind seems to think it is a big deal, and how worrying about this is going to help me in the long run. After those 5 minutes are up, I close the anxiety journal and leave all my thoughts and fears about that “problem” in the journal.
Do what works for you to alleviate anxiety. You must manage the anxiety before the anxiety manages you! You are in control! The process of overcoming anxiety does not happen overnight. It is the result of thoughtfully managing your mind for success by consistently acting on the techniques that you have developed to free your mind from the “anxiety trap”.
When to Seek Out Professional Help
Seeking out help is not a sign of weakness. If you have tried self-help techniques and are still experiencing symptoms including loss of appetite, insomnia, frequent crying, feelings of dread and social isolation find a professional. Frequent physical symptoms such as stomach aches, headaches, chest pain and shortness of breath may or may not be related to anxiety and warrant further investigation. Begin by reaching out to your primary care provider so that together you can create an assessment and treatment plan.
References
Types of Anxiety- https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/types-of-anxiety
How Meditation Can Help Generalized Anxiety Disorder- https://www.verywellmind.com/the-benefits-of-meditation-for-generalized-anxiety-disorder-4143127
How to Maintain A Gratitude Journal for Stress Relief- https://www.verywellmind.com/writing-in-a-gratitude-journal-for-stress-relief-3144887
How to Stop Feeling Anxious Right Now- https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/ways-to-reduce-anxiety
Effects of Anxiety on the Body- https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body