4 ways to help you cope with anxiety
Anxiety can be one of the most horrible feelings that you will ever experience. The heartbeat speeding up, the sweaty palms even if its minus six outside, the sense of dread that something terrible is waiting just around the corner even if you can’t quite put your finger on what it might be.
There are lots of different situations that can trigger anxiety in anyone, but it can be particularly detrimental to your health and wellbeing if you suffer from it regularly. While there is no guaranteed method of combating anxiety, there are several strategies and treatments that you can try and employ to help better manage the condition.
Here are four ways to help you cope with anxiety.
- Identify and manage your triggers
There may be certain situations or lifestyle choices that trigger bouts of anxiety. If you can identify the triggers, then you can take steps to avoid putting yourself in a position where feelings of anxiety are likely to follow. Do you feel worried whenever you’ve been drinking or smoking? If so, cut down on how much and how often you partake in those particular vices. Perhaps it is seeing a specific friend or colleague, in which case you can try and take measures to avoid them.
- Adopt cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy can help manage all kinds of mental health problems including depression, eating disorders and anxiety. It works by attempting to change the way you think by helping you to recognize distortions created by your mind that in reality aren’t there. CBT can help you to understand why the brain behaves as it does and try to build confidence to overcome problems. While it may not be a treatment that works for everyone, speaking to a CBT expert will give you some idea of what it could do for you.
- Try taking supplements
Sometimes, a nutritional change brought about by taking supplements can help counter anxiety by reducing the release of hormones that are responsible for feelings of worry. Supplements that can have a positive effect on reducing anxiety include lemon balm, valerian, ashwagandha, kava kava, and kratom San Francisco. Just remember to be aware that you should always consult a medical professional before making introducing supplements to your body.
- Keep fit and healthy
Another way to help your body control the release of anxiety-causing hormones is by exercising. When we exercise, our “fight and flight” hormones kick in, and this can lead to what is known as “runners high” when we’ve finished our run, swim or sporting activity. Runners high leaves you feeling positive, and if you’re feeling positive, you aren’t going to be anxious. Nobody is saying you need to be able to run a marathon to avoid anxiety. You could do as little as a brisk walk around the block or as much as taking part in a free 5k run every Saturday. Any sort of regular exercise can help in the battle, as well as ensuring you’re physically fit and healthy – which gives you one less thing to worry about.