Feeling tensed or scared when facing a stressful situation is normal. With the fast paced lifestyle of today’s modern society, people need to be anxious to stay alert and focused. Anxiety, being the body’s natural response to anything deemed dangerous, sets off a biological alarm when an individual feels threatened. This could positively spur fast action and motivate individuals in solving problems.
Anxiety occurring constantly, however, can be overwhelming and unnerving. At some point, it gets in the way of relationships, careers and activities. It stops one’s body from properly functioning – an incontestable sign of anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorder may sometimes be a group of related conditions, thereby causing the symptoms to vary among people. Some experience the attacks randomly, while others can pinpoint what really triggers the reaction. Fear and phobia may be the cause of intrusive thoughts among other patients, while some may point to their anxiety disorder as the result of their worries and insurmountable stress.
Regardless of the symptom of anxiety or the causes of anxiety , individuals whose lives are greatly affected by such condition should start looking for ways on how to control anxiety. Having a good firm grasp over their emotions and state of mind can win them back their lives and push them back on track.
How to control Anxiety Strategies
Breathing exercies for anxiety and relaxation techniques are often touted as the quickest means of getting rid of anxiety. Note that shallow breathing is the body’s natural response to anxiety. Learning how to control breathing to stay calm can therefore be a good means of controlling anxiety. This may sound simple, but practice is needed to get the hang of it.
Start with conscious observation of signs of peaks of anxiety. Knowing the hints can help anyone combat the attack even before it hits. When the first few signs are observed, individuals should start breathing slowly and deeply through the nose. The diaphragm should expand when breathing in with the chest stationary.
Drop the shoulder and straighten up the spine while the breathing exercise is performed. Avoid sudden alteration of the breathing pattern – introduce it to the body gradually. Be sure to spare a second or two in between inhaling and exhaling.
Experts suggest that this technique is more effective when the patients meditate during the gaps of breathing. Letting the brain focus on something else calms the body and the mind.
Note that this technique can help alleviate the symptoms but it does not cure anxiety disorders. Obviously, this is also an “aspirin” to the attacks – something that gives temporary relief but does not provide long term solutions.
Having Control Over Anxiety
In this vein, it is imperative to remember that no one can cure anxiety disorders better than the individual themselves. While fear, worries, paranoia and other triggers of the attacks seem to be unbeatable, knowing the ways in which people can have better control over problems and various situations can help them avoid anxiety spikes.
- Have a clear vision of what scares or worries you. Tracking anxiety should be easy through the presence of a journal, pad and pencil, laptop, Smartphone, or any tool that allows you to jot down notes. Writing down every problem, concern or fear is harder than simply thinking about them. This should redirect the focus of the mind. Plus, seeing the list of things that cause your anxiety allows you to strategize actions and think of what you can do about them.
- Schedule a time for problem solving. Carrying burdens from start to end of everyday can instantly wear out the body physically, emotionally and mentally. It would then be imperative to choose a viable time to worry about problems and think of solutions rather than thinking about them all throughout the day (this would only add up to the stress and fatigue that have already been there). Be sure to take a breathe and relax before the “schedule time for worrying.” This would set the mind prepared for coming up with resolutions.
- Achieve a healthier body. Eating breakfast heartily and munching on small meals until dinner makes the mind sharper and the body more active. This reduces the need to produce adrenaline and other anxiety-inducing hormones. Skipping meals is a big no-no as it leads to having low levels of sugar in the blood and making you feel sluggish, depressed and anxious.
- Aside from knowing what to eat, people should also be wary of the things they should not consume. Alcoholic drinks, for one, negatively affect the central nervous system thereby causing more anxiety and panic attacks. Understanding how to prevent anxiety and making a few little changes to your lifestyle will better help you learn how to Control Anxiety and get on with your life.
