Each one of us suffers from anxiety from time to time. More than forty million adults in the United States suffer from anxiety each year.
Anxiety is experienced through thoughts and feelings. Hence, it impacts your ability to perform your routine task and makes it difficult to manage things.
Don’t worry! You do not have to take medicines to treat the condition. Instead, there are several exercises that you can do to tackle your anxiety immediately.
The easiest one is to try the 5-4-3-2-1 coping technique when you feel anxiety creeping up. First, look for the five things you can see, name the four things you can touch. Next, listen to the three sounds you can hear and two things you smell and finally notice the taste of one thing inside your mouth.
It may seem challenging at first. However, the more you practice it, the better you will get at preventing your anxiety from taking over. Read this blog to know more about how to reduce anxiety immediately.Anxiety is one of the biggest problems that people all over the world suffer from. It can be the result of mental, physical, or stressful life conditions.
Anxiety differs from the normal feelings of nervousness or stress. Instead, it refers to the state of stress in which the person cannot speak or focus properly. There are different anxiety levels, such as mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, and severe anxiety. Some people might even feel like a knife is being stabbed in the chest, preventing them from breathing normally. The symptoms of anxiety get worse if the traumatic events continue to occur, triggering the person’s anxiety.
There was a time when people struggling with anxiety only had to rely on medicines. However, modern anxiety treatment methods are based on behavior interventions. Not only are they so much safer than their medical alternatives, but they are also far more effective at treating the problem.
Before diving into how you can calm anxiety, let’s first discuss the root causes that result in this mental condition.Anxiety can be a result of several causes. We will go through each of them in detail.
Anxiety and stress-related mental conditions can often be a result of genes. The same was demonstrated in a study done in 2019, which concluded strong genetic variants are associated with anxiety and stress-related disorders.
This essentially means that if someone in the family has stress or anxiety-related issues, it may be passed on to other family members via genes. However, it should be clarified that having a family member struggle with anxiety doesn’t mean you will also develop the condition. It just means that you carry the gene which might get triggered if you encounter a specifically stress-inducing environment or incident.
The environment you live in can affect your mental well-being. For example, someone who is deprived of basic life necessities like a safe home, clean food, and water, lives in a heavily polluted area, etc., is more likely to be stressed, anxious, and even depressed.
We are surrounded by so many blessings that we often take these necessities for granted. Don’t forget to thank the Lord for all that you have and help out the less privileged.
We all have unique personality traits. However, having certain personality traits can increase the chances of you developing anxious behavior patterns. For instance, people with Type A personalities who are perfectionists and like to control the outcome of every little thing, may develop anxiety at some point in their lives.
Certain types of past experiences can also induce anxiety in the future. For instance, those who have participated in military combat often develop PTSD, a mental condition marked by anxiety and stress. Likewise, victims of abuse, be it physical, psychological, or emotional, may also become prone to anxiety. In addition to past experiences, certain life events can also be a cause of anxiety. For example, the death of a spouse, divorce, death of a child, etc., are all incredibly traumatic life events that manifest anxiety.
Studies conclude that females are more likely to experience anxiety or develop an anxiety disorder than males. The percentages differ with reference to the type of anxiety disorder each gender is more likely to develop. For instance, females are more likely to be diagnosed with panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, separation anxiety, agoraphobia, and PTSD.
On the other hand, other anxiety disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) are more likely to affect males.
There are several situations where a person’s physical well-being can make them anxious as well. Hormonal imbalances can have anxiety as a symptom. Other health conditions like chronic illness can make day-to-day living extremely difficult. Hence, struggling through a chronic disease can also result in stress and anxiety.
It should be noted that physical illnesses are not likely to result in anxiety disorders, but they can definitely result in some amount of anxiety.
Substance abuse is an interesting yet serious cause of anxiety. For instance, many people rely heavily on alcohol or other drugs to improve their social skills. In this case, not only are they already struggling with a pre-existing anxiety concern (social anxiety disorder, for example), but they also end up with a case of substance abuse.
Alternatively, someone may develop a substance-use concern for some reason, and when they try to wean off from that substance/drug, they become super anxious.
It’s also worth mentioning that in most cases, anxiety is not the result of one factor alone but rather a combination of several different factors. It goes without saying that all these causes are extremely serious. They should not be overlooked, and the right support and guidance should be sought ASAP.
As alarming as anxiety may look and sound to us, the good news is that it’s also extremely manageable. There are several things you can do to reduce anxiety quickly. First, let’s have a look at a step-by-step process of anxiety management.
When we feel alone in our troubles, it’s easy to overemphasize things and lose our train of thought. So your first step in an anxiety management program is to remind yourself that you are not alone in your anxiety.
There are way too many wonderful mental health practitioners that can tell you how to work your way around anxiety. Thanks to digitalization, many apps like Youper are also doing a pretty decent job structuring your otherwise anxious thought processes. You have help in the palm of your hands—quite literally.
Take your therapist’s advice seriously and be consistent when it comes to following it. Even if the advice is deceptively simple, like a small breathing exercise, do it. Don’t underestimate the power of small things.
Healing is a process that may look different for everyone. What’s more, is that the progress you make while healing is not always linear. Some days you’ll find it easy to stay on the right path, while other days can be challenging.
The thing to remember is that God gives His most difficult battles to His bravest soldiers. No soul on earth is asked to carry a heavier load than what they can afford to move. Therefore, being grateful to the Lord even in your misery will take you so far ahead in this world and the world Hereafter as well.
Beauty For Ashes knows it is hard to move on from what you feel right now, but we are sure that this 30 minute call can be your first step to a new beginning.
As mentioned earlier, there are so many effective ways to calm anxiety. Let’s go over some of the more common and easy to practice ones.
If you are already seeking therapy, the chances are that you know what CBT is. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the most effective way to deal with anxiety, stress, and even depression. It’s because the entire approach works on reframing your thoughts (cognitions) and having your behavior follow accordingly.
For instance, someone who has social anxiety may think the worst of all possible social interactions they will have in the future. A CBD approach is going to have them observe that thought and analyze it realistically. Once your brain understands that you’re not in any real danger, you will also not exhibit anxious behavior.
The biggest benefit of meditating regularly is that you become more mindful of the here and now. This alone will help you tons in managing your anxiety. When we’re anxious or under stress, we’re mostly always thinking about something that has already happened in the past or something that’s yet to happen.
However, when we’re meditating, we train our brains to focus on just the present. We train the brain to only “react” when there is an immediate threat. The benefits of mindfulness are several, and they go beyond just regulating anxiety. Do give it a try.
Sometimes it’s the easiest thing that can result in big changes. Whenever you feel anxious thoughts taking over, distract yourself with something simple. Even something as small as going for a walk instead of thinking about all that could go wrong can just be the thing you need.
If you don’t feel like putting in a lot of effort into distracting yourself by going out for a walk, even simpler things like simple breathing exercises can do the trick. Breathing provides more oxygen to your brain, which helps it pace itself. As a result, you don’t feel as anxious.
Breathing can be of great assistance when it comes to relieving anxiety. The best part is that you can practically do it anywhere, any time! Of course, it helps to find a quiet place to do your breathing exercise, but really, any space that isn’t filled with too many distractions will work for this.
Once you’ve seated comfortably, place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. The thing to remember is that as you breathe in deeply, your stomach should move more than your chest. Breathe slowly and regularly through your nose.
Focus on your hands during this breathing exercise. Try to keep the hand that’s on your chest as still as possible. You took a breath in through your nose, now release it through your mouth. Do it slowly and repeat this entire exercise as many times as you want till you feel your anxiety reducing.
As clichéd as it sounds, eating right, sleeping well, and getting a good amount of exercise really can improve the quality of your life. Your body needs energy from the right sources, so include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Avoid processed food as much as you can.
You also need rest so aim for at least 6-8 hours of sleep every day. Give your brain and body a break. Give them the time to recharge their batteries so you can power through what’s yet to come.
Exercise is yet another essential element of a good lifestyle. Sometimes we get anxious because the energy inside us has nowhere to go. So give it an outlet by engaging in a sport or going for a walk. You have so many options when it comes to working out. There is something for everyone.
Most people assume that anything can be a hobby as long as you enjoy doing it. Granted that for something to be considered a hobby, you need to enjoy it. However, if we look at hobbies from a mental health angle, it also helps if the hobby you pick up is actually productive as hell.
Pick an activity that you enjoy and has additional benefits. For instance, reading, journaling, painting, learning a musical instrument, etc., are all examples of hobbies that are not only enjoyable but can also help you discover your talents.
Having a connection with God and the Universe is essential for living a balanced life. The closer you get to God, the more you start believing in how everything happens because of a Divine decree and that no effort, small or big, goes unnoticed by our Lord.
Having faith is an essential part of Christianity. While we are asked to have faith in God, we are also invited to have faith in our own capabilities and our potential. No matter how difficult a challenge may seem, know that you will get through it. The light of God will never leave you alone. So as you look into constructive hobbies, fix your lifestyle, and become more mindful, do carve out some time to connect with your Creator. All the problems, trials, and tribulations that you face come with a solution in the Bible. Study your Lord’s word. You will not be disappointed.
Just because you have anxiety doesn’t mean that your life has to end as you know it. And, with so many resources at our disposal now, there is absolutely no need to panic and become hopeless.
There are easy strategies you can follow from the comfort of your own home, helpful YouTube channels that are filled with constructive advice you can subscribe to, anxiety-management apps, and tools that you can download on your phone—the possibilities are endless.
The world of mental health and development has come a long way. We are no longer sent to dungeons and chained up in hospitals because we are “mentally unfit.” The domain now sees a lot more empathy than it did in the past. On a global level, people are generally concerned about mental health and are always looking for ways to make things better.
So if you feel like anxiety is taking over your life, it’s time to take things in your hands. Seek help and assistance through prayer, look for support from the right mental health advisors and you will be on the road to recovery.
Mindset coaching is currently the most famous strategy to achieve goals and you you will master the technique of how to control your mind and
So, in this blog below, we will discuss some bible verses about the negative thoughts that will uplift your soul.
Healing from the past is difficult but necessary because you cannot progress in life if you are stuck in the past. Wanna know how to
