Managing and treating anxiety

Anxiety disorders can interfere with an individual’s capacity to work, study, and engage in other activities. With the right therapy, you can recover. Anxiety disorders are classified into several kinds. These are some examples:

• obsessive-compulsive disorder
• panic disorder (and panic disorder with agoraphobia)
• social anxiety disorder
• specific phobias
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• generalized anxiety disorder
• trichotillomania/ dermatillomania or body-focused repetitive behaviors)
• hoarding.

Anxiety disorders can be extremely stressful and incapacitating. They may lead to possibilities for learning and work being lost, as well as challenges with interpersonal and familial connections.

With the proper treatment, such as exposure treatment, attention training, and a variety of anxiety reduction approaches, you are able to recover and manage the signs and symptoms. You can either study the following tactics on your own (through books or classes, for example) or contact a skilled specialist.

Managing anxiety

Among the treatment possibilities for anxiety disorders are:

• learning about anxiety
• mindfulness
• relaxation techniques
• correct breathing techniques
• cognitive therapy
• behavior therapy
• counseling
• dietary adjustments
• exercise
• learning to be assertive
• building self-esteem
• structured problem solving
• medication
• support groups

Learning about anxiety

The ancient adage ‘information is power’ fits here; understanding everything there is to know about anxiety is important for recovery. Education, for example, involves investigating the physiology of the ‘flight-or-fight’ response, which is the body’s response to an oncoming threat. This response is improperly provoked in people with anxiety disorders by circumstances that are typically safe. Education is a key tool for enhancing and managing symptoms.

Mindfulness

When a person is nervous, he or she may spend a large amount of time thinking about things that make them anxious. Mindfulness directs our concentration to the current moment and releases us from unwanted thoughts.

Mindfulness is becoming increasingly trendy as people understand how helpful it is for a variety of conditions. There are numerous materials available to help you establish a mindfulness routine.

Relaxation techniques

A person who is nervous most of the time finds it difficult to relax, but learning how to ease muscle tension can be a useful tactic. Strategies for relaxation include:

• progressive muscle relaxation
• abdominal breathing
• isometric relaxation exercises.

Correct breathing techniques

Hyperventilation, which increases oxygen levels and decreases carbon dioxide levels in the blood, can cause physical signs of worry. Carbon dioxide helps to regulate the body’s response to panic and nervousness.

To avoid hyperventilation, it can be beneficial for someone suffering from anxiety to understand how to breathe through their diaphragm rather than their chest. Letting your abdomen expand as you inhale is essential.

Place one hand on your lower tummy and another on your chest to ensure that you are breathing properly. When you breathe correctly, your abdomen moves rather than your chest. It also aids in regulating your breathing when you are stressed.

Abdominal breathing might be difficult for certain individuals. There are also more breathing exercises you might try. Alternatively, you can try holding your breath for a few moments. This serves to raise blood carbon dioxide levels.

Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy concentrates on improving the ways of thought and opinions that are linked to and induce anxiety. A person suffering from social anxiety, for example, might worsen their anxiety by thinking negative ideas such as, “Everyone feels I’m uninteresting.”

Cognitive therapy is based on the idea that convictions trigger thoughts, which then trigger emotions and generate behaviors. For example, suppose you believe (maybe unknowingly) that in order to feel worthwhile, you have to be liked by everyone. If someone looks away from you in the middle of a conversation, you can think, ‘This person dislikes me,’ which can make you nervous.

Rational ‘self-talk,’ assessment of reality, attention training, cognitive challenging, and cognitive restructuring are all cognitive therapy processes. Observing your self-talk, confronting harmful fears and ideas, and checking the accuracy of negative thoughts are all part of this.

Behavior therapy

Exposure is an essential part of behavior therapy. Exposure therapy involves expressing your worries on purpose in order to deafen yourself. Exposure teaches you how to reframe the risk or terror component of a circumstance or trigger.

Exposure therapy may comprise the following steps:

• Sort your concerns from most dangerous to least dangerous.
• Choose one of your less dangerous concerns to tackle first.
• Consider the feared situation. Imagine yourself in the situation. Examine your fears — what are you scared of?
• Arrange a series of tiny steps, such as progressively decreasing the distance between oneself and the frightened circumstance or object, or gradually raising the period of time spent in the terrifying scenario.
• Refrain from leaving. Relaxation, breathing methods, and coping strategies can all be used to assist you in controlling your anxiety.
• After that, be grateful that nothing awful happened.
• Repeat the experience as many times as possible to gain confidence in your ability to handle it.
• When you’re ready, proceed to the next frightening situation in the exact same manner.

Dietary adjustments

Magnesium promotes muscular tissue relaxation, and a lack of magnesium can cause depression, anxiety, and lack of sleep. Anxiety symptoms can also be worsened by a lack of vitamin B and calcium. Include wholegrain cereals, leafy green veggies, and low-fat dairy items in your regular diet.

Nicotine, caffeine, and stimulant medicines (such as those containing caffeine) cause your adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline, one of the primary stress hormones. These should be prevented. Salt and synthetic ingredients, such as preservatives, are also foods to avoid. When feasible, choose fresh, natural foods.

Exercise

The ‘flight-or-fight’ reaction, which fills the human body with adrenaline along with additional stress chemicals, causes physical signs of anxiety. Exercise reduces stress hormones and improves calmness. Physical activity can also aid with anxiety management. Try for at least three to four days of physical activity per week, and adjust your schedule to avoid boredom.

Learning to be assertive

They are Being assertive means conveying your requirements, desires, emotions, views, and viewpoints to other people in a simple and open manner, without causing anyone to feel upset. An individual suffering from an anxiety illness may struggle with assertiveness because they are terrified of disagreement or feel they have no authority to speak up. Passively connecting with others, on the other hand, reduces self-confidence and promotes worry. Learning to act assertively is essential for building self-esteem.

Building self-esteem

People suffering from anxiety disorders frequently have low self-esteem. In many respects, feeling useless may increase anxiety. It can cause an ineffective method of interaction with people and promote a dread of being harshly criticized. Low self-esteem may also be linked to the anxiousness disorder’s impact on your life. These issues may include:

• isolation
• sentiments of embarrassment and regret
• depressed state
• challenges in functioning in school, employment, or social circumstances.

The plus side is that you can learn about and enhance your self-esteem. Community support groups and psychotherapy might help you deal with these issues.

Problem-solving structure

Some persons with anxiety disorders are ‘worriers,’ meaning they obsess about an issue instead of actively working to fix it. Understanding how to break down an issue into its various components and then choose an appropriate course of action is an important ability that can aid in the management of generalized anxiety and depression. This is referred to as structured issue-solving.

Medication

It is essential that drugs be viewed as a temporary treatment rather than the cure for anxiety problems.

Psychological therapies, such as cognitive behavior therapy, have proven in trials to be far more effective than pharmaceuticals in the long run in treating anxiety problems. Your physician might recommend a short course of tranquilizers or antidepressants to assist you in managing the signs while additional therapy choices take effect.

Groups of support and education

Support groups offer individuals who are anxious to meet in a secure and comfortable environment to offer and get assistance. They also allow you to find out more about stress and create social networks.