7 ways to decrease your anxiety.

Anxiety, what does it look like?  Well the answer to that is different for most folks.  Can it come on all the sudden?  What if you have never had anything like that in the past?  How do I cope with anxiety at home?

This week we will dive into anxiety.  Anxiety is our bodies way of “warning” us that something might happen.  The common symptoms are feeling of unease, heart racing, chest pain, feeling of shaking (may or may not be noticeable on the outside), sweating, pacing you get the idea. Anxiety can come on all the sudden, or can come on slowly.  It can happen to anyone at any time.  Most people can relate, that they had a significant event in life, that happened prior to the first time they experienced anxiety.  There are many medications out there that can be used for anxiety. However, medication will take up to 40 minutes to take effect.  See the list below on things you can try to do at home.  Most of these will help in less than 40 minutes.

Now for the part that everyone is reading this blog to find out.  How do I manage anxiety!!

1)Talk to a friend: While this seems simple, that is exactly what you need when you are anxious.  Having someone to help you process the situation can be very helpful.  Just hearing another view on a problem’s solution can be very comforting.

2)Take a walk: Just getting out and doing this can calm you.  It takes you away from the place that the anxiety started.  It allows for you to get some fresh air, see other things, and get your mind off of the situation that started your anxiety flare.

3)Take a bath, a warm bath with some soothing smells like lavender can help ease the spirit.                                    

4)Listen to quiet music, water falls, light rain, birds chirping.  You can get CD’s that have all these sounds and more.  You could most likely find an app on your phone with the same types of music.  These have been out for years and many people are able to relax when listening.

5)Read, do you have a favorite book?  Do you prefer to look through magazines?  Maybe you prefer kindle or online reading.  Give this a try, next time you become anxious.  Do not read about what makes you anxious, but look up things that are comforting to you.

6)Deep Breathing see this video on deep breathing exercises. 

7)Exposure: Do you have a specific activity that causes you to become anxious.  Slowly exposing yourself to this activity for only very short timeframes can help with overcoming your anxiety about that activity.

Do not turn to illegal drugs and/or alcohol.  These are not good resources, drugs are addictive and while they may take away the symptoms for a bit, they are not great alternatives.  Alcohol can cause many other diseases such liver disease, dementia, depression and more.  When you turn to these, it can actually make anxiety worse over time. 

The magic pill blog post, that I wrote, can be used here also.  Many times, people want the pill that takes all their anxiety away.  Pills do help at times, but are not great long-term options.  They can help with as needed. However, sometimes you will require higher doses, the longer you take them.  It is best to learn techniques that will help you at any time.  Studies show that behavioral changes are better long-term treatments than medications in most anxiety type situations.

A little about medications for anxiety.  There are both daily (maintenance) and as needed(rescue) type medications.  You need to see your primary care or mental health provider to discuss if they are appropriate for you.  I am not giving you medical advice this is only information to help you understand. If medication is warranted (by your provider) you will most likely be given a daily medication.   These take 6-8 weeks for full effects and have some potential side effects (as do most anything you put in your mouth).  These are the best for your control of anxiety along with behavioral changes.  Short acting or rescue medications are sometimes used to help while getting the daily medication started.  Sometimes you need to continue with rescue after the 6-8 weeks, but use, should be much less by that point.  Again, talk with your primary or mental health provider about these options if you are interested.  This is only for information purposes and is NOT healthcare advice.

So, if you are doing something daily that increases your anxiety, try to avoid that activity. You can try to have less exposure until it is not triggering your anxiety.  For example, if you are watching the news several hours a day, and it increases your anxiety.  Consider decreasing that activity and only watching 30 mins a day.  You will get what you need without over doing it.  Follow the information above to try to calm your anxiety, learning to use these behavior type activities, can be helpful anywhere, anytime.  But like most things you have to practice. So when its needed you know what to do.

I challenge you to take the time and effort to use these techniques to help with your anxiety.  If you have other tricks that help you, please, comment below.