Increased anxiety will often leave you feeling confused and alone with your problems. A lot of people who have anxiety isolate themselves from everyone in order to deal with the anxiety they feel. If you are suffering from anxiety, isolation is not the answer. Spending time with people that you care about will help you more than being alone. There are a lot of things you may do to reduce anxiety – we have rounded up five ways to help you cope with your feelings.
1. If external things are triggering you, then you shouldn’t watch TV news and violence or read the paper as much. If current events are important to you, take a quick glance at the headlines or ask a friend to catch you up. Avoid spending an inordinate amount of time obsessing about negativity in the world or local events.
2. Establish daily goals for yourself. If you set a goal for yourself every day, it will give your mind something to focus on. Your mind will stay occupied, and you will be able to steer clear of negative thoughts and emotions which can be a source of anxiety.
3. Pay attention to your breathing when you feel unduly stressed or anxious. You will notice that you are not breathing deeply and probably taking erratic breaths. It’s easy to forget how to breathe properly when you’re anxious. Try your best to refocus your breathing when you are having an anxiety attack. Think about breathing from your belly, and slow down the rate of inhale and exhale for best results. Take a 4 second inhale, followed by a 6 second exhale. You will have the best results if you can breathe this way for 10-15 minutes every day for a month, but you can still get relief ANY time by following this breathing pattern.
4. If you have trouble turning off your racing thoughts at bedtime, try writing in a journal. Take a few minutes to pour your worries onto a sheet of paper and you just might find that you have released them, leaving them to the universe for resolution. Write in your journal nightly for the best results.
5. Lack of sleep can add to your feelings of anxiety, so try to be sure to get enough. Adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily, depending on the individual. We have made several posts about the importance of sleep, you can check out a video by a sleep expert here.
6. If you are worried about something in particular, it helps to talk it over with someone. Support systems can make dealing with anxiety easier, and talking about your problems can be very helpful and may lower your feelings of anxiety on a daily basis. Finding a trusted person to whom you can speak about your problems can be a good way to analyze and minimize it – sometimes the act of just hearing yourself talk about it can make the situation seem much different.
As mentioned earlier, those who have severe anxiety can have a very tough life. Fortunately, the advice above can really be effective in lowering the amount of anxiety you experience. So, the next time you are feeling anxious, make sure that you refer to the tips here, as they are bound to help you get your anxiety levels under control.