When most people realize they are suffering fromanxiety not sure what to do. Once
who know what they suffer from they feel relieved by finally being able to give a name to what they have, but at the same time they feel lost, as if they were the only ones in the world to suffer from it.
But the reality is very different. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders. In the United States alone, about 40 million people suffer from anxiety. The most common forms are panic attacks and stress disorders, phobias and even obsessive compulsive disorders; these are also very common.
The good news is that you don't have to live your whole life with anxiety, this disorder can be eliminated completely or at least you can control the symptoms so that they don't ruin our daily life. How to do?
- Understanding that we are not alone
One of the best strategies for dealing with any disease is to find out that you are not alone. Anxiety is a very common condition, so if you investigate it, you will likely find that many people around you suffer from the same symptoms. Talking to them about your feelings and the strategies they have found helpful in eliminating anxiety will give you encouragement.
Also lean on your partner, friends or close relatives. Tell them how you feel, and you will feel supported. In fact, remember that sharing problems is the best way to minimize their impact.
- Deciding to deal with anxiety
The truth is that all people suffering from anxiety would like to eliminate it from their life, but they do nothing to achieve this goal, they simply wait for a miracle.
Here's the bad news: Anxiety doesn't usually go away on its own. No one can fight your battle, you have to take action on the problem and decide how to deal with your anxiety.
- Employ useful tools
As you can imagine, to eliminate anxiety it is not enough to propose it, in many cases the willpower is not enough. This means that it is necessary to inquire about the characteristics of this pathology and the main techniques to control it. There are numerous possibilities, from yoga to meditation and breathing exercises, visualization or even relaxation techniques. The techniques are easy to learn and, once they become a habit, they will be very useful for managing everyday anxiety.
- Don't let anxiety run your life
Sometimes anxiety can come to control your life, in which case it will cost you a lot of effort to go to work, meet friends or go out with your partner. However, if you allow anxiety to win in the first round it is also likely that it will win the second and third round by throwing you into loneliness. You enter a vicious circle from which it will be increasingly difficult to escape. Therefore, make an effort to maintain your relationships and when you decide to give up on something, make sure it is not because of the anxiety you feel.
- Channel the anxiety
Often the best strategy for eliminating anxiety is to engage in any activity that you enjoy or that is productive. If you feel a little anxious, do something, don't lie down on the sofa thinking about the anxiety you feel. You can devote yourself to gardening, sports or a hobby, the important thing is to always keep your mind busy.
- Remember that change takes time
Even though our society has accustomed us to getting gratification immediately, it is necessary to understand that, especially great changes, do not happen overnight. Bringing your expectations back to reality is important because otherwise after a few weeks you will lose motivation and give up all the effort made so far.
- Learn to manage the ups and downs
The road to success is characterized by many setbacks and so is the path to eliminating anxiety. It is therefore normal to go for a week without any anxiety attack and then go back to suffering from it for a couple of days. This does not mean that your efforts have failed, on the contrary, the ups and downs are part of the treatment for anxiety. So it is necessary to learn how to overcome relapses and understand them as a further step towards healing.
- Evaluate the content of your thoughts
Thoughts are the basis of our actions: if we think negative things we will act accordingly, on the contrary, if we think positive things our behavior will be focused on the good things in our life. This logic also applies to anxiety. If you constantly think about the situations that cause anxiety or how you feel when you are in these circumstances, you will only get to increase the level of anxiety.
- Learn to recognize the symptoms to prevent relapse
Always pay attention to the symptoms of anxiety, it is essential to prevent future crises. For example, if you know that weakness in the legs, butterflies in the stomach, dry mouth, and increased heart rate are signs of a relapse, you can try alternative therapy such as meditation or exercises at these times. deep breathing.
- Learn to manage situations that cause anxiety
It is obvious that it would be enough to avoid the situations that cause us anxiety to solve the problem. But it's actually not that easy. Remember that anxiety, even if it is usually caused by external factors, is born within you. Therefore, the solution is not to escape from these situations, but to change ours
perspective and learn to manage them.
