Are you suffering from anxiety? You’re not alone. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US.
About 40 million American adults (18.1% of the population) are dealing with anxiety. While mood and affective disorders are treatable, only 37% receive treatment., only 37% receive treatment.
Are you learning how to handle anxiety on your own? Here are a few tips you can use for managing anxiety. With these tips, you can take back control of your life.
Don’t let anxiety define who you are. Instead, learn more about it and discover how to combat anxiety symptoms.
Get started with this helpful guide today.
Types of Anxiety
Anxiety is an emotional state that can cause worrying thoughts and tension. It can also have a physical effect on your body, such as boosting your blood pressure. Anxiety is considered the body’s natural response to danger.
Why are so many people suffering from anxiety? When we think we’re in danger, our fight-or-flight response kicks in.
When we’re in fight-or-flight mode, our heartbeat rises and we start breathing faster. It’s difficult to focus on anything but the danger ahead of us.
In some cases, our bodies can over-react to this biological response. Overreacting can cause anxiety. In some cases, anxiety can lead to panic attacks.
Before you can learn how to handle anxiety, it’s important to recognize your symptoms. Anxiety symptoms fall into three categories: behavior, thoughts, and feelings.
About 2.7% of the population has a generalized anxiety disorder. Understanding the different types of anxiety can help you learn how to combat anxiety you’re experiencing.
Here are a few types of anxiety that can impact your daily life.
1. Worrying
We all worry a little each day. Worrying allows us to think through a situation to avoid negative or stressful outcomes. Other people worry about previous events.
Replaying the same moment over and over can help you understand what happened. Unfortunately, worrying and rumination cause us to repeat negative thoughts.
Meanwhile, we don’t find an actual solution.
This causes a feedback loop. Our negative thoughts produce unwanted feelings, which makes us worry even more.
There are a few ways you can start managing anxiety from worry, including:
- Mindfulness
- Acceptance and commitment
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
We’ll review these methods of dealing with anxiety a little later on.
2. Procrastination
Are you trying to avoid a stressful situation? Unfortunately, procrastination can lead to anxiety as well. Delaying action is only a short-term form of relief.
Your thoughts influence your behaviors. Try to understand why you’re procrastinating. Do you fear failure?
Maybe you want to stick to your comfort zone.
Understanding these beliefs and learning how to reframe them can help you learn how to handle anxiety.
3. Negative Self-Talk
We all talk to ourselves. When we experience anxiety, however, people tend to turn toward negative self-talk. This increases thoughts of self-criticism and doubt.
Try to understand that you don’t have to believe every thought. Instead, learn how to let these thoughts go. Only focus on the thoughts that can help you live a happy life.
You can also combat negative self-talk and anxiety with self-compassion.
4. Fear of Criticism
Remember, you might avoid a situation out of fear of criticism. Many people fear negative feedback because they misinterpret it, though.
Try not to take criticism personally. Instead, reframe how you think. Recognize that criticism can help you grow.
It’s not meant to tear you down.
5. Avoiding
Are you trying to avoid a stressful situation? Unfortunately, avoiding problems can add to your anxiety. Thinking errors are usually the reason we avoid situations.
We imagine worst-case scenarios and jump to conclusions.
Instead of focusing on the negative, consider exposure therapy. Don’t avoid the problem; confront it instead. Facing these situations can help you recognize there was nothing to fear after all.
6. Panic Attacks
Anxiety can present with physical and mental symptoms. For example, you might find it difficult to focus. You could feel nervous or restless.
You might also feel tired, experience hyperventilation, or develop gastrointestinal issues. Sweating, chills, rapid heart rate, and feelings of dread are common too.
Your anxiety might develop into a panic attack. Panic attacks are sudden surges of fear or panic. Symptoms of panic attacks include:
- Heart palpitations
- Chest pains or tightness
- Fear of dying
- Shortness of breath
- The feeling you’re losing control
- Nausea
- Feeling hot or cold
- A sense of detachment
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Tingling or numbness in the extremities
You could even have an anxiety and panic attack at the same time. There are a few ways you can learn to stop a panic attack. Try:
- Deep breathing to stop yourself from hyperventilating
- Recognizing you’re having a panic attack and telling yourself it’s temporary
- Closing your eyes to block triggers or stimuli
- Practicing mindfulness to remain grounded in reality
- Finding an object within clear sight to focus on
- Trying muscle relaxation techniques
- Using light exercise
- Breathing in lavender
- Drinking lavender or chamomile tea
- Repeating a mantra
About 2.7% of US adults had a panic disorder in the last year. Meanwhile, nearly 5% of US adults experience panic disorders at some point.
Having panic attacks isn’t something to feel ashamed about. Learning how to combat anxiety could help you manage these attacks.
7. Perfectionism
If you’re setting impossibly high standards for yourself, you could start suffering from anxiety. Fear of failure can trigger your anxiety, too.
Try to use self-compassion in these situations. As a perfectionist, you’ll spend a lot of time trying to avoid mistakes. Instead, recognize mistakes are sometimes inevitable.
You can learn from and correct your mistakes to grow.
Coping Techniques
Now that you better understand why you’re dealing with anxiety, let’s discuss combating it. Here are a few coping techniques that can help you learn how to handle anxiety.
1. Take a Breath
The next time you’re feeling anxious, stop and take a breath. Press pause on the situation and try to understand what’s causing your anxiety.
Are you worried about the future? Are you replaying a past situation in your head?
Instead of focusing on the past or future, try to remain in the present. Anxiety can cause you to detach from reality. Try to clear your mind and take a deep breath. A technique like deep breathing exercises to wake up your body to get started for the day and to release your stress and anxiety.
Deep breathing can help you regain control of the situation. It can also help you return to the present moment.
You can find different breathing exercises and techniques online. Here’s one that can help you get started:
- Get comfortable and close your eyes
- Inhale through your nose, then exhale
- Focus on how the air travels through your body
- Use a mantra with each breath
Breathing exercises can relieve your anxiety and help you regain focus.
2. Understand the Source
Remember, there are many reasons you might start experiencing anxiety. Are you trying to avoid a situation? Are you experiencing negative self-talk?
Try to get to the root of your anxiety. Explore your own thoughts and feelings.
Take a moment to question your thought pattern, too. You might realize anxiety distorted your understanding of the situation.
Otherwise, learn to identify your triggers. You can work with a therapist or determine your triggers on your own.
While some are usually obvious, some are more difficult to pinpoint.
For example, is someone in your life triggering your anxiety? Maybe a long-term problem, like finances or your job, causes anxiety.
Other triggers include:
- Caffeine
- Chronic pain
- Trauma
- Side effects of medications
- Driving or traveling
- Your work environment or job
- Genetics
- Drug or medication withdrawal
- Phobias
- Chronic illnesses
- Mental illnesses like depression
Once you pinpoint a trigger, try to limit your exposure. Otherwise, use these tips and learn how to handle anxiety around these triggers.
3. Make a Change
If you’re suffering from anxiety, you might realize you’re worried about something that hasn’t happened yet. Your negative self-talk could cause you to view that outcome as a possibility.
Remember, life is unpredictable. You can’t control everything that happens in your daily life. Try to focus on what you can control instead.
You can start dealing with anxiety by changing how you perceive these fears.
Instead of feeling afraid of a possible outcome, feel grateful for what you do have. Try to focus on a positive outlook.
Otherwise, make a change. Take control instead of letting your anxiety control you.
4. Find Healthy Distractions
Finding healthy distractions can help you focus beyond your anxiety. Consider talking to a friend or family member. Even make your anxiety productive by cleaning or working.
Pick up a hobby that you use for coping with your anxiety.
You can also:
- Try creative activities like writing, painting, or drawing
- Praying
- Meditating
- Exercising
- Watching a movie
- Reading a book
- Going for a walk
- Doing chores or organizing
Focusing on activities that won’t trigger your anxiety can help you remain in the present.
5. Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy could activate receptors in the brain that help reduce anxiety symptoms. This healing treatment uses plant extracts to improve the mind, body, and spirit. It can benefit your physical and emotional well-being, too.
You can use different forms of aromatherapy, including diffusers, bathing salts, or body lotions.
Aromatherapy could help ease your anxiety, stress, and anxiety. It might help you sleep, too.
Try using chamomile and lavender, which both have calming properties.
Avoid applying essential oils directly to your skin. Instead, use a carrier oil and complete a skin patch test beforehand. Make sure you don’t experience an allergic reaction.
6. Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation
About 200 and 500 million people around the globe meditate. Among mind and body practices, meditation is only behind yoga by 0.1%!
Meanwhile, about 30% of people start meditation for anxiety relief.
The next time you’re suffering from anxiety, try meditating. Meditating can help you stop dwelling on the past or stressing about the future. Instead, you can engage yourself in the present.
Meditation can also help you break the negative feedback loop we discussed earlier.
You can find meditation apps for your phone or videos online.
Otherwise, try yoga or tai chi. These exercises require you to focus on your movements and breathing. You can remain rooted in the present and clear your mind of negative thoughts.
Exercise is a natural source of anxiety relief, too. Once you get your heart pumping, your body will release endorphins. Endorphins can help ease stress and tension.
They can also improve your sense of well-being.
7. Journaling
The next time you’re experiencing negative thoughts, try journaling. Write down your worries. What’s triggering your anxiety?
Journaling can help you better understand what you’re feeling. Write down any anxious thoughts or worries you’ve experienced lately. Then, go over your list of worries.
Try to adjust your perspective. Use positive thoughts to combat your negative thoughts.
Journaling through your feelings can help you better understand them.
8. Dietary Changes
You can also change your diet when learning how to handle anxiety.
For example, consider adding salmon to your diet. Salmon contains EPA and DHA. These acids regulate neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
Both have relaxing and calming properties.
You can also add chamomile tea to your routine. Chamomile can ease inflammation, which might reduce your risk of anxiety.
Other anti-anxiety foods include dark chocolate, yogurt, green tea, blueberries, and chia seeds.
Anxiety Treatments
If your coping techniques aren’t working, that’s okay. Here are a few anxiety treatments you might want to explore with a doctor.
1. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT helps individuals learn new skills and strategies. This treatment could help you develop distress tolerance. You’ll also learn to practice mindfulness.
This cognitive therapy could help you manage your anxiety and feelings of dread or panic.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you understand what’s causing your anxiety-based behaviors and feelings. With CBT, you’ll learn to change how you react to situations.
Understanding your thoughts and behaviors can help you get to the root of your anxiety.
3. Exposure Therapy
Sometimes you need to tackle a situation head-on. If you’re suffering from anxiety that’s causing procrastination or avoidance, consider exposure.
Exposure therapy involves experiencing your triggers in a safe, controlled environment. Repeat exposure could help you learn how to manage your anxiety.
4. Medications
You might want to talk to your therapist about medications as well. Medication can help ease your anxiety symptoms. Your therapist might suggest antidepressants or benzodiazepines.
You can also ask them about using these gummies for anxiety relief, too.
How to Handle Anxiety: Your Guide to Taking Control
Your anxiety doesn’t have to control your life. By learning how to handle anxiety, you can take back control. Use these tips for dealing with anxiety in your daily life today.
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