Mental health professionals can help you identify triggers and help you understand a pattern, which can help work around it to improve your response to these triggers.
6 in 100 people suffer from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) in any given week in England. In this article we look at and discuss a few methods which can help you deal with anxiety. There are short-term fixes and long-term strategies to help deal with anxiety.
Short-term
Practice focused breathing
It would be a good start to practice taking deep breaths throughout the day. If you need help, use a smartwatch or smartphone app to guide you through the process. Breathing will help your mind and body relax, it will give you a break at work and also clear up your thought process.
Question your thoughts
Anxiety can often lead you through a spiral of negative thoughts. Take a deep breath and think if these thoughts are realistic or just a part of your imagination. Breathing is key as it will help you focus your thoughts and provide clarity.
Take a short walk
If you work a desk job and feel anxious, it would be a good idea to take a short 5 – 10 minute walk. This will take your mind off work for a few minutes and help you relax. The combination of work and anxiety could lead to these situations and changing up the pattern could provide a break.
Writing your thoughts
Writing down your thoughts will let you question them when you are relaxed and can think rationally. Alternatively colouring is also an activity which has been shown to reduce stress.
Long-term
Identify your triggers
Work with a therapist to identify the triggers for your anxiety. It could be a stressful job, childhood experiences, financial commitments, etc. Identifying the triggers will help you then find ways to manage them. If it is not very serious you could talk to your friends for support and advice, maybe they would have experienced these situations in life, too. But if the triggers are deeper, then it would be best to work with an expert or a therapist to manage and control these triggers.
Meditation
Meditation has shown to be beneficial for the mind, improving concentration and focus. This can help your mind focus on your everyday activities without getting deviated by anxious thoughts. Practice a routine meditation everyday to get control over your thoughts.
Supplements or a change in diet
Changing to a healthy diet can lead to a healthy mind as well and an overall improvement in the quality of life. Some foods that can help with anxiety are:
- Omega-3 fatty acids (Eg. Avocados)
- Green tea
- Dark chocolate
Alternatively you could also add CBD oil to your food. A few drops with your meal. CBD for anxiety is one of the most popular applications and users also claim a host of other benefits such as better sleep, relieve pain, alleviate the symptoms of cancer treatment. There are a host of benefits to CBD oil and can be used as an alternative method to reduce anxiety and depression.
CBT
Try to go in for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which is used by therapists to identify a patient’s patterns and symptoms to provide feedback and methods to prevent their thoughts going out of control.
When does anxiety get harmful?
Every person deals with a different type of anxiety, there is no perfect science nor are any two cases the same. Some could be serious, others could be a mild case but can develop if left untreated. Identifying the type of anxiety, triggers are the first steps to get better. It can lead to a person being unable to talk clearly, become less sociable, affect their work and family life. If you see these patterns, take action at the earliest to identify and treat your anxiety. Mental health professionals can help you identify triggers and help you understand a pattern, which can help work around it to improve your response to these triggers. Anxiety generally stems from experiences from the past and that should not be a reason for you to suffer and not be able to enjoy your life. So act early and live a life without constant fear or anxiety.
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