anxiety

Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening. More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it. Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control.

1. See a professional. This is always a good first step. Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous. A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques.

2. Get a good night’s sleep. During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself. You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage. Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis. Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently. It helps to get more oxygen to the brain. It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them.

4. Meditate. Meditation is more than chanting mantras. Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing. Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.

5. Manage the worry. When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten. As you count, focus on the situation. What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation.

6. Don’t use alcohol. You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant. In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process.

7. Find some relaxing activities. Stress can rob you of your energy. On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.

Anxiety can come into your life at any time. It’s normal. When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions. If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately. There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence. 

Tags: managing anxiety, anxiety

Looking To Stop Anxiety Attacks?

Anxiety attacks can be debilitating. The physical and mental symptoms can impact your life in such a way that even basic living can become difficult. If you suffer from anxiety attacks, you want to stop them from every happening again.

In order to stop anxiety attacks, it can be helpful to see what the common causes of them are. Let’s take a look.

Causes Of Anxiety Attacks

If you have an ancestor or relative who has anxiety attacks, you will be more likely to also have them. Or if you were raised in a home where you were taught that the world is a fearful place, you are more likely to have them. Also, studies show that those will a very passive style of communicating are also more prone to anxiety or panic attacks. Research continues to be done to identify factors.

Other physical conditions can also play a role. Hypoglycemia, hyperthyroidism, a vitamin B deficiency, and labyrinthitis are a few of these, as are obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

If you introduce other chemicals into the body, it an trigger anxiety attacks. Drugs like Ritalin, anti-depressants, and all SSRI drugs have been known to cause anxiety attacks. Don’t just stop taking these, those – talk to your doctor to find a way to see if they are contributing to your anxiety attacks. Never change your dosage of a prescription drug on your own – only in consultation with your medical provider.

However, if you take nicotine (smoked, chewed), alcohol, or even caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks), these habits could be aggrevating your condition. Minimize their usage. Your anxiety attacks might stop, and your health will definitely improve.

Other mental issues can also contribute, like the loss of a spouse or significant life change, or phobias, or even previous attacks can make one more prone to future anxiety attacks. You may not stop these from being in your life, but you might be able to minimize their impact with therapy and time. Getting help with anxiety attacks may mean having therapy to deal with these issues.

How To Stop Anxiety Attacks

It used to be that the medical profession believed that anxiety attacks were “all in your head.” Unfortunately, this attitude let them believe there was nothing they could do, and the sufferer was totally out of luck on getting help.

Now, things are different. There are advanced treatments that can be used, like psychotherapy medication to stop anxiety attacks from occurring, and relaxation techniques to use during and after an anxiety attack stops. These can be very effective, and should be tried before giving up. 

Tags: stop anxiety attack, anxiety attack help