Table of Contents
To a certain extent, anxiety is a normal part of everyday life, but anxiety disorders occur when anxiety symptoms become uncontrollable and overwhelming. The combination of factors that cause an anxiety disorder may be out of your control. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you should seek help. Social and lifestyle choices do play a role in feeling anxious, and you can learn techniques to manage your daily anxiety. You could also learn to take steps to reduce sources of anxiety. There are some strategies that may help combat the anxiety, stress and fear you feel on a day-to-day basis.
Physical exercise is very important, so try to exercise regularly. Pay special attention to exercises involving the large muscle groups, like walking or jogging. Give up alcohol and drugs. Eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Eliminate caffeine from your life and do it slowly. You should notice a difference in your stress and anxiety levels during the time.
Social treatment could also help, so cultivate a support system. Try to spend as much time as possible with people who make you feel good. Share your troubles, thoughts and fears with friends, family or a therapist. A journal might also be a helpful way of recording things that cause make you anxious, stressed or hurt. You should also know that helping someone else can take your mind off your worries and give you a different perspective. Volunteering on a regular basis, or helping someone in need from your neighborhood, church, or community can give you a break from yourself. Try to improve your intimate love relationships. especially if your anxiety stems from early life issues that interfere with your ability to build safe, trusting relationships. If this is the case with you, you may benefit from learning ways to improve love relationships.
Mental exercise and relaxing is important, so take a time-out for play, recreation and relaxation, and try to spend time doing hobbies or activities you really enjoy. Identify your stress or anxiety triggers and try to limit the known stress factors in your life. Avoid difficult colleagues, family members, and acquaintances as much as it is possible. It would be wise to lower your expectations, so if you are feeling anxious because people or situations are not living up to your expectations, adjust them appropriately.
Try to shift gears, and if you notice an anxiety or panic attack coming on, try to break the cycle before it takes over. Stop what you are doing and do something athletic, like going for a walk or a run, or do something that you really enjoy, such as painting or knitting, to shift your thoughts. You could also become your own expert, read books, visit websites, go to lectures and workshops, and talk to your doctor and therapist. Learning more about your anxiety will help you get the best treatment and enable you to conquer your fears and improve the best treatment results. You probably know that laughter is very healthy, so laugh as much as possible and seek out things and people that you find amusing. It would be nice to find humor or absurdity in stressful situations.
Medications for anxiety disorders
Some kinds of anxiety are readily controlled by medications, which can be prescribed and monitored by a psychiatrist. The use of medications is somewhat controversial so be sure to research the options before deciding if medication is the best course of treatment. Most antidepressants are started at a low dosage and gradually increased to minimize the risk of serious side effects that are possible to occur. Antidepressants typically take weeks to affect symptoms of anxiety disorder. Some commonly prescribed drugs include fluoxetine or Prozac, sertraline or Zoloft, fluvoxamine or Faverin, paroxetine or Paxil and citalopram or Celexa. Anti-anxiety medications should only be taken for short time periods because they can become addictive and less effective over time. When going off benzodiazepines, it is important to gradually reduce the dosage amount to prevent possible withdrawal symptoms. Common brand names for benzodiazepines are Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan.