5 Ways To Help Ease Your Anxiety

Worrying about future events is normal but too much of it might indicate signs of anxiety. Many people suffer from such which leads them to have difficulty to lead a normal life. Some aren't even aware that they suffer from an anxiety disorder. If left untreated, the disorder can be dangerous. Especially during the pandemic that makes most people anxious, it's best to be wary of the signs and symptoms of anxiety. That way, you can help yourself, and your loved ones cope with it.

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You can do so by first understanding what anxiety means.

Anxiety Defined

If you've been living with a constant state of anxiety during this pandemic, then you may be experiencing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). It's characterized by a persistent fear of social situations and the fear of having an actual panic attack. This is a condition you need to look out for as it can affect your mental well-being, and it even makes you feel like you have no control over your life. 

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Anxiety can also refer to the feeling of impending doom or disaster. For instance, people who have generalized anxiety are afraid of experiencing an attack because they worry that something terrible will happen. 

Anxiety is often considered a normal emotion in people, as is anger. However, when anxiety symptoms start to affect a person's daily activities, it becomes dangerous. That's why it's essential to determine your condition's exact cause to prevent it from worsening. If you're suffering from anxiety because of the pandemic, then you might want to know how Alvarado Parkway Institute discusses the connection between anxiety and the current pandemic.

Causes of Anxiety

Many people suffer from panic attacks but they don't realize what's causing it. It could be stress, a traumatic event, or severe anxiety disorder. If you find that you're having trouble breathing or dizziness during a panic attack, then there may be a medical reason behind it. 

Here are some common factors that may cause anxiety you should be aware of:

1. Genetics And Medical Condition

Some studies show that anxiety disorders may run in families, while other studies have indicated that it may have rooted from the nervous system. If there's a malfunction in the nervous system, it affects the neurotransmitters responsible for regulating emotion and behavior. As a result, some may experience anxiety.

Another cause of anxiety is chemical imbalances in the brain. If the mind has too much serotonin or dopamine, it can cause fear or panic attacks. People who have too much of one type of chemical in their brains may also have an increased level of another, leading to anxiety.

Many doctors also said that medical causes were to blame. These include high blood pressure, heart attack, depression, liver disease, epilepsy, and diabetes. If you suffer from any of these, you are prone to anxiety, although it doesn't necessarily apply to everyone.

2. Severe Stress

Anxiety can also come from a lack of mental stimulation in our lives. If a person is having a difficult time focusing or concentrating, this can lead to severe stress. Or if people are constantly bombarded with information they don't understand or don't care about, their brains may become unbalanced, resulting in stress. 

3. Trauma

When it comes to psychological and emotional causes, a traumatic event often causes anxiety. This can range from sexual abuse to the death of a loved one. There's a chance that a person will experience panic attacks because of this.

Signs and Symptoms

To determine if you're suffering from anxiety or panic disorder, you must recognize signs and anxiety symptoms. They may vary between individual people but they all share the common signs which include any or combinations of the following:

• Physical: Some physical stressors and significant life changes can result in the onset of anxiety disorders. Physically, they may feel restless, dizzy or lightheaded, hot and sweaty, breathless and inability to stay calm.

• Mental: This includes behavioral indications like loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable, moody, irritable, and losing appetite.

• Psychological: These symptoms can cause the person to feel overwhelmed, worthless, ashamed, and helpless. In some cases, a person with anxiety may feel like they have no control over their lives. Some are even having difficulties in dealing with stressful situations. They become depressed because of their inability to deal with it.

Agoraphobia is another psychological sign of anxiety which is the fear of being in public or having a panic attack. Many people with agoraphobia avoid social situations so that they don't have to experience a panic attack. Anxiety symptoms are often mistaken for such things as heart attacks or strokes.

These are just a few of the more common signs and symptoms of anxiety. If you have recurring symptoms, you should seek medical attention or do the following tips below.

How To Ease Anxiety

Since you know the what causes your anxiety, it'll be easier for you to manage it. When signs and symptoms appear, you should now start doing the tips below to prevent anxiety from escalating. 

Depending on the tip that may work best for you, here are some of the things you can do to prevent anxiety attacks:

1. Stay On The Present Situation

One way to ease anxiety is to let things be. Don't try to rush anything because the more stressed you are, the more nervous you become. You may find yourself feeling anxious as a result, so try to relax first before getting started on any work. Remind yourself that you can finish it in time.

If you know your stressors, try to ignore them. For instance, if someone makes you feel stressed, go to a different room. Don't try to think about the situation; instead, look around you and focus your thoughts on the things you see.

Another situation that may stress you out is anticipating future events and worrying for the worst thing to happen. For instance, if you plan on a trip and you're anxious that a drastic event might happen, try to get rid of these thoughts. Again, pull yourself to the present time you are in. Remind yourself that you're safe in the present situation. 

You can also tell yourself to put aside your worries and revisit them later so you can concentrate on the present situation you're in. By doing so, you can put yourself back to reality.

2. Relabel The Situation

Stress is always around, but some people try to avoid stressful situations. This can cause anxiety to build up, and the problem will get worse. You can avoid such by learning to relabel situations that may cause anxiety.

First, you need to identify the situation. For instance, if a job interview makes you nervous, find out why this is so. Maybe you fear rejection, or you might think the employer isn't interested in you. You can avoid situations like this by identifying the problem and addressing it in your mind.

Once you know the reason for your nervousness, think about how you can deal with it in the best way possible. Say, what would your advice be to others who would be in that situation. By telling it to yourself, you may realize that it's a situation you can turn into a positive one. Or that it won't harm you the way you're anticipating it.

Once you figure out how to handle a situation, you need to take action. You can take a few deep breaths and begin to relax. You should also remember to think of ways to make you feel better instead of getting upset and angry and irritated about it.

3. Control Your Thoughts

Learning how to control your thoughts to ease anxiety is a significant but worthy step. While many people may try to hide their problems, others have a real fear of going through the same issues again. Fortunately, you can control your thoughts to cure panic attacks without having to live in constant fear.

One of the first ways you should learn is to practice deep breathing exercises while having a panic attack. Learn the correct way to breathe, and by doing so, you'll begin to feel better almost immediately. Try to remember to hold your breath for five seconds and then exhale while inhaling slowly and deeply for five seconds.

Repeat the breathing exercise about twenty times. It may seem silly, but it works since your thoughts will be focusing on breathing instead of your anxiety.

Another way is to undergo hypnotherapy with an NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) approach. This has been around for decades, and it's still significant. This type of therapy is based on the fact that our thoughts determine how we experience things in our life.

The NLP method helps you change your thoughts so that they're in sync with happenings in your life. With NLP, it'll help you divert your anxious thoughts to other things that made you feel happy. For instance, if a song makes you feel good, NLP will teach you how to focus on it instead of negative thoughts. That way, you'll learn to immerse yourself with happy feelings that can stop your anxiety.

By changing how you perceive a situation, you can control your panic attack. 

4. Talk To Someone

Talking to someone about your thoughts and feelings is a big help to ease your anxiety. 

You need to talk to someone you trust or someone who understands your concerns and likes to hear your thoughts and ideas. Especially if the other person knows your situation, talking to them will unburden your anxiety. If you need to blurt it out, you can do so because they'll understand that you have anxiety attacks. They'll let you talk about your thoughts, and afterward, you'll feel better. 

Some even get drained after telling other people their thoughts. It'll be easier for you to rest, renew your energy, and positive thoughts when you wake up.

If can't talk to someone, it's also a good idea to pretend that the person on the other end is there and has a conversation with you. This makes the process a lot easier, and you won't have to worry about remembering how to say something correctly. Continue talking until you released all the tension, and your mind relaxes down. 

By talking to someone, you may even realize that your thoughts are non-essential since you can hear your thoughts out loud. Instead of being panicky, talking about it might ease your anxiety.

5. Exercise Regularly

Exercise is good for your body as well as for your mind. It helps you relieve stress, which is one of the many causes of anxiety. Stress can be caused by money, work, relationships, and the like.

If you find yourself stressed, it's best to relax. This is why it's essential to have a good relaxation routine, that may involve yoga or tai chi. Another way to relieve your stress and anxiety is to take part in physical activity such as walking. This will make you feel better mentally and physically. 

If you don't feel up to exercising, you could look for a hobby or a sport that would help you relax. This could include playing tennis, snooker, table tennis, or even golf. All of these sports can help you get into a positive frame of mind.

Increasing the blood flow to your body may help reduce stress since you've diverted your pressure to tiring exercises. When you prevent stress from building up, you may avoid being anxious.

Anxiety comes in many forms. From panic attacks to excess fear of future events, these will have a significant impact on your daily life. Aside from having negative thoughts, anxiety may even control your life for a while if left untreated. There are many ways you can prevent from succumbing to anxiety aside from medications.

You can start by understanding how your anxiety works. Know the causes of stress and identify what triggers your anxiety attacks.

Before it gets worse, you can start easing your anxiety by focusing on your present situation instead of negative thoughts. You can even relabel a bad scenario to a good one by controlling your thoughts or talking to someone about it. Or if you're into physical exercise, do it regularly so you can divert your stress into it instead of developing into anxiety.