For specialists, Fear, anxiety Irina Vasilyeva In the modern world, an adult has plenty of reasons for anxiety. However, in similar situations, one person will radiate confidence and calm, while the other will painfully torment himself and his loved ones. Is it possible to influence this? How to relieve anxiety in an adult? And if not completely removed, then at least how to control its manifestations? How to prevent it from worsening your quality of life? Let's try to figure it out together.
Good afternoon, dear reader! Today I will teach you how to relieve the stress and anxiety associated with both everyday life and deep-rooted fears. First, let's draw some boundaries and learn to distinguish one anxiety from another.
Normal feeling and causeless anxiety: how to distinguish?
What does this sensation represent? Anxiety is a state of internal discomfort and dissatisfaction that causes anxiety.
This feeling is not identical to fear. The difference is that with anxiety, the subject of concern is unclear. There are only vague assumptions about upcoming events. There are many situations in life that provoke this feeling: exams, changing jobs, moving. Such life circumstances have unclear prospects, which is why they cause a feeling of anxiety. This is a natural type of anxiety in which the body is mobilized and a person solves problems.
There are cases of pathological anxiety. In this situation, people experience constant causeless anxiety, which greatly complicates their lives. Pathological anxiety is different in that a person cannot cope with this feeling. It fills the entire life of an individual, all of whose actions and thoughts are aimed at suppressing this feeling. It is in this situation that it is very important to know how to cope with worry and anxiety.
Key points of the pathological condition:
- This type of anxiety occurs for no reason when there are no reasons for concern. But a person feels: something must happen, although it is unknown what and how. In such a situation, people begin to worry about their loved ones, expect bad news, and their souls are constantly uneasy. Moreover, all this happens in a prosperous environment.
- Thus, a person predicts in his thoughts a future in which something bad is going to happen. As a result, behavior changes, people begin to rush around, constantly wanting to call somewhere and do something.
- In such situations, the body reacts with increased heart rate, intermittent breathing, increased sweating, and dizziness. Sleep is disturbed, a person feels constant tension, nervousness and irritability.
- Unreasonable anxiety does not arise on its own. It can be caused by unresolved conflicts, tension, and even brain disease.
People who do not know how to cope with anxiety and worry doom themselves to develop nervous system disorders. Often such individuals exhibit one of the forms of neurosis. It is based on a feeling of anxiety, tension, fear.
Types of stress
Stress beyond our control
This type of stress includes various troubles in life: from inclement weather to the loss of a loved one. If you are unable to change the current situation, try to take it for granted and move on with your life calmly. This will help you focus your energy not on fighting the problem, but on finally experiencing it.
If your peace of mind depends on other people (they are angry with you, they envy you), do not take it to heart. Understand that it is their problem, not yours. Mentally free yourself from the negativity from these people (have pity, forgive them), and you will feel much easier and calmer.
- What do other people think of me?
- What is this phenomenon and why are our nerves under stress?
Stress we can control
This type of stress provides the opportunity to get rid of emotional experiences using one’s own strength. For example, you are nervous before an important sports competition. You walk from corner to corner all day long and imagine your defeat.
We recommend reading: How to restore the nervous system after prolonged stress
But it’s better to spend this time not on negative thoughts, but on training. Make every effort, get in shape, practice the actions necessary to win. This way you will not only free your head from unnecessary thoughts, but also prepare yourself for competitions. The main thing is to switch your attention to something else!
Stress created by our imagination
This type of stress is typical for people who are accustomed to turning many events into non-existent problems. Most often this refers to actions that have passed or have not yet taken place. Often, from a person exposed to this type of stress, you can hear the phrases: “If only I had known earlier...” or “What if...”. This is nothing more than a vain worry about what has already been done, or worry about the distant future, before which a lot can still change.
Some reasons
Before you figure out how to cope with feelings of anxiety and fear, you should understand the sources of these sensations:
- Increased anxiety may be a consequence of upbringing. For example, if in childhood a child was constantly forbidden to do something and at the same time frightened by the possible consequences of his actions, then this provoked a constant internal conflict. It was he who became the cause of anxiety. And this attitude towards reality carries over into adulthood.
- Anxiety can be inherited. If parents or grandmothers were constantly worried about anything, the younger generation adopted the same model of behavior.
- An incorrect perception of the world, instilled in the child in childhood, when the child was told: “You can’t”; "You can not". Given the unique model that has been created, the grown-up child feels like a failure. He attracts to himself everything bad that can happen in life. The culprit is insecurity that arose in childhood.
- Due to excessive guardianship, the child is deprived of the opportunity to act independently. He is not responsible for anything and does not gain life experience. As a result, an infantile person grows up who is constantly afraid of making a mistake.
- Some people feel constantly indebted to someone. This is provoked by the attitude received in childhood: if you don’t do what you need to do, then life will not be safe. Therefore, they try to keep everything under control and, realizing that this is not working, they begin to worry.
The occurrence of anxiety states is also influenced by stress, dangerous situations, and psychological trauma that continues over a long period of time.
As a result of increased anxiety, a person cannot live calmly. He is constantly in the past or future, experiencing mistakes and predicting consequences. This is why it is important to understand how to get rid of feelings of anxiety and fear.
What keeps an anxiety disorder going. Why do many people fail to get rid of
There are several key reasons here.
Beliefs and Beliefs
For example, belief in mysticism, in punishments from above, in the materialization of thoughts, or beliefs such as:
- it’s normal to worry
- anxiety helps solve problems,
- the world is terrible and dangerous,
- you need to keep everything under control at all times,
- any danger must be avoided,
- you need to get rid of anxiety,
- I can’t relax, otherwise I’ll lose my vigilance and miss (forget) something important or do something bad or wrong.
- I am better prepared if I constantly think “about it” and know everything (for example, about an illness) or what scares me.
What is my Choice
If a person is constantly depressed and lacks energy, then you need to see what does not hold energy, why little accumulates and where it flows out.
Our psyche produces energy all the time, this is a mental and physiological process. And this energy needs to be put somewhere; it is difficult for a person with a weakened psyche to keep it, and he again directs it to the usual.
What is the most common thing for an anxious person? Anxiety! This is where his choice falls, and this choice is determined by the habit of worrying and some of the beliefs listed above. As a result, again increased anxiety and loss of energy.
Defensive and avoidant actions
Actions aimed at avoiding any troublesome or dangerous situation and getting rid of anxiety.
For example, such actions include: constant search for information about various symptoms and diseases in order to refute or confirm some opinion (conclusion); avoidance of some places, people or phenomena that cause anxiety, etc.
That is, a person always makes a choice in favor of some behavior that temporarily calms him down, but in general, is more harmful to him. This is facilitated by psychological defense mechanisms, which seem to convince a person to act this way (in the same way).
I will not dwell here, since I have already written more than once about protective actions in the articles: “Causes of obsessive fears”, “How to cope with panic attacks” and “neurosis” (more details in my book).
Loss of the present (here and now)
A person begins to constantly be in anxious thoughts about the past and the future : “What if I did something wrong, what if they think badly, what if I had acted differently, what if this or that happens…”.
A person may even have an inner feeling that he would hide from the world under a blanket and not come out. All desire to act and strive for something disappears; caution and doubts become much stronger than even the most cherished desires.
A person no longer lives in the present, does not live a full life, does not make inspiring plans and does not implement them. Now he lives with his mind, now in a regretful past, now in a frightening future.
In general, fear for the future is the fear that something like this or something similar has already happened in the past (even if you don’t consciously remember it), and a person is always afraid of repeating this negative experience.
There is another moment
The body gets used to anxiety. If we experience a feeling for a long time, for example, resentment, irritation, hopelessness or anxiety and guilt, then the body gets used to this feeling (to a certain set of hormones) and now, in turn, begins to influence the mind, that is, the reactions inside bodies provoke corresponding thoughts in the head.
It turns out that physiology supports a psychological habit, as in addiction.
Often due to anxiety
Other feelings and emotions are hidden, for example, guilt, inferiority, shame and humiliation, some feelings and sensations associated with a previously formed complex (psychological trauma).
Genetic component
It also plays a role, everyone has their own mental characteristics for various reactions and types of nervous system, but this is not the key, what is much more important is what kind of upbringing and further self-development was.
Any ordinary person is capable of learning self-regulation, good control of the mind and emotions, for example, with the help of this practice or others, changing views and correcting harmful beliefs.
Only the person who controls his mind is able to be the master of his life
Another thing is whether there is a strong enough motivation to take care of yourself or whether it’s easier to let things take their course and pursue only quick methods of “treatment.”
What does anxiety lead to?
If a feeling of strong anxiety occurs constantly, it is necessary to solve this problem. You need to figure out how to cope with worry and worry. After all, they can have serious consequences. These sensations, if left untreated, develop into phobias and panic states.
As a result of anxiety conditions, the following may develop:
- Heart arythmy;
- changes in body temperature;
- dizziness;
- trembling in the limbs;
- attacks of suffocation.
The main thing in recovery is to stop worrying about anything and try to control your emotions.
How to Help Another Person Deal with Anxiety
If your friend or family member has high levels of stress, anxiety, or worry, it's not just them who may be experiencing problems.
He can constantly escalate the situation and predict troubles, constantly putting off important things for fear of not being able to cope with them. Frequent interaction with such a person increases your own anxiety level, unless you are a sociopath. And while the propensity for this behavior may seem like a mistake in the genome, it is actually a defense mechanism: it is advantageous to have a few individuals in the population who are more cautious and often think about what could go wrong. But in practice, this interferes not only with the person himself, but also with his loved ones. Let's not forget that worry and anxiety tend to grow in a team like a snowball.
Below you will find some tips to stop the chain reaction and help a loved one who is under the weight of unpleasant feelings.
Learn to identify signs of anxiety
Not everyone experiences anxiety the same way and not everyone talks about it out loud. If you really want to help your loved one get rid of it, identify the symptoms when he begins to worry
, and if you notice them, take action. For some, anxiety causes numbness - such a person seems to detach himself from current affairs, immerses himself in himself, and begins to act more slowly. Someone, on the contrary, seems to switch on the next gear and begin to work more actively. If you are close to the person, you will definitely be able to pick up on these symptoms.
Think through your help strategy
It's better to ask your friend directly rather than guess how you can help.
. You can talk together about how to respond to a particular problem or break down an anxiety-related task into specific, manageable steps.
It helps to make a list of things that cause anxiety - these could be phone calls, walking in crowded places, communicating with waiters. If your loved one can't handle these situations on their own, do it together! Start with the least stressful problem. Getting rid of fears and situations that cause anxiety helps to overcome anxiety or at least reduce its manifestation.
If you feel the problem is bigger than it seems, talk your friend into seeing a specialist.
At the same time, some people prefer moral support
, not practical advice. Such a person will feel better if you remind him that he is part of the team / family member / your friend and you will not leave him under any circumstances.
Still others are generally better off switching to something else.
. If you discuss a problem or an unpleasant situation with them, you will only increase the level of anxiety - they will literally become fixated on the stressful moment and will think only about it. If you distract them with something else, it will help discard unpleasant thoughts.
Help me to understand
As a rule, those who experience anxiety scroll through their thoughts about the worst-case scenarios of what is happening. Ask such a person a question: “What is the worst thing that can happen?” For example, a friend's anxiety revolves around his angry boss getting angry about something and firing him. Thus, your friend will become unemployed, will not go to Thailand this month as planned...
Help me look at the problem from the outside
and make sure that even the worst case scenario is not so bad. In case of dismissal, the acquaintance will receive compensation, which will be enough for the duration of the search for a new place. In addition, your old job probably had many disadvantages, and new experience provides a chance for a serious leap up the career ladder. As for travel, you can always reschedule it or choose a more budget-friendly, but no less interesting option.
Realizing that everything is really not so scary will allow you to let go of anxious feelings. .
Be supportive, but don't overdo it.
It is very common for anxious individuals to avoid problems and situations that can lead to stress. However, doing such things yourself instead of a friend is in fact a wrong decision.
. This will save you some inconvenience in the moment, but will make things more difficult in the long run. It is better to provide moral support, even if the problem seems trivial to you, and together rejoice at the victory over it.
The exception is when anxiety turns into depression, hysterics or panic attacks. In such cases, your loved one definitely needs specialist advice.
Be sensitive to his feelings
Whatever the reason for the anxiety, reassure your friend that you have not started to treat him worse
and do not consider him defective, lost to society, etc. He was simply the victim of a temporary problem that was, or could be, out of his control. It is very important to listen to the thoughts of the other person, without judging or condemning him. Forget about “support” in the spirit of: “Don’t worry, it’s all nonsense” or “Just don’t think about the bad things.” Don't roll your eyes or speak in a condescending tone: even if the problem seems very stupid to you personally, you need to try to understand and accept it. It is better to say: “I know this is hard for you, but you will get through it.”
Sometimes people do not want to correct anything in their behavior, but they have learned to live with the existing problem. In such cases, you should not take on too much
and “treat” a loved one, especially if he did not ask for such a service. For example, if your friend is terribly afraid of water and avoids deep bodies of water, you should not try to “fix” him overnight by taking him to a water park and pushing him down the highest slide. His behavior and lifestyle are his choice.
If you yourself realize that anxiety only prepares us for a possible threat, it will be easier for you to understand someone who feels irritated or afraid. However, if you judge your loved one, you are unlikely to be able to provide him with the support he needs.
Methods of prevention and treatment
From the above it is clear that anxiety, anxiety, and anxiety disorders do not lead to anything good. How to cope with unpleasant anxiety on your own?
You can get rid of anxiety on your own using the following methods:
- changing the way of thinking;
- physical relaxation;
- change of lifestyle.
But before considering such moments, you need to learn how to cope with a sudden feeling of anxiety. To do this, you need to find the reason, realize it, distract yourself from the problem and exhale deeply. Let's look at these methods in more detail.
How to get rid of anxiety
Do what you've been afraid of for a long time
This is an unexpected but effective tip - just do something more stressful that will drown out the current worry or worry.
. Sign up for a foreign language course, go to the dentist, buy a last minute ticket to another country... This way you will kill two birds with one stone: complete a task that you have been putting off for a long time, and take your mind off the problem. The hassle of preparing for the upcoming event will displace anxious feelings.
Focus all your attention on one task
By force of will, focus all your thoughts on a specific action.
Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and devote time to this single task: put the dishes on the shelves, do a couple of exercises, get a manicure. It is important not to be distracted by anything - not to check your phone or even look at your watch. You must turn all your thoughts to what you are doing until the timer activates. It will be hard at first, but soon you will feel the pulling sensation in your chest disappear.
Take a walk
Give space to your thoughts - go outside!
Focus on what surrounds you: count all the blue objects, listen to the smells, follow the yard cat. New experiences and tasks that require concentration and attentiveness will not allow you to dwell on negative aspects.
By the way, such tasks are the basis of neurobics exercises.
If you have the opportunity to go outside at night and/or look at the night sky
in a quiet, relaxing environment, take advantage of it. Sometimes realizing that we are only grains of sand in the universe, created from stardust, helps us look at problems differently and reduces anxiety.
Perform relaxation techniques
Pay attention to how you breathe
. When you are anxious or stressed, your breathing becomes faster, and slowing it down will have a calming effect. Take a deep breath and a slow, releasing exhale. Pause and repeat. The exhalation lasts longer than the inhalation, while the stomach retracts. If you don’t have the patience to control this process yourself, try installing one of the many mobile anti-stress applications.
Wish other people happiness
When you're depressed, irritation and anger at others can consume your entire being and only make your anxiety worse. Try to change this - after all, only you control your thoughts. It’s not at all necessary to confess your love to the first person you meet, just mentally send someone a wish
, for example, have a nice day. Surprisingly, it also works in the opposite direction - after this you yourself will feel much more peaceful. The main thing is to sincerely wish something good to the other.
Convince yourself that anxiety is healthy
The more an anxious person puts off unpleasant things, the more likely they are to be haunted by obsessive thoughts about them. So, to cope with anxiety, think of it as a motivator
to do important things - let it work for you!
Another option is to visualize the worry.
. Imagine him as a loyal friend with a difficult character - such a friend wants to help, but does it in a very peculiar, interfering form. At a moment of anxiety, you need to evoke this image in your head as clearly as possible and ask it: “What do you want to warn me about, friend?” Personalizing the feeling will help you calm down and understand yourself.
Take a break
Choose what you like best: an interesting quest on your smartphone, a coloring book for adults, or a movie you've been waiting for a long time. The main thing is that the activity absorbs you completely
, and you will think about everything else later, when you are ready for it.
Make yourself tea or coffee
Prepare a cup of your favorite drink and focus on your senses.
. Inhale the fragrant steam, feel the heat emanating from the cup, taste the taste. Take your time, let the process take over you.
Put your phone down
Sometimes a mobile phone not only opens up the latest technological possibilities, but also becomes a cause of anxiety and stress.
. Frequent checking of the device and oppressive waiting (even if there seems to be no reason for it) have a negative effect. To get rid of this feeling, it is better to be distracted by some task and put the phone aside - for example, leave it on the table. An important letter or even a call can wait for several minutes, and constantly checking the device and depressing anticipation have a negative effect and cause anxiety for no reason.
Remember, if symptoms persist and anxiety, stress or worry become increasingly disruptive, it is best to consult a specialist
, who will understand the problem and find a way to overcome it.
Changing your mindset
Since anxiety is the result of psychological problems, the fight against it should begin with spiritual attitudes.
The first is positive thinking. If you constantly experience anxiety, worry, anxiety, how to cope with such feelings? It is necessary to establish the cause of the unpleasant condition. Be sure to talk to your loved ones about this. They will listen and support, even morally, but the person will understand that he has support.
Master meditation techniques. It helps you relax. Therefore, it is worth using it regularly to clear your thoughts.
How to overcome anxiety
Since there are many reasons for worry, it is foolish to limit yourself to one way to solve the problem of anxiety. In one case one method is appropriate, in another - another. As in martial arts, to become a master (in our case, a clear mind), you need to master a series of techniques.
Correct breathing
Deep abdominal breathing not only distracts from anxiety by the process itself, but also fills the brain with oxygen, and this triggers logical thinking and relaxes. It is advisable to take a comfortable position. Breathe so that your exhalation is twice as slow as your inhalation. By the way, activating the body requires the opposite approach.
Muscle relaxation
The method consists of conscious relaxation and tension of muscle groups.
Analyze in which muscles tremor occurs during excitement, and work with them first. Trembling in the hands is relieved by clenching and unclenching fists, flexing and extending the biceps. An eye tic is “treated” by alternately closing your eyes and opening your eyes wide. You can approach the muscles from a different direction. Mentally commanding the muscles to relax after a few minutes leads to this. Virtually run through your body, forcing your body to release the tension.
More than 9,000 people have gotten rid of their psychological problems using this technique.
Visualization
It’s not far from virtual muscle relaxation to visualization. It is better to practice it constantly, but at critical moments it is almost mandatory. Draw a pleasant picture in your mind, immerse yourself entirely in the image you invented or torn from your memory. Some people imagine a tropical island, others imagine an alpine village. The main thing is that the associations are exclusively complacent. Prepare the illustration in advance; in exciting moments it should be “at hand”.
Self-hypnosis
Not only concentration on images, but also verbal technique helps to draw mental pictures. Phrases like “I am calm,” “I feel good,” “my body is relaxing,” etc., with certain skills, work very well in critical situations. Without practicing, you, of course, in a moment of excitement and jitters, will remember autogenic words, but you are unlikely to react adequately.
Logics
If everything is fine with your left hemisphere, this method will help you put your emotions in order and get rid of anxiety. If logical thinking suffers, giving in to emotional impulses, train. When worried, try to consider the situation that caused the anxiety from the point of view of the mind. Assess the consequences of reactions subordinated to anxiety and cold reason. Think about what can be fixed and what cannot. What will change if you give free rein to your anxiety?
One lecturer, standing in front of an audience ready to listen to his words, realized that there would be nothing to listen to - he had forgotten absolutely everything. If he had not been a trained “logician,” he would probably have become a laughing stock with shaking knees and a ruined reputation. But he, having assessed the situation, honestly admitted to his listeners his failure and “amnesia.” And the very next day he spoke to them again, already in full oratorical “outfit”.
Will
For some people with an iron character, it is easier to rely on willpower than to visualize and inspire something into themselves. Mental orders to your own body, subject to the habit of self-discipline, tend to be carried out - anxiety recedes.
Switching attention
How to overcome anxiety if your logic is lame, your will is weak, and your creative thinking leaves much to be desired? Concentrate on something else, shift your focus to another object. While performing on stage, you can start looking at the audience, counting their number, playing detective - guessing professions, etc. On the street, you can look for cars of a certain brand.
Physical activity
If the jitters are strong and the situation allows, you can cope with anxiety with the help of active “physical education”. Push-ups, jumping, and squats in a stronger mode will quickly shift the emphasis and pull the blanket of tension over yourself.
Music
For some people, relaxing or any other favorite music is a very good way to overcome anxiety. It is best to combine music lovers with physical activity: headphones in your ears and for a run.
No technique is perfect. Listen to yourself and look for your own combinations of ways to deal with anxiety. Even their unsuccessful combination is great progress. And if you find the key, self-regulation will become your strong point.
If you don’t want to give up and are ready to really, and not in words, fight for your full and happy life, you may be interested in this article .
Lifestyle change
The nervous system is weakened due to the use of alcohol, medicines, drugs, and smoking. As a result, similar negative experiences may develop.
Therefore, when wondering how to get rid of feelings of anxiety and fear, start by giving up bad habits. This will help cope with an unpleasant phenomenon, improve health and strengthen willpower.
Adequate sleep is essential to eliminate fatigue and tension.
There are foods that improve your mood: chocolate, bananas, nuts and blueberries.
They also recommend changing the decor: repainting the walls, adding new interior details, or arranging the light differently.
Physical relaxation
There is another important recommendation on how to cope with causeless anxiety. It is necessary to apply physical activity. Sports, movement, walks with pets help the body relax physically and psychologically. Regular exercise is a great way to relieve anxiety. After classes, it’s good to drink an infusion of chamomile, thyme or mint.
Try to find a reason
Any excitement cannot appear out of nowhere. To understand how to cope with anxiety and worry, you need to understand what triggers it. There is always a reason for anxiety. In order to understand where it came from, it is necessary to analyze your entire life and establish the moment from which a person began to feel a feeling of anxiety. This could be troubles at work or difficulties in family life. Even negative news on TV can cause anxiety.
From anxiety to panic
If fear is a stronger, but specific experience that has a reason, then with anxiety everything is more complicated. When the cause is known, there is an understanding of how to solve the problem. How to calm anxiety when it is unclear what caused it? How to get rid of an anxious state that does not allow you to fully enjoy life?
Looking for a reason
It is important to understand that even when there are no apparent reasons, anxiety cannot arise out of nowhere. Any anxiety state, if you get to its root cause, is caused by fear of the unknown. Everything that does not fit into the usual picture of the world causes anxiety and wariness. At work you need to learn a new program, the dentist has moved to another city and you need to look for a new one, your favorite cafe has closed - all this breaks the established order of things and causes a state of fear and anxiety in the soul.
The surprising thing is that even when it comes to pleasant events, they can be accompanied by excessive excitement and anxiety - friends gave you a phone of a different brand, you went on vacation to a new place, you move to a nice apartment, you discovered Sabin Dentistry in Yekaterinburg.
Fear of change and increased anxiety can turn even positive changes into difficult ones.
It is interesting that in very difficult times - wars, revolutions, natural disasters - people's anxiety decreases. And it's not that strange. When you are fighting for life, there is no time for mental health. The instinct of self-preservation, inherent in nature, is actively involved in the struggle for survival. But precisely in countries with a high standard of living, people are often prone to various mental disorders, including anxiety. Our natural inner defender, drawing imaginary threats, tries in this way to find at least some use for himself.
The reasons for such an excessive instinct of self-preservation can be laid down in childhood. If a child was overprotected or taught that he could not cope with anything, this caused fearfulness and anxiety. When adults have not worked through childhood fears, they manifest themselves as unmotivated anxiety. A person can independently come up with many logical explanations for his anxiety. But, if he does not understand the true reasons for its occurrence, the fight against it will be pointless.
When Anxiety Turns to Panic
If you start a state of anxiety, increased anxiety can develop into panic disorder. The person begins to experience panic attacks. Many people don't even understand what's happening to them. This makes it even more difficult. Panic attacks are sudden attacks of uncontrollable fear, sometimes in the complete absence of any external causes. The attacks are accompanied by the following symptoms:
- trembling in the body;
- fast shallow breathing;
- dizziness;
- rapid heartbeat;
- tremor of the limbs;
- fear of death;
- fever or chills.
The duration of panic attacks is not very long - from 10 minutes to half an hour. But subjectively they are experienced very hard. A person in this state is afraid of suffocating, fainting, dying or going crazy. However, all these fears are unfounded. Anxiety reinforces itself, and a person strives to find a safe place in which he will feel comfortable. Various protective rituals may appear - when panic sets in, a person should sit down or go to lie down, or hold his hands under running cold water. Some people take sedatives to help cope with anxiety. What helped once will be perceived as effective in the future. But, since removing symptoms alone is not enough, psychological work is needed to ensure that the attacks stop completely.
A negative consequence of panic disorder is avoidance behavior. Since it is impossible to cope with worry and worry, a person tries to eliminate from life all situations that may be accompanied by excessive anxiety: he is afraid of new places and acquaintances, does not travel by transport, or even stops leaving the house. This does not help cope with increased anxiety, it only increases it.
Voice the problem
If you cannot determine the cause of anxiety on your own, you should try to communicate with someone close to you. When talking with someone who understands and accepts a person for who he is, you can find out a lot of interesting things about yourself. It should be taken into account that the counterpart must have a positive attitude. His task is not to sympathize and share his troubles, but to give a charge of positive emotions. Usually, after talking with such a person, a person suffering from anxiety disorders calms down.
Take your mind off your problems
Another method of avoiding anxiety is to distract yourself. If a person is at home, it is worth watching a comedy, reading an interesting book, meeting with friends or taking a relaxing bath with herbs. At work, you can completely immerse yourself in your work, throwing away all anxious thoughts. Communication with colleagues helps a lot. A great solution would be to have tea during your lunch break.
Exhale deeply
If you don't know how to cope with worry and anxiety, pay attention to breathing exercises. It perfectly helps eliminate causeless worries. It is necessary to take deep breaths and exhales several times. As a result, breathing is restored and anxiety subsides.
In order not to be subject to anxiety, you should first of all learn to think positively, communicate with friends and loved ones, and not withdraw into yourself. A person who is open to the world does not worry, but acts.
What are we going to get rid of?
First of all, we note that from a theoretical point of view, stress, worry and anxiety are different states.
- Anxiety
is an inherently useful emotion that helps us anticipate potential dangers, be socially adept, and even recognize deception. But anxiety begins to interfere when it becomes too much. - In turn, the feeling of stress
is the body’s response to certain unfavorable circumstances, problems, challenges, etc. Stress comes in different forms, but for the purposes of this article we will not delve into this topic. - As for anxiety
, it has a qualitative difference from worry and stress - it often has no specific cause and no specific end date. A person is simply worried and worried, and sometimes he finds it difficult to explain why. Or there is an explanation, but this is not the true reason: on an unconscious level, the person simply selects a seemingly suitable reason for something to worry about. This is why anxiety can be difficult to overcome on your own - due to the features noted above, it becomes something of a permanent state, although at a conscious level a person may not understand this.
The Taylor Personality Anxiety Scale test will help you check your level of anxiety.
In practice, worry, stress and anxiety often manifest themselves with almost the same “symptoms”, and, as a rule, they are not particularly pleasant. The little tricks presented below will help you dispel (or at least weaken) oppressive feelings and take your mind off disturbing thoughts.
. We offer two sets of advice: how to overcome anxiety yourself and how to help our loved ones and friends cope with anxiety.
The tips apply to various situations, and you will certainly be able to choose what will be effective for you.
