Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. The most common and prevalent of these, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common anxiety disorder that involves constant and chronic worrying, nervousness, and tension.
There are several ways to deal with anxiety. First are the short-term measures. These are quick remedies that could help you deal with the situation that your anxiety is focused around at the moment. Secondly, there are the long-term measures that help you deal with your anxiety in general. This does not mean that these measures alone with get you complete relief from anxiety. Apart from using these self-help techniques on your part, it is very important for a person with anxiety disorder to consult a mental healthcare specialist. Let’s discover the self-help techniques:
Breathing: Whenever anxiety takes over you, sit down and practice deep breathing. Try breathing in for 4 counts and breathing out for 4 counts for 5 minutes total. By evening out your breath, you’ll slow your heart rate which should help calm you down.
Using your senses to calm down: Looking at something that makes you smile like dog pictures or a serene view can ease down the anxiety. Similarly, you can listen to soothing music or relaxing sounds of nature like waterfall or chirping of birds. Scents like lavender and chamomile in form of incense, candles or oil can be relaxing. It is called aromatherapy. Eating your favorite food and slowly savoring it can take your mind off the worrying too. Getting a massage, cuddling with a pet, sitting in your most comfortable chair can also do the trick.
Exercise: Physical movement is a long-term as well as short-term technique to help with anxiety. It relieves tension, reduces stress hormones, boosts feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins, and physically changes the brain in ways that make it less anxiety-prone and more resilient. Try to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days.
Build strong connections: Human support is the second most important factor for dealing with anxiety after the therapist. It is advisable to find someone you can talk to on a regular basis. That person should be like a support system who could talk to you and listen to you without judging or criticizing. When you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, meeting and talking to that person about your worries can help a great deal.
Analyzing your thought pattern: Most people with general anxiety disorder overestimate the likelihood of something bad happening. They also underestimate their ability to cope with it. You should recognize these anxious thoughts and check whether the fear is realistic. One should ask themselves questions like “How likely is it that the dreaded prediction would actually occur?” and “How many times has my fear come true in the past?” Questioning your thoughts might prove to be a useful counter to anxiety.
After all, it is vital that a person dealing with anxiety visits their mental health specialist regularly and get the treatment that they suggest. For more help regarding anxiety, have a consultation with our experts at La Noce Psychiatry.