5 Tips On How To Deal With Anxiety

Anxiety

Anxiety in various forms and types has become the most common mental disorder in the United States. Our anxiety levels are skyrocketing with all the panicky news, negative emotions at school, home, and work, the fear of failing, and the dread of lack of money.

It sounds devastating, but you should remember that anxiety is your body's natural response to being stressed, and there is a cure for it. Anxiety usually manifests as an increased heartbeat, trouble concentrating, hand sweating, rapid breathing, restlessness, and so on. But different people feel different symptoms.

Although, worrying about a new job, spilled coffee, or new gray hair is not so bad. Being obsessed with anything as ordinary as that, maybe a sign that you have a disorder.

The most frequent cases which require medical help are obsessive-compulsive disorder, separation anxiety, different phobias, and social anxiety disorder. To correctly diagnose the type of disorder and start proper treatment, booking an appointment with a psychiatrist is necessary.

However, before you make that appointment, you can try to put your mind at ease and relax by doing one or several things from the list below:

1. Listening to good music

Everyone has a favorite song playlist, and sometimes you subconsciously turn on music to make you feel better after a rough day. This works for anxiety as well. Choose a genre you enjoy the most, a specific artist, or try clicking on random  YouTube music videos. The main goal is to feel at least a slight distraction. And if you want to dance – go for it!

2. Dance

Many psychiatrists advise people to stay active when they are anxious. For example, you may go to the gym or walk in the park more often. But dancing is much cooler. Just imagine: you had a hard day, a periodic annoying thought is stuck in your mind, you don’t remember whether you packed all the children’s books for school, and you start randomly rushing from room to room. 

But later, you tell yourself ‘No’. Then you turn on the music and start dancing. Unwillingly at first, but you close your eyes and let the music carry you away. If you have ever watched Grey's Anatomy and remember how Gray and Young were distracting themselves from the problems that knocked them down, then you’ll understand how it works.

3. Meditate

A lot of physical activity may not suit you because sometimes you don’t have enough energy. Therefore, it is worth trying to meditate. According to many studies, mindfulness and meditation have a positive effect on anxiety treatment. It is also noted that with regular practice, the level of stress decreases faster, and the process of immersion in meditation is easier and shorter.

4. Avoid caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine and alcohol have a very bad effect on the cells of the nervous system. Therefore, these substances definitely will increase your anxiety.

After consuming them, you may feel an increased heart rate and lung constriction, which can escalate to a full-fledged panic attack.

You need to give up caffeine gradually, and it is recommended to drink plenty of non-carbonated water. This will not only keep you hydrated but also help get rid of harmful substances. Your body will adjust after just a few weeks of a gradual decrease in caffeine intake. You can also try decaffeinated coffee if you can't imagine life without your favorite drink in the morning.

5. Natural Remedies 

You can also use various natural remedies to calm nervousness, such as essential oils or drinks based on the roots of certain plants. Vetiver and lavender essential oils, as well as kava root and valerian root, can help overcome anxiety.

A few drops of essential oil can be applied to the body in the neck, chest, or wrist area. Also, you can inhale 100% essential oil or put a couple of drops on the aroma lamp. You can also drink vetiver oil by adding 5-10 drops to a glass of water.

Kava root is not addictive but has some side effects like headache, diarrhea, and drowsiness. And valerian root increases gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the brain, which helps calm the nervous system.

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