How to Control Anxiety (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

If you constantly feel worried, tense, plagued by negative thoughts, or often fear that something catastrophic is about to happen, you may be suffering from anxiety. The exact cause of anxiety is still uncertain, but there is no doubt that people who suffer from it often share the same risk factors, such as having a family member with the same problem, having suffered a trauma or having some mental illness. Fortunately, by using the right combination of drugs and psychological therapies and improving your daily habits, you can reduce the symptoms and overcome it.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Incorporating Healthier Habits

Step 1. Strive to get support from others, even if you think you don't need it

People who have strong interpersonal bonds are generally able to cope with difficult situations in a healthier way than those with poor social relationships. Build new friendships so you can count on their support when you are overwhelmed by anxiety, hang out with your closest friends more often, join a religious or spiritual group, or attend self-help meetings for people with health disorders. 'anxiety.

• Being part of a group can instill a sense of belonging and security that can have a strong positive impact on health. Several studies have shown that elderly people with poor social relationships are subject to a greater risk of mortality than those who can rely on numerous interpersonal bonds.
• Loneliness can be more harmful to your health than obesity or smoking. For these reasons, spending time with others is important.

Step 2. Make rest a priority

Sleep and anxiety are linked by a very close relationship. Not getting enough sleep is one of the factors that can cause anxiety, and anxiety itself can prevent you from sleeping well. To help alleviate the symptoms, do your best to be able to sleep at least 7-8 a night. The following tips can help you rest well:

• Adopt regular times to help your body fall asleep and wake up easily.
• Go to bed at the same time every day;
• Stop using electronic devices (such as TV, computer, mobile phone and tablet) 1 hour before going to sleep;
• Create a pleasant environment in the bedroom and use it only for sleeping;
• Exercise regularly, but not 2-3 hours before bedtime.
• Create an evening ritual that helps you relax before bed.
• Use aromatic essences (aromatherapy) to promote relaxation;
• Don't drink caffeine after noon;
• Avoid eating before bed
• Stop smoking (nicotine can negatively interfere with sleep).
• Avoid drinking alcohol for 2 hours before sleep.

Step 3. Exercise daily

In addition to improving the health of the whole body, physical activity also profoundly affects mental well-being. When you move, your body produces endorphins, substances that induce a pleasant state of serenity. Exercising regularly therefore helps you to relieve stress and distract you from worries.

Health experts suggest getting about 30 minutes of exercise every day. Walk, run, cycle, use the rowing machine at the gym or choose your favorite sport. The secret is to do something you enjoy in order to be consistent

Step 4. Eat a balanced diet

You may have some difficulty recognizing that what you eat is closely connected with how you feel, but it is a fact. Certain foods and drinks, such as caffeine or refined sugars, can aggravate anxiety. Drinking plenty of water and eating healthy meals with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and lean dairy products helps you feel better both physically and mentally.

• Base your diet on consuming fresh foods, fish, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and healthy oils that promote mental health. However, eliminate processed foods, which can negatively affect your mental well-being.
• Prebiotics and probiotics are both essential for the health of your digestive system. Although you can take supplements, you can find these substances directly in food. Eat high-fiber fruits and vegetables to increase your consumption of prebiotics. For example, eat asparagus, tomatoes, mangoes, onions, apples and bananas. As for probiotics, eat yogurt rich in active lactic ferments, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kefir, tempeh and kombucha.
• The results of several researches have confirmed that there is a connection between caffeine and increased anxiety. Notably, caffeine has been found to intensify depression and anger as well. Avoid coffee, tea, and carbonated drinks that contain caffeine. Also remember that it is also present in chocolate.

Step 5. Reduce your consumption of alcohol and other sedatives

Many are convinced that drinking an alcoholic drink is useful for relieving stress, but the truth is that they unknowingly make their situation worse. Look for a healthy way to relieve anxiety, such as listening to some music, taking a walk in nature, or calling a friend.

Step 6. Take care of yourself

When you try to fight a mental pathology, such as anxiety, you risk focusing all your attention on trying to do your best and fulfill responsibilities at the expense of daily self-care. You should do something every day to help relieve stress. Make it a special everyday moment, to be looked forward to with joy.

• Keep the environment in which you live clean and tidy. Also make sure you choose a specific day to pay your monthly bills.
• Plan a pleasant situation for each day of the week, such as meeting a friend, taking a relaxing bath, walking in the park, or watching your favorite TV show. Make these appointments on your agenda under the heading "time for myself".
• Do anything that can help you get rid of stress; there is no universal method that has the same effectiveness for everyone.

Part 2 of 4: Doing Breathing Exercises

Step 1. Choose a quiet place to be alone, with no distractions

If possible, close the door. By practicing you will learn to stay focused even in the presence of noises, sounds or other people.

Step 2. Sit down and keep your back straight

You can sit on a chair or on the floor, cross-legged: choose the position in which you feel most comfortable.

If you don't want to sit, you can also lie down. However, remember that sitting with your back straight allows you to fill your lungs to the maximum, which is a fundamental prerequisite when doing breathing exercises

Step 3. Use an arm support

Place them on the armrests of the chair or on the legs. Doing so serves to lighten the load on the shoulders and promote relaxation.

Step 4. Inhale slowly through the nose

Count to four as you gently fill your lungs. The abdomen should expand gradually.

Step 5. Hold your breath for 1-2 seconds

Simply stop breathing to hold air in your lungs.

Step 6. Get the air out

Now exhale from your mouth completely emptying your lungs. As you exhale, you should produce a soft whisper. Notice how your abdomen deflates as the air comes out.

Step 7. Wait a few seconds

To avoid hyperventilation, pause for a few seconds before taking a new breath.

Step 8. Repeat several times

Repeatedly perform the entire sequence for about five minutes. In general, it is advisable to do about 6-8 breathing cycles per minute to relieve the symptoms of anxiety, but it is equally important to try to find a natural rhythm that makes you feel comfortable.

Step 9. Do the exercise twice a day

You should breathe deeply at least twice a day for five consecutive minutes.

These deep breathing exercises shouldn't be done only when you are feeling anxious. The ideal is to do them daily to keep the symptoms of anxiety and stress under control

Step 10. Combine breathing exercises with relaxation techniques

Practicing deep breathing to control anxiety is useful both as a single practice and in combination with other techniques to relax, such as yoga and meditation.

Part 3 of 4: Rearrange Your Way of Thinking

Step 1. Learn to recognize faulty thinking patterns

Cognitive distortions are harmful or irrational thoughts that intensify feelings of anxiety or depression. Read the list of the most common cognitive distortions, listed below, to see if any of these thought patterns are present in your internal dialogue.

• Thinking of "all or nothing" (also called dichotomous thinking or "black or white" vision): seeing reality only in two ways, without nuances. Every situation is perceived as good or bad, right or wrong, with no middle ground.
• Mental Filter: Emphasize the negative details while minimizing the positive ones.
• Arbitrary deductions: Rushing to conclusions assuming that the negative reactions of others always depend on your own wrong behavior. Always predicting the future in negative terms.
• Magnification / minimization: tendency to emphasize or diminish the importance of a situation.
• Excessive generalization (or "hyper-generalization"): drawing general conclusions from a single negative situation or event.
• "Doverization" (excessive or continuous use of words such as "should", "must", "must", "must", etc.): judging oneself or others too rigidly, on the basis of how one "should" behave or feel.
• Emotional Reasoning: Thinking that something is true just because we "feel" that it is. For example: "I feel stupid, so I'm stupid."
• Downplaying the Positive: Downplaying the value of one's successes, actions, or positive qualities.

Step 2. Question the validity of cognitive distortions

To counteract negative internal dialogue, one must realize that one is interpreting reality in a distorted way and make a conscious effort to modify these erroneous self-affirmations.

• First, you have to acknowledge the negative internal dialogue: "Everyone's looking at me and I'm sure they think I'm a weird one."

• The second step is to question that thought by asking yourself one of the following questions:

  • "What would I say to a friend who thought this way?";
  • "What is the evidence that this thought is true?";
  • "On the contrary, are there any clues that show that I am wrong?";
  • "Am I confusing" probability "with" certainty "?";
  • "Is this thought based only on my feelings or on real facts?".

  

  Step 3. Try to replace negative thoughts

  The main goal of the cognitive restructuring technique is to notice when you are having unproductive thoughts, question their validity and transform them into constructive and positive ones. Processing negative thoughts helps you think more realistically and reduce anxiety symptoms.

  Let's take the previous statement as an example: "Everyone's looking at me and I'm sure they think I'm a weird guy!" You can transform it to improve your mood rather than make it worse. You could rework it in a way similar to the following: "I have no idea how others perceive me, it could be both positive and negative, but I know myself well and I am proud of myself."

  

  Step 4. Schedule half an hour a day to devote to worries

  Make a special daily appointment in your diary to regularly dedicate yourself to this exercise. Choose a time away from the time you go to sleep so that worries and anxiety don't negatively interfere with sleep.

  

  Step 5. Identify and postpone concerns

  Learn to recognize which situations are bothering you by closely observing your feelings and behaviors. Notice the occasions when you feel physically tense, your heart rate increases, or clench your fists due to a thought you just formulated, and label those considerations as concerns. Practice this exercise daily. Whenever you start feeling anxious and worried, take a moment to identify what you are thinking.

  If you feel the need, write down your concern and tell yourself that you can take care of it later. Now try to clear your mind to resume normal daily activities

  

  Step 6. Reflect on your concern at the designated time

  During the time you have decided to devote to anxiety analysis, don't just think about what was bothering you during the day. Grab a pen and a list of your concerns, then make an effort to find a solution for each problem.

  Research on stimulus control therapy shows that the four-step approach (identifying causes of anxiety, setting a time of day to reflect on situations that worry you, acknowledging and postponing worries throughout the day, making a commitment to find a solution at the appointed time) is the most effective for reducing anxiety

  

  Step 7. Recognize that you have the power to control negative thoughts and worries

  In the first period, being able to postpone worries may seem impossible. With practice, however, you will find that you can really decide when and where to worry. At that point you will realize that they don't need to affect your entire day at all.

  Part 4 of 4: Asking the Doctor for Help

  

  Step 1. Go to the doctor

  If anxiety begins to interfere with your life to the point of compromising your interpersonal relationships or your academic, work, sports, etc. results, it is time to ask your doctor for help. He may recommend that you undergo various tests to accurately determine the causes of your anxiety.

  • In some cases, anxiety can be a symptom that heralds a condition other than a mental disorder. For example, it could be the first warning (or a side effect) of heart disease, diabetes, asthma, drug abuse, or even withdrawal.
  • In other cases, anxiety can be a side effect caused by medications. Talk to your doctor to see if this is true for you as well.

  

  Step 2. Talk to a mental health expert

  If your primary care physician is unable to identify any medical conditions that may be causing your anxiety, it may be helpful to see a psychologist, psychotherapist, or psychiatrist whose experience and training allows them to diagnose and treat anxiety. In the meantime, your doctor may prescribe medications to give you relief; in any case, according to many, the best way to heal is to combine drugs with psychological therapy.

  

  Step 3. Ask for more explanation about the diagnosis

  Giving a specific name to your condition does not allow you to get the answers you are looking for and does not help you heal. Even in the context of mental illnesses, anxiety is a common symptom of many disorders. The counselor may evaluate your personal history, medical records, and ask questions to help determine what type of anxiety is affecting you.

  You may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. The most common include panic disorder, phobias, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobia (or social anxiety)

  

  Step 4. Decide with your therapist which treatment is most suitable for you

  While there are several self-help techniques for managing anxiety symptoms, these disorders should be treated by a professional. Generally, therapists use one of the following three methods, based on the type and severity of the condition:

  • Medicines. Often the diagnosis of an anxiety disorder is confused with depression because in many cases psychiatrists prescribe antidepressant drugs to relieve the symptoms of anxiety. Research has found that drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective against anxiety. Other possible options include serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), benzodiazepines, and tricyclic antidepressants.
  • Therapy. A technique whose effectiveness is scientifically proven is cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. It teaches the patient to recognize and change unrealistic thought patterns, which contribute to the onset of anxiety. Other possible therapeutic approaches include exposure therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical-behavioral therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (or EMDR, from English "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing").
  • A combination of both (drugs and therapy).

  

  Step 5. Be patient

  People often assume that the cure hasn't worked, while the real problem is that they haven't waited long enough for the therapy to work. Also remember that many of those with anxiety disorder need to experiment with different solutions before finding the one that works best for their symptoms.

  • You may have to wait a few weeks before you can make an appointment with a therapist, so don't give up.
  • Also keep in mind that some medications take up to 8 weeks to take effect.