To be clear, we all experience feeling anxious as a normal part of life. In fact, feeling fear or anxiety as a result of a dangerous situation makes sense. After all, knowing what to fear is what kept our ancestors alive in hostile environments. Even today it makes sense to feel anxious in certain situations. But when this anxiousness stretches beyond the boundaries of normal response, when it takes up most of a person’s daily life for 6 months or more, or when it is accompanied by panic attacks, it is called anxiety. Millions suffer with anxiety. But there are ways to prevent or deal with anxiety.
Physically Battle Anxiety
Your physical health cannot be emphasized enough when trying to prevent debilitating anxiety. Take college students as an example. I often see college students in my private counseling practice with runaway anxiety; the kind that makes it impossible to get anything done like going to class or doing homework. After talking with them for a bit, I find out they are getting almost no sleep, eating horrible junk food, and chugging way too much coffee (or worse some chemical laden “energy drink”). That is surely a recipe for anxiety. Here are some basic and practical ways you can prevent or lessen anxiety from a physical perspective
- Eat balanced meals
- Drink lots of water
- Take Breaks from a task
- Get some physical activity like a short walk or run
- Get enough sleep
- Stay away from too much caffeine or other stimulants.
- Get a check up from your primary care doctor if you suspect a physical problem
Emotionally Battle Anxiety
Your emotional health is important too. Are you overwhelmed by feelings of irritability, rage or anger? Are you swamped under by feelings of sadness, depression and despair? Have the feelings of apathy and lethargy really put the brakes on your motivation? When we are not at our emotional best, even small tasks can seem overwhelming or impossible to do. Those feelings of frustration can lead to feeling out of control which doesn’t help with anxiety. What to do about that?
- write out your feelings in a journal
- create some art to help sort out all those emotions
- talk to someone like a trained professional counselor
- talk to a trusted friend
Cognitively Battle Anxiety
What are you telling yourself about your anxiety? It’s amazing how powerful our thoughts and self-talk can be. Using phrases like: “I shouldn’t be experiencing all this anxiety,” or “what’s wrong with me,” or “I am so stupid” are just not helpful. All that negativity has an impact on your self image and how you think of yourself. I always tell clients that we are never going to get rid of anxiety for good, nor should we want to. Remember some fear keeps us safe and on target for our goals. But we can learn to tame our anxiety so we can live with it. Try on some of these more positive thoughts about your anxious brain.
- I accept that I have anxiety and that’s OK
- I am learning all I can about anxiety in order to live a happy life with it
- I accept myself just the way that I am
- I know how to calm my thoughts to a manageable level
Comment below. What helps–or maybe doesn’t help–you cope with your anxiety? What do you wish others knew about dealing with anxiety? Do you suffer with panic attacks? How do you manage those? Your wisdom may really help someone just starting to deal with anxiety.