The world itself is too much to handle already. There are a lot of things going on especially with the recent pandemic which is still going on. I wouldn't be surprised if 9 out of 10 in a group has anxiety.
I believe anxiety and depression were slowly acknowledged a few years ago and since then, cases of them have become rampant too. I'm glad that people are slowly taking mental health illnesses seriously. Although some would just join the trend as it is fun and cool. I hope it'll change eventually.
With that being said, if you're dealing with anxiety for quite a while now and you're still struggling to handle it, this is for you. But before getting to know about the details of reducing anxiety, we need to determine our triggers. That's a crucial step of getting rid of it.
It may be a chronic illness like high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, asthma, and so on. It could also be traumas, stress from work, or a toxic work environment. Withdrawal from addictions, or even depression.
It's best to recognize where we are most vulnerable with, that way we can prevent ourselves from getting anxious. But what if you're in the situation already? Let me help with that.
So here are ways for us to reduce or handle anxiety:
1.Question your thought patterns.
If you find yourself getting distracted already with the things happening, it's taking over and your health slightly compromised, you need to feel yourself first and be aware of your present self. This means to say, focus your attention on yourself first and question your thoughts.
Key questions:
Is this real? Do these things exist already or I'm just overthinking? Will these thoughts help me or not?
You know you won't so take control of those thoughts and get back to the driver's seat. You are not what you think, you're bigger than your mind.
2.Practice the breathing technique
Studies show that practicing the breathing technique is helpful to reduce anxiety. It's called the "4-7-8 breathing technique".
You inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale with your mouth for 8 seconds.
I have done it several times whenever my anxiety attacks and it's always been effective. I even plan to get it tattooed on my wrist for a constant reminder (roman numeral form).
3.Go somewhere to ease your mind
As much as possible we should face every situation with perseverance and patience. We are designed to stay strong and be ready for its drawbacks. However, we need to get a breather sometimes. It's recommended actually.
One way of dealing with anxiety is to escape from it by going for a walk or somewhere new to you, somewhere you feel safe, somewhere you can attain peace of mind. That way it will help you clear your thoughts and focus on your body.
4.Write down your thoughts
If you can't escape from anxiety by going for a walk, the best way to reduce it is to write down your thoughts. Writing what you feel helps to ease the stress for you to find your way back feeling better.
Writing your emotions with force, if you are angry, could help a lot. They also say that writing and throwing the paper into the garbage is a metaphorical action of you getting rid of those feelings.
Then again, these are just quick ways to reduce anxiety. What if it's been there like forever? Or has it's been going erratic and sporadic? How do you deal with that?
Identify your anxiety triggers.
As I said earlier, recognizing what your triggers are definitely keeping you away from it. However, there are situations where you just have to deal with it because it's part of your life.
May it be due dates for bills (electric, water, internet), debts, chronic illnesses, a person, or an event. There are numerous sources of anxiety that we need to deal with and handling these is already a huge step of taking over it.
Prayer, meditation, and exercise
Oh well, I sound like a broken record on this but exercise, meditation and prayer are effective in dealing with anxiety. Although this takes some time and practice to do it successfully but for sure it's going to be worth it.
Reliable support group.
When in doubt, you need to ask other people's opinions too for they see a different side of the box. Sharing their perspectives, it gives you a sort of enlightenment that not everything is within your control. Sometimes you just have to let things happen and do something for them.
With a strong support system, recovering speeds up and it lessens your worries and doubt. It will make you feel that you are not alone fighting that monster in your head.
Seek professional help.
Anxiety if left untreated could lead to something serious and so it is best to consult a doctor if you think that your anxiety is taking control over you.
Thanks for reading.
Keep safe everyone! ❤
Yes, isn't it great we have the internet now for us to learn how to help ourselves? We are able to search solutions for our problems by just typing letters and forming words and voila! Sometimes we don't even need to go to the doctor anymore.
Ah this is one of the good things about having access to the world wide web. And then we can also share the information we learned by writing articles. Anxiety is something a lot of people deal with and so it's nice to read that many of us use the internet wisely to help reduce it.
I definitely agree that allergies can cause anxiety. Haha. I had it recently and it's not a fun thing to have at all.