Anxiety manifests itself in different ways, but the symptoms most often experienced by people who struggle with this mental disorder include shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and trembling hands. These physical symptoms may discourage one from continuing with what they’re doing. If not addressed properly, it can lead to more severe consequences like developing social phobia or depression in some cases. Here are tips for controlling your anxiety.
Know Your Triggers
Triggers are what make your anxiety worse. Identifying them is the first step to controlling your anxiety because by knowing what causes these physical symptoms to come about, you will know how to act in order to prevent it from happening again. Here are some things that can cause an attack:
Weed
While not everyone is affected by weed, some people do get the jitters when they smoke. Although some people use it to relieve stress or relax, smoking weed can make your anxiety worse and trigger a panic attack because it has THC, which stimulates your nerve endings and makes you feel like something bad is going to happen. So if you are planning to smoke weed take precautions.
Tiredness
Physical or mental fatigue can make anxiety worse as well. This happens because when you’re tired, your defense mechanisms are also weakened, enabling stressors and triggers to affect you more easily. If you’re tired due to work and responsibilities, chances are that the thought of it will trigger an attack. Make an effort to take more breaks.
Coffee
Some people rely on coffee as a pick-me-up. They use it as an energy drink, believing that its caffeine content is what gives them the boost they need to go through the day. Although some people claim that drinking coffee helps improve their mood and alleviate stress, others find the opposite true, the increased heart rate and jitters brought about by caffeine can also trigger anxiety and cause panic attacks. If this is the case, consider reducing your intake or stop drinking coffee altogether.
Practice Yoga
On a day-to-day basis, practicing yoga helps reduce anxiety and stress. And if you suffer from panic disorder or other forms of psychological conditions that cause sudden attacks, yoga can help because it teaches you to control your breathing which in turn regulates your heart rate. Here is how to do the best yoga poses for anxiety.
Child’s Pose
Start by kneeling on the floor, slowly bring your torso forward so that you’re resting on your thighs. Bring your forehead down to the floor and stretch your arms directly in front of you with the tops of your feet flat against the floor. Breathe deeply into this pose for 2 minutes.
Corpse Pose
Lie flat on the ground face up then close your eyes and turn them towards the sky, relax every muscle in your body as much as possible. Do this for around 1 minute or until you feel more relaxed.
Cat and Cow Pose
Position yourself on the floor, on all fours with your hands directly below your shoulders and knees slightly bent. Inhale then exhale while you arch your back upwards towards the sky, tightening your abs as you do it. When you inhale, let your stomach fall to its original place and look downwards while letting out a sigh. Do this for around 2 minutes or until you feel more relaxed.
Squatting Pose
Squat on the floor with your feet parallel to each other and slightly apart. Tighten your abs as much as possible while you bend forward, place both of your hands near the floor and stretch them outwards to help with balance. Inhale then exhale through this pose for a minute or until you feel more relaxed.
Disconnect from the Social Media
While there are many benefits associated with social media, among these, being increased connectivity and opportunities for building relationships, it is best to limit yourself when it comes to spending hours on Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, etc. Opening yourself up online may not be good for mental health as others can easily take advantage of how people disclose information about themselves on their profiles and posts. Also, bullying and criticism tend to worsen one’s anxiety so disconnecting once in a while can help you have your anxiety under control.
Go To Therapy
Going to therapy is like having your own personal trainer when it comes to managing your anxiety. It’s important because you will be in the company of people who understand what you’re going through and can help you cope better. A therapist will be able to teach you how to control your negative thoughts and give yourself self-confidence without necessarily depending on others for validation or affirmation.
Managing your anxiety is something that will take time. The key to controlling it is by practicing self-care and being aware of the things you do on a daily basis, be it working too much or drinking coffee before bedtime. Do not rush yourself when trying to get better because forcing yourself will only trigger an attack so instead, practice patience and do everything in moderation.