Introduction – What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is something that many around us struggle with, perhaps even you, on a daily basis. It comes in varying degrees, but is present nonetheless. It’s a sense of dread, distress, or even uneasiness before an event or particular situation.
There is normal anxiety that is healthy, and there is unhealthy anxiety which often becomes an Anxiety Disorder.
Healthy anxiety comes at different times before something important, a performance, or date. It causes the mind to prepare and to stay aware and alert.
Unhealthy anxiety can be completely debilitating. It may keep you from putting yourself out there, talking to others, leaving home, or keeping you from sleeping. It tends to make you feel as if you have no control over the feelings of the situation.
If you have anxiety, please know that you are not alone. The Anxiety Centre provides these statistics:
- Anxiety disorders affects 18.1 percent of adults in the U.S. (40 million).
- The estimate is that there is approximately 30 percent of adults who are struggling, as some don’t seek help or are misdiagnosed.
So if you are wanting to know how to get rid of anxiety, stay put. We have put together some coping skills, a list of tips, and some anxiety FAQ’s.
Anxiety Coping Skills
Below you will find some anxiety coping strategies that will help you ward off that next anxiety attack:
- Act Today – When an anxiety session occurs, listening to your own thoughts might just be the enemy you don’t need. Moping around and being depressed for yourself can only make things words. Decide to act. Turn your thoughts aside and come up with a distraction. Often, being in a social situation is the quickest remedy.
- Watch the Food – A quick way to reduce anxiety is to watch what you eat. There are a lot of symptoms, but specifically, anxiety effects the gut. Avoid caffeine, fattening foods, alcohol, fried foods, and sugars. Eliminate anxiety through your diet!
- Stay Fit – Many experts believe a lack of physical exercise may be the leading cause for anxiety. Physical activity releases endorphins, which calms you, and burns away the stress. It also is great for keeping stress and anxiety in check and improving the overall immune system.
- Meditation – Doing yoga, stretching, or sitting and relaxing with your eyes closed will do wonders. For those of you who want to go big, put on some calming music (piano, classical, white noise, etc.).
- Love Yourself – Make sure you think positive thoughts, always. Anxiety is a positive thought killer. By keeping yourself in the positive, you can help keep anxiety at bay.
Other Anxiety tips to try
- Breath Deep, Again and Again– Relaxing and breathing can reduce worry and anticipatory anxiety. Remember that before your next big test!
- Identify Successes From the Past – Think back to a previous anxiety episode or stressful situation that made you anxious. What helped you remove that worry, if any? Reflection on the past will help you remember that this situation will pass.
- Schedule Rest Breaks – Go grab your phone. Schedule an alarm to go off every 2-3 hours. When that alarm sounds, stop what you are doing and breath, meditate, stretch, or relax.
- Do Things You Enjoy – We all have busy lives, but making sure you do things for yourself and that are fun on a daily/weekly basis is important. Don’t put off doing things to make you happy and loving life.
- Sleep – Anxiety can cause sleepless nights, but not getting good sleep can cause anxiety. It’s a horrible cycle. Make sure you unwind and relax before trying to go to bed. Try to make a bedtime routine, and get up at the same time everyday.
- Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol – Those two items are perhaps the worst offenders of all for anxiety. Remove them from your life and keep them away!
Final thoughts on Anxiety
When in doubt, take action. Don’t let yourself become anxious without trying to solve things first. Take a deep breath and go to work.
Below is a great infographic from Nootrina that talks more about what Anxiety is, how its on the rise, and what to do about it. Enjoy!
