Giving a presentation in front of your peers, meeting up with strangers at a party, giving a test, or experiencing financial difficulty are all stressful and unfamiliar scenarios that can exacerbate one’s anxiousness. When the symptoms grow disruptive, your condition may descend into a disorder.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a 25% increase in anxiety disorders worldwide, which continues to grow. Common anxiety symptoms include heart palpitations, trembling hands, feeling restless, and experiencing gastrointestinal problems. Before we begin, we must know the difference between anxiety and anxiety disorders.
Difference Between Feeling Anxious and Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety can be a normal and realistic reaction to potentially stressful events; it helps us stay alert and navigate dangerous situations (your fight, flight or freeze response). On the other hand, anxiety disorders are persistent and disproportionate. They constitute a mental health condition that disrupts your daily life. Anxiety may occur unexpectedly, last even after the event has ended, and may feel impossible to control.
Feeling anxious about a math test is normal, but having intrusive thoughts about harm coming to your loved one without reason can be a sign of anxiety disorder. If anxiety interferes with your everyday life, it is crucial to book a consultation with mental health professionals for your specific problem; for example, psiquiatra concepcion.
How to Cope With Anxiety
Here are some strategies that may help you with anxiety.
Identify and Learn to Manage Your Triggers
Identifying triggers with your therapist or alone can help you develop coping strategies. Begin by identifying major stressors in your life, such as job changes, or reflect on past experiences still affecting you today. Consider journaling to keep track of negative events, situations, people, and your emotional response to them.
Try developing strategies that can help reduce the chaos in your mind, such as grounding exercises, meditation, or behavioral strategies like avoiding certain people. Consider adopting cognitive behavioral therapy, where you identify negative thoughts, challenge them, and replace them with more positive thoughts. Your therapist will help you apply this in your daily life so you can successfully do so even after your treatment ends.
Avoiding Caffeine, Alcohol, and Recreational Drugs
Alcohol may affect your amygdala, which regulates negative emotions and affects your ability to respond to stress healthily, causing anxiety, as research suggests. Studies also show that having a substance use disorder can decrease your recovery rate and increase the likelihood of the reappearance of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). If you can’t quit alcohol or drugs on your own, consider finding a support group. Research also suggests that coffee consumption can induce panic attacks and increase anxiety. Cut back on your caffeine and opt for alternatives such as a mushroom elixir.
Socialization
If you have social anxiety and going to hang out or work events with strangers triggers you, having a companion accompany you can ease your stress. Regularly spending time with your friends and family can help lessen your anxiety, as research demonstrates that having social support makes you resilient to stress.
Changing Your Diet
Having a balanced diet and drinking enough water to stay hydrated to stay healthy are well-known facts, but according to Harvard Health, these supplements and foods can reduce anxiety. This includes food that is:
- Rich in magnesium, such as leafy greens and nuts.
- Rich in zinc, such as oysters
- Containing omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon
- Rich in Vitamin B, such as almonds
- Asparagus
- Green tea
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Medication
Your anxiety may be severe enough to need medication. Be honest with your doctor about your feelings and symptoms so they can make an accurate assessment and prescribe you the correct dosage. If you find medication isn’t helping, don’t stop the treatment without discussing it with your doctor, as they can adjust your dosage or prescribe alternatives.
Endnote
No treatment is perfect, and what works for one may not work for another; that is where mental health professionals come in. They can work with you to find the practice, treatment, and coping strategies that are most effective for you. Whether it’s the little things getting you worried or something more serious, they are always available. Never be afraid to seek out help when you need it.