Written by: Bridget Richard, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Do you live with anxiety? Is it something that you have to deal with on a daily basis? Here are a few ways to cope.
First, remember anxiety is the body's natural response to stress. It is normal to feel anxiety when a circumstance or situation occurs, but once the incident passes, the body will normally release that anxiety. Some people can do this easily and naturally while others may have more of a harder time being able to release anxiety. Some people may continue to experience anxiety once the incident has passed. This is what we would call an anxiety disorder or an adjustment disorder. But those are conversations for another time. For now, let's focus on just anxiety.
What is it that you experience with anxiety?
A racing heart rate?
Sweaty palms?
Racing thoughts?
Anxiety looks different for everybody. And it's important to remember that anxiety is normal, and it is a way of life.
Some things that can trigger anxiety could be things like:
The first day at school, or first day at a new job
Meeting your partner's family for the first time
Having to give a presentation in front of a lot of people
So, it's important to remember that everyone has different types of triggers for their anxiety and identifying them is one of the most important ways to get on the path of coping and managing anxiety and any attacks or disorders that may come with that.
Now remember, identifying these triggers can take time and self-reflection. In the meantime, there are things that you can do to try to calm or lower your anxiety from truly taking over. So here are five quick ways to cope with anxiety when you start to feel anxiety coming on!
Question your thought pattern
What am I thinking about? Why am I feeling this way? Remember negative thoughts can take root in your mind and they can distort the severity of the situation. Think back to when you were a child having to go to the doctor to get a shot. You may have been feeling anxious about it since needles are sharp and they hurt. You work yourself up, fearing for your life (and sanity) as the doctor puts the needle in, only to find it was a small, quick pinch. You overthought and mulled over it that you worked yourself into a sense of fear and anxiety. The actual event was not as bad as you had made yourself believe!
Remember, one way to is to challenge your fears. Ask if they're true and see where you can take back control.
Practice focused, deep breathing
Almost everyone has a smartwatch, am I right? They have a cool feature where they have callming or deep breathing guided type exercises you can follow along with. They usually last between two to five minutes. Practice guided deep breathing because it helps you focus on the way you're breathing, and it helps you calm yourself and just relax. If you don't have a smartwatch, you can try the old school method where you try breathing in for four counts and breathing out for five counts. You can do this for two to five minutes. By evening out your breathing, you will not only slow down your heart rate; you make yourself focus on something else rather than your anxiety which can help calm you.
The 4-7-8 method is also something you can use here. You breathe in for four counts. Hold your breath for seven counts. Exhale for eight counts.
Use aromatherapy
Try using things like incense candles, oils, or oil-based candles that have scents like lavender, chamomile, sandalwood. They can be very soothing. Aromatherapy is thought to help activate certain receptors in the brain that can ease anxiety.
Exercise
You can go for a walk or do fifteen minutes of exercise. If you're at work, you can take a quick break and go for a short walk around the parking lot or do some stretches at your desk. Anything to get yourself, moving, and motivated. When you're engaging other parts of your body, your brain is not only focused on your anxiety or what you're going through at that moment.
Write down your thoughts
Sometimes writing down your thoughts helps alleviate all that you're anxious about because it allows you to get out what you're feeling, and it can make it seem less daunting. One really good thing is to schedule Worry Time which is another method that is used to treat anxiety. You put a timer on for five, ten, fifteen minutes (or however long you want) and while the timer is going, you just write down all the worries you currently have. It doesn't have to be grammatically correct or punctuated. This is not something you will be graded on (promise!). It doesn't even have to be written in sentences. It can be just doodles or whatever you feel. Do it for a certain amount of time and once the timer goes, you're done. Crumble it up. Throw it away. Delete the file. whatever that looks like for you. The whole point is to just write down your thoughts and release it so you can help ease some anxiety.
There are some long-term strategies you can do for dealing with anxiety.
Identify triggers
Remember, one of the major things is to identify and learn what your triggers are. When I say triggers, I mean the things that you know can cause your anxiety to flare up. Now, to identify your triggers, you can do this completely on your own, or you can seek help from a therapist. These are professionals that are trained to help identify triggers, and how to deal with them.
Now, sometimes your triggers can be something obvious like caffeine, drinking alcohol, smoking, and things like that. Other times they can be less obvious. This could be stuff like financial or work-related situations. It could be a due date of a project, a particular person in your life, or a certain type of situation that may remind you of a past situation that can cause your anxiety to flare up. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t figure out your triggers. It may take some extra support, through therapy or friends or having a person that you completely trust to confide in. When you do figure out what your trigger is, you should really try to limit your exposure if you can. If you can't, try to use other coping techniques to help for the now.
Here are some more common triggers:
A stressful job or work environment.
Driving or traveling.
Genetics
Withdrawals from drugs or medication.
Side effect of certain medications.
Trauma
Phobia- some common phobias are acrophobia (fear of heights) and claustrophobia (a fear of small spaces)
Chronic issues- heart disease, asthma, diabetes, etc.
Chronic Pain- Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, etc.
Having another mental illness this could be something like depression or panic.
Panic attacks - constantly having that stress in that worry can lead to anxiety.
Caffeine
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Another long-term treatment could be adoptive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT as it's called. This can help people learn different ways of thinking about situations and how to react to those anxiety-causing situations. There are plenty of therapists that are trained in this type of therapy, and it can help you develop ways to change negative thought patterns and behaviors before they spiral completely out of control.
Meditation
You can do a daily or routine meditation. It may eventually help you train your brain to dismiss anxious thoughts when they start to happen in your mind.
Supplements
You can try supplements or changing your diet. Research has shown that certain supplements or nutrients can help reduce anxiety and can help with boosting your mood.
They can include:
Lemon balm
Omega three fatty acids
Ashwagandha
Green tea
Valerian Root
Kava Kava
Dark chocolate (in moderation)
It is important to remember this is not an easy or an overnight fix. This usually takes time. With changing or trying out supplements, it can be up to three months before the body actually starts running on the nutrients. If you're taking other medications, of course, make sure to discuss any herbal remedies with your doctor.
Other things to consider to keep your body and mind healthy are exercising regularly, eating balanced meals, getting enough sleep, and staying connected to people who care about you. These are all great ways of dealing with anxiety.
Medication
Ask your doctor about medications that can help manage or lower anxiety. Sometimes you do need to take a medicinal route, if the anxiety is severe enough that your mental health practitioner can believe that you'd benefit from taking medication. And always discuss your concerns with your doctor.
When is my anxiety harmful?
Remember identifying the sort of anxiety you're dealing with can be somewhat challenging because your reaction to a certain kind of anxiety may be different from someone else. It's likely you've heard the word “anxiety” used as more of a blanket term for the general feeling of worry, nervousness, unease, and stress, and it's often a feeling grown in response to an upcoming event that has an uncertain outcome.
Anxiety is normal. It's part of daily life. If an incident comes up, it can cause stress and worry and anxiousness. That's completely normal. What isn't normal is when that feeling of anxiousness doesn't go away once the incident has passed. Now, every person deals with it at one time or another. Anxiety the brain’s response to a perceived danger even if the danger itself is not real. It's more the danger of the unknown rather than a physical danger.
Now that being said, there are times where anxiety can become a serious problem and turn into anxiety attacks. They can initially feel like they are manageable, but they can work up gradually to the point they build up over a few hours. Now this is completely different from out of the blue panic attacks which are more out of the blue, and, then they subside.
Some of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety are:
Feelings of danger
Dread or panic
Nervousness or restlessness
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Chills or trembling
Weakness or tiredness
Gastrointestinal problems
Difficulty focusing
Hyperventilation
If you notice that any quick tips haven't been working for you, you may want to consider seeing a professional for help. Especially if you believe you may have something like a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and if it begins to interfere with routine activities and causes actual physical symptoms.
A mental health professional can help with streamlining the process of identifying your triggers and maintaining long term strategies for behavioral therapy, and prescribing medications and more. An example would be let's say you have a trauma that you may have experienced at some point in your past. It may be beneficial for you to work through that with a licensed therapist. On the other hand, let's say you're you have a family history of anxiety or anxiety disorders, so you may be predisposed to chronic anxiety. You may need to go on a medication to manage that. So, remember, it's important to consider that anxiety is a normal way of life, and it is a part of life however, it shouldn't overtake your day-to-day life.
Even the most extreme anxiety disorders can be treated so that the individual going through the symptoms is not overwhelmed and can function in their daily life. Once you find the treatment that really works for you, life should become less daunting, less stressful, and more enjoyable.
Bridget Richard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Bridget Richard, MA, LISW-S is a Social Worker and Life Coach with 20+ years of experience in the field of mental health. In her work, she is passionate about helping with women to conquer feelings of anxiety and depression caused by burnout. She helps her clients move from being too frustrated and overwhelmed to enjoy life to focused, empowered, and re-energized. Bridget enjoys bringing her message of self-love and determination to virtual and live venues everywhere. She has been featured in the Women's Journal as a "Person You Want to Know" and regularly contributes to Thrive, Medium, and Brainz Magazine. To learn more about working with Bridget schedule your free discovery call at https://calendly.com/bridgetsrichard/freeconsult.
