Managing Your Anxiety When It’s Always There. Part 3
Welcome back! In part one, we discussed subtle signs of anxiety 1-5, and in part 2, we covered signs 6-10. Now in part 3, let’s talk about managing your anxiety if you believe you’re suffering from it. Many of the articles I read when I was looking for help dealt primarily with coping during an anxiety attack. They didn’t talk about what to do if anxiety is a long-term, day-to-day problem.
The key point I want to stress is that it’s different strokes for different folks. Some of these suggestions may help, and some may not. It’s a matter of creating a strategy that works for you.
1) Start A Journal
Journaling may not treat your anxiety as such, but it can be helpful for two reasons. Firstly, over time you may begin to see patterns you hadn’t noticed and learn about situations or thoughts that trigger increased anxiety.
Secondly, you might find that having a place to get your thoughts and feelings down on paper resolves underlying worries that may eventually lead to anxiety.
2) See A Therapist
This isn’t always possible, particularly on the NHS. However, frequent anxiety attacks suggest you have some underlying issues you need to deal with and work to do. As a person with long-term mental health problems, I can promise that it isn’t always something we can resolve ourselves. We need an impartial third party as sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees.
3) Actively Try To Relax
This is a very important but also the most subjective suggestion. Finding a method of relaxation that works for you is key. For some people, yoga might do the trick, but others might prefer mindfulness, meditation or simply a long walk through nature. Try different things out until you figure out which one is best when you want to relax, and best helps you when managing your anxiety.
4) Don’t Cut Yourself Off
When you’re feeling very anxious, it’s a natural instinct to retreat to a place where you feel safe. The problem is that that reinforces in your brain that you feel calm there and that hiding is the right thing to do. This can make your anxiety worse when you choose to go out.
So, it’s best you try to keep your schedule the same and keep socialising with friends and family. You might even find that you have fun and feel less anxious after a cup of tea and a chat, a good meal, or a trip to the cinema.
5) Cut Back On Caffeine
If you struggle to sleep due to anxiety, you’ll probably be tired throughout the day. It’s understandable you might reach for the coffee or a can of pop. Caffeine has been shown to increase anxiety and can affect your ability to get to sleep. So, over time high caffeine consumption will make your anxiety worse.
6) Stop Smoking
Ditto nicotine
7) Avoid Alcohol And Drugs
As tempting as it might seem, having a drink to help you relax or even taking recreational drugs can seem very tempting. However, alcohol has a depressive effect, meaning you might end up with depression as well as anxiety. Also, alcohol and drugs will make anxiety worse over time, not better. It’s a very temporary fix at best and one that will likely leave you worse off mentally, physically and financially long-term. If you’re looking for a good way of managing your anxiety, please believe me, this is not it.
8) Sleep
Poor quality sleep or insufficient sleep have been linked with mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. Try to get an absolute minimum of seven hours of sleep per night. Where possible, try to go to bed and get up at the same time too. It’s an essential part of managing your anxiety and will also benefit your physical health.
9) Exercise
Exercise has a huge number of benefits for our physical health, including lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improved insulin sensitivity, improved heart health, better balance and stronger muscles. However, it also removes the stress hormone cortisol from our bodies and so reduces feelings of anxiety.
10) Talk About It
Confiding in a friend or family member will help you to feel less alone; mental health problems are very isolating. They can also help you with perspective and stop your anxiety from spiralling. They could also be a good sounding board to decide if you need to seek professional help.
Hopefully, this series was helpful, and if you’re looking for more mental health content, please feel free to check it out here.
