Anxiety is the natural response of our body to stress. So, it’s common to have uneasiness sometimes — rapid heartbeats, shortness of breath and sweaty palms. However, intense, excessive and persistent worry over commonplace circumstances should raise a red flag. The person may have an anxiety disorder, leading to recurrent periods of acute anxiety and panic attacks. If not addressed, these can continue for a long time, interfere with daily tasks, and be challenging to manage, and the response often gets disproportionate to the actual risk. If not taken seriously, anxiety can cause many other mental illnesses, such as depression, OCD and dependence on alcohol or substance. Anxiety and panic attacks may sometimes be so severe that the sufferer needs hospitalisation. Therefore, it’s crucial to buy health insurance that covers mental illnesses. Most plans offer in-patient expenses, but some may also pay for outpatient costs. While being financially secure will ease some of your anxiety, here are simple ways to keep the symptoms at bay.
Understand the Type of Anxiety and Recognise Triggers
Children or teenagers are as susceptible to anxiety as adults, and the symptoms may last well into their grown-up years. It’s crucial first to understand the kind of anxiety disorder to determine the right tools to treat and regulate it. These types are:
- Generalised anxiety disorder — anxiety about two or more aspects of one’s life
- Social anxiety disorder — irrational thoughts caused by social interactions
- Separation anxiety disorder — becoming excessively worried when separated from a loved one or loved ones
- Phobias — Unreasonable fear of something
- Anxiety as a result of a disease that needs treatment
There’s usually a trigger that sets off anxiety. Be mindful and record your thoughts when you have anxiety pangs or attacks. Accordingly, find ways to avoid that situation or find ways to calm yourself down when faced with it.
Deep Breathing and Relaxation
Breathing deeply from the stomach increases your brain’s oxygen intake and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping you feel calmer. Breathing exercises can bring you back to the present moment, help you feel more attuned to your body, divert your attention from mental stressors, and calm your mind. There’s the 4-8-7 breathing technique, which is effective in controlling anxiety. Start with deep inhalation to the count of 4, hold your breath for 8 seconds and slowly exhale to the count of 7.
Aromatherapy and Meditation
Aromatherapy’s theory is that essential oils can activate your nose’s scent receptors, which then communicate with your nervous system and impact your body’s energy and chemical systems. Soothing scents, such as lavender, might help you relax. Inhaling the aroma takes your mind off the aggravation or tension you are experiencing. Relaxation and calmness are two effects of meditation. As you concentrate during meditation helps you eliminate the constant stream of disorganised ideas that could be making you anxious. This will improve your mental and emotional health.
Go for a Walk, Work Out or Do Yoga
Exercise improves general health and well-being while giving more energy throughout the day. But physical activity also directly reduces stress and anxiety in some ways as it increases endorphin production — the feel-good chemicals in the brain. Even while this effect is sometimes called a runner’s high, any cardiovascular activity, such as tennis or a hike, might produce it. Even if you can manage a workout for 15 minutes a day, it will do you a world of good.
5 Sense Grounding Technique
Anxiety results from thinking about the past and worrying about the future. Since we do not have control over either, one must try to stay in the present. The 5-sense grounding is a great technique to pull you back into the now and distract your mind from unwanted thoughts. Here’s what you can do:
- Observe any 5 things around you, and describe them as precisely as possible. These could be objects on your table, for example — a pen, eraser, paperweight, etc.
- Touch 4 different objects around you and feel their textures — skin, bedsheet, mobile phone, etc.
- Hear 3 sounds in your surrounding — fan whirring, raindrops, and vehicle horns.
- Smell 2 things you can find — coffee powder and incense sticks.
- Taste 1 thing — you do not have to eat anything but try to conjure up the taste of the last thing you had.
Journaling and Challenging Your Thoughts
Every time you have negative thoughts, write them down in a book. Pouring it out is cathartic in itself. You can also make a habit of challenging your beliefs. Make a note of why what you are thinking could be false.
Conclusion
Stressful lives have increased the incidents of anxiety disorders, even among children and teenagers who may carry the mental health issue well into their adulthood. If symptoms such as rapid heartbeats, breathlessness and sweaty palms increase in severity or frequency, you must visit a healthcare professional for treatment. Besides that, you must adopt a healthy lifestyle, such as adequate sleep, a healthy diet, a minimum of 15 minutes of workout each day, aromatherapy and meditation, among others, to alleviate anxiety.
Please note: These tips and tools will help you manage anxiety but are not a substitute for professional healthcare. If you have anxiety disorder, you must see mental healthcare providers such as doctors and therapists.
