9 research-proven methods to cope with anxiety and overcome nervousness.

Anxiety is one significant problem that has been silently prevailing among us, bringing out the worst fears and worries in us. The highly competitive world and the fast-paced environment we are living in has granted this bane. While many tend to run along with the flow, not many are compatible to do the same. But it is not their fault and a little help with coping anxiety could help.

So what exactly is anxiety?

Anxiety is an excessive worry, nervousness or panic to a stressful situation. It can be characterized by an extreme and unwarranted worry that is difficult to reduce and regulate. Stressful situations like loss of a loved one, losing a job, financial crisis, stressful life situations, etc could cause anxiety. The problem gets overboard when a person feels anxious without any stimulus.Individuals with anxiety can experience significant distress which might cause impairment in occupational and other areas of life. Then, that is something to be considered and could indicate anxiety disorder or indicate that a person is on the path to developing an anxiety disorder. Few people carry traits of anxiety and are more likely than others to develop anxiety-related issues.

You can check with few areas in which anxiety disrupts your life

• → It affects your personal life
• → It affects your studies/career.
• → It affects your social skills
• → It affects how you feel about myself
• → It stops you from doing things you want to do
• → It affects your physical health

248 million people are experiencing anxiety disorders worldwide. People with anxiety are often blamed as “worrywarts”, pessimists or complainers. Anxiety generally co-exists along with depression and is found to hinder the person’s rational thinking. An extended form of this could be anxiety attacks and panic attacks. Most of the time an anxiety attack could feel like the end of the world for the person experiencing it. But, it is not. Although anxiety disorder is a much serious problem and needs professional help, it is definitely treatable by rite professionals. In this space, we will be dealing with anxiety in general and not anxiety disorder. Anxiety can be managed.

In this article, we will be discussing a few research-proven methods to control anxiety. Before we could jump into that

Symptoms of Anxiety:

Let us look at a few common symptoms that a person with anxiety experiences.

• Obsessive thoughts
• Inattentiveness
• Excessive Fatigue
• Breathlessness
• Nausea
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Trembling
• Dizziness
• Skin rashes
• Bowel disturbances
• Palpitations
• Sleep disturbances
• Muscle tension
• Headache

So, how do you control nerves and cope with anxiety? Let us look at a few proven scientific methods which help.

• 1. Practise grounding techniques
• 2. Avoid substance abuse
• 3. Diet and sleep pattern
• 4. Exercise
• 5. Practise breathing exercise
• 6. Practise art
• 7. Break down your goals
• 8. Get a pet
• 9. Therapy and medications

1. Practise grounding techniques

Grounding exercises are popular practises which help the person to avoid their excessive thoughts and be mindful of the present situation. Few popular grounding exercises are counting the numbers 10–1 backwards, touching different kinds of fabrics, exposing your hands to running water, thinking about a joke or something humorous, concentrating on every minor sound around you, noticing the patterns and shapes of things around you and much more. When you feel very anxious with your thoughts raging abruptly, place your feet on the ground and look at your feet and take deep breaths. Try to concentrate on your breathing alone and try not to think about anything. Try and see if this helps. Ground techniques are popular practices to deal with anxiety and pick any two or three and try which suits you and practise them when you feel anxious.

2. Avoid substance abuse

It is found that substance abuse can lead to anxiety. Alcohol and coffee are two commonly used drinks which are a major contributor to anxiety. Occasional drinks once in a while can cause no harm but bingeing on heavy drinks of coffee and alcohol can do more damage to your body than you can imagine. The caffeine content in the coffee makes you all jittery and worsens anxiety. Alcohol goes without saying. It alters the neurotransmitters in the brain and causes severe anxiety issues after the alcohol content in your body fades away. The after-effects of alcohol are not worth the momentary high you get. Avoid substance abuse to keep your anxiety under check.

3. Diet and sleep pattern

You are what you eat. Be very careful about the kind of food you consume. Never skips breakfast as they are found to have ill effects on the body and leads to anxiety. Get protein-rich food for breakfast. Try to limit the consumption of junk and processed foods. Eggs, Turmeric, dark chocolate, green tea, yoghurt, fish are few foods which are found to be effective in reducing anxiety. Having a cup of milk mixed with turmeric can help you when you’re feeling a surge of anxiety. Be mindful of what you eat to cope with anxiety.

‘ Sleep is the best meditation’ — Dalai Lama A sound sleep is of utmost importance for healthy functioning of the body. Anxiety problems and sleep problems go hand in hand. A disturbed sleep pattern can lead to anxiety. And a person with anxiety often finds it hard to fall asleep due to obsessive thoughts and worries. Getting the sleep pattern in the track can be hard for those with anxiety, but with consistent efforts and proper professional help, it is possible. Getting adequate sleep can help a great deal in reducing anxiety.

4. Exercise

There is a strong relationship between exercising and positive moods. Practising exercise generates serotonin which elevates the moods of a person. Likewise, exercising is found to show great results in coping with anxiety as well. Even 5 minutes of aerobic exercise is found to reduce anxiety levels. Exercising at least 3–4 days in a week can do a lot of good to your mind and body.

5. Practise breathing exercise

A simple breathing exercise could do wonders. Most often, a person with anxiety experiences breathlessness and regulating the breathing pattern could help a lot. Breathing exercise like breathing in/inhaling through your nose, holding it for sometime and exhaling slowly through your mouth with puckered lips could help. Another breathing exercise called the 4–7–8 breathing technique helps a lot as well. In this technique inhaling happens for 4 seconds, you hold in the air for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds. There are numerous breathing exercises, try them out and continue to do whichever suits you.

6. Practise art

Creative arts provides a distraction from ruminating thoughts and can sometimes be cathartic in itself. Practising arts like painting, doodling, writing poems, singing songs, creating music, making crafts and much more have shown to reduce the anxiety levels to a major extent. According to Harvard research, it is found that creative activities are found to relieve stress, and aid communication as well. So why wait? Unleash the creativity in you.

7. Break down your goals

Often, a person with anxiety experiences rummaging thoughts about the work they need to get done and end up cramming. So, it is advisable to break down the goals into smaller tasks and work towards it. Prepare a schedule for a week and move about working on it. Every day prepare a list for yourself on the day to day activities you need to carry out and work on it. Don’t fret if something doesn’t go the way you wanted on your day, take a deep breath and move on to working on other things you have planned for a day. Often people with anxiety can deal with their lives better if they have an organized plan for their day.

8. Get a pet

Pets are the most adorable things on earth. Not only are they cute but they enhance our lives in many ways. Research shows that people who own pets, especially dogs experience reduced levels of loneliness and anxiety. They also have strong self-esteem and experience more positive moods. So, get a furry friend who can help you on the path to heal and cope with anxiety. It is always good to have a pet which will reduce stress and loneliness and also evoke positive emotions in you.

9. Therapy and medications

Therapy helps. A therapist will help you understand your triggers of anxiety and help you in rational thinking which will help in coping with anxiety. Anxiety medications are also found to be effective. They help in relaxation and calms down the mind and body. Therapy along with medications is found to be very helpful in coping with anxiety.

Coping with anxiety drains out a lot of energy in you and I know it’s tough but it is possible to heal. Please remember it’s a small part of you and it doesn’t define who you are. More than stating that you’re an anxious person, state that you have anxiety. You are not your problems and it’s just a small part of you. You are so much more than your anxiety. With the right help and persistence, you can definitely heal.

Are you looking for professional help to de-stress?

We hope these stress management techniques have been helpful. If you feel overwhelmed by your stress and need professional support, we can help you. CareMe offers highly professional counseling services from well-trained psychologists. Set up an appointment now!

Originally published at https://careme.health.