How to live with chronic anxiety?
If you are suffering from anxiety issues, panic attacks or chronic anxiety, there are many types of treatment able to help you. If you go about your everyday life feeling anxiety constantly, more than likely you are suffering from chronic anxiety.
The effects may include:
- A decreasing your sense of happiness or self-confidence
- Impacting an intimate or sexual relationship
- Being out in public or social events
- Being depressed
- Your job and work performance standards
- Worrying constantly
- Restless sleeping
- Nausea and diarrhea
- Procrastinating due to feeling overwhelmed
It is time to take action if you recognize any of these patterns.
Chronic Anxiety is more than just a feeling. It is a reaction to a perceived threat where your heart is beating faster, your breathing increases, your muscles are tense and you feel light-headed. When you are relaxed your heart rate is slower, you breathe slower, your muscles are relaxed and you blood pressure is stabilized.
Strengthen your body’s relaxation response to an anxiety attack by deep breathing and meditation. This can teach you how to relax so the response will lessen and you will feel less vulnerable over time.
Self Help Treatment
- Muscle Relaxation – when you feel the anxiety, tense your muscles, then releasing repeatedly until your body relaxes and your mind will follow.
- Deep Breathing – slowly take deep breaths from the diaphragm repeatedly and releasing. This will help to calm you lowering the anxiety level.
- Meditation – close your eyes taking deep breaths and let your brain feel serenity. This takes practice of mind over body and will help you.
Coping with Anxiety remember- AWARE:
- A: Accept the anxiety – do not fight the anxiety instead welcome it. Replace the anger and rejection with acceptance. Do not make it responsible for how you feel or think.
- W: Watch the anxiety – separate yourself from the anxiety experience and just watch it. You are not the anxiety.
- A: Act with the anxiety – act as if you do not feel anxious and slow your breathing down and show no fear.
- R: Repeat steps – continue to accept the anxiety you are feeling and act with it until is lessens and you are at a comfortable level. Accept, Watch and Act with the feelings and repeat.
- E: Expect the best – Do not expect future anxiety and except the best and put yourself in a good place to accept it if it returns.
Health Habits:
Start the day with a good breakfast and have small meals throughout the whole day. Eat plenty of carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables and whole grains. They have serotonin which is a calming factor. Limit your caffeine and sugar intake which cause your body to spike up and then crash leaving you feeling drained.
Exercise regularly for thirty minutes a day will release tension and stress and boost mental energy through the release of endorphins making you feel good and better helping your mind and body.
Related Article:
Overcome Social Anxiety – Simple and Natural tips