3 Tips That Can Help You Cope with Anxiety
Anxiety is a word that you may come across quite frequently these days, but do you know how to deal with it? If you don’t, we have a few tips that can help cope with anxiety efficiently.
Feeling uneasy, fearing something, or nervousness are some of the common symptoms of anxiety. You may start feeling tense or physically uncomfortable as the symptoms become severe. In fact, anxiety attacks may lead you to fall sick or you may feel as if your chest is about to burst. Therefore, it’s essential to know how you can manage the symptoms without wasting any time.
Anxiety is a mental health condition that affects how we think and perceives things. It often feels as if the walls are closing in and we are living in one of the most frightening places in the world. Your mind only thinks of the worst things that can happen to you, and this soon leads to a change in your behaviour. A few behavioural effects of anxiety are not meeting people, not visiting the places you used to like, delay in checking your emails, or starting work late because you fear that you are missing something and wouldn’t be able to complete your tasks.
Best ways to cope with anxiety
Anxiety has different levels and forms, such as anxiety attacks, generalised anxiety, panic attacks, specific phobias, health anxiety, and social anxiety. It is always wise to talk to a psychologist or a counsellor if you have anxiety attacks. In addition to seeking help from a professional, you can also follow the tips below to cope with anxiety.
Breathe deeply
Your body automatically activates a fight or flight response whenever it suspects danger. It’s a unique way of tackling threatening situations where your body goes through a chain of changes like an increase in your heart rate and the release of adrenaline. Both these actions allow your body to move swiftly and keep you mentally strong whenever you face a challenging situation. However, your body won’t release adrenaline or increase your heart rate if you go to the supermarket. That’s because it knows that the supermarket is not a place where your body may feel threatened.
One of the most effective ways to deal with anxiety in threatening situations is to take a deep breath as it brings your body to its natural equilibrium. You can try the “blowing up a balloon” trick. Breathe deeply as if you are about to blow a balloon, and then let the air out as slowly as possible. Repeat this process at least three times to notice a difference in your rapid heart rate and anxiety symptoms.
Question your thoughts
Anxiety attacks can be tricky, especially when you can’t think of anything but danger all around you. Even the simplest of things like a sudden email from your boss or your friend not replying to your text may make you feel as if something is terribly wrong. These thoughts eventually aggravate your anxiety symptoms. Therefore, you should ask yourself whether what you think is factual or just an opinion or thought playing in your head. If you think it’s an opinion, then it’s nothing but your anxiousness that’s tricking your mind. See here for ‘spinal cord injury news‘
Test it out
We often start making negative predictions whenever we get anxiety attacks. For example, if someone invites you to a party, you may not want to go, fearing that no one will talk to you. These are negative predictions that keep playing in your head, and it’s best to test it out like a scientist. Be confident enough and do the task at hand to see whether your prediction was right or not.