7 Effective Ways to Put an End To Anxiety
Research and awareness regarding mental health have grown exponentially in the past decade. One area of focus in this field is primarily concerned with anxiety. While various terms and definitions describe anxiety, some experts commonly describe it as an overactive fight-or-flight mechanism.
Anxiety harms several vital organs like the heart, brain, and lungs. The fight-or-flight response that once protected us from harmful predators may arise in unpredictable situations, such as before a presentation or an exam. Someone with similar experiences may have an underlying anxiety disorder without any explicit or definite cause. Anxious individuals may feel out of control and experience various symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating, sleep apnea, tensed muscles, and irritability. Before making a definite diagnosis, health professionals monitor these symptoms, including their duration and intensity.
Anxiety makes it difficult, if not impossible, to perform routine tasks. And although a few environmental or biological factors might make you more prone to anxiety, it doesn’t mean you must constantly live under its hold.
Below are seven things you can do to put an effective end to your anxiety.
- Consider Your Treatment Options
Advancements in research and development offer several ways to treat anxiety. However, not every strategy works for everyone. One popular option to treat symptoms of anxiety is ketamine therapy.
Ketamine is primarily used as an anesthetic, but it also provides immediate pain relief without causing chemical dependency. Although certain medications like antidepressants and sedatives are among the most popular therapeutics available to manage anxiety, they have significant drawbacks. They often take several weeks to show any noticeable effect and may even cause many side effects, causing patients to drop out halfway through the treatment.
By choosing a ketamine clinic, you will be able to control your symptoms before they become a problem. Since it treats the symptoms, patients must schedule a series of infusions to manage their anxiety.
- Stay Active
Regular exercise doesn’t just help maintain physical health but also impacts your mental health. It stimulates the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain to create a calming effect.
Research has shown that physically active people are less likely to develop anxiety or other mental illnesses than those who live a sedentary lifestyle. Similar to taking an aspirin to relieve a headache, a brisk walk or any physical activity can provide hours of relief to the patient.
Engaging in exercise not only diverts your mind from whatever you’re anxious about but also releases endorphins that make you feel better and relaxed. Besides reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, the effects of regular exercise are long-lasting.
- Choose An Anchor
Much of our anxiety stems from the inability to control things around us. Planning a routine, and sticking to it, can be an effective strategy to mitigate this. Psychologists and therapists often advise those with severe mental disorders to practice a daily schedule. If you have anxiety, you can pick a routine, ritual, habit—call it what you want, as an anchor to lean on. By planning ahead, you can better control your life, thereby reducing anxiety.
What you choose to do as a routine is up to you. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Schedule the day around your regular activities, whether you prepare lunch at noon or go for a walk at night.
- Talk To Someone
Rather than avoiding your anxieties, talking about your problems and verbalizing your emotions may provide relief. Conversation with a trusted friend or family member may offer you a different perspective and help you resolve your concerns. Individuals outside of a particular situation can often understand it better without any bias clouding their judgment. Their suggestions may help you identify options or solutions you hadn’t thought of before. More importantly, speaking about your anxiety will help you realize you’re not alone and may help you find others who feel the same way.
Anxiety won’t just go away when you don’t address it; it will continue to grow until it erupts at the worst possible moment.
- Limit Caffeine Consumption
Caffeine is not a friend of those with chronic anxiety. Even though caffeine doesn’t cause anxiety, it can worsen the symptoms in people already prone to it. As a psychostimulant drug, it affects our central nervous system, which controls our body and mind. It alters brain chemistry and affects our daily lives.
An excessive intake of caffeine can lead to jitters or nervousness, worsening anxiety symptoms. Other side effects may include a fast heartbeat, irritability, headache, shakiness, and digestive problems. The severity of adverse effects varies among individuals depending on their sensitivity, tolerance, body mass, and even genetic makeup.
Anyone with anxiety should therefore limit their coffee consumption as much as possible. The rule applies not only to coffee but to any caffeinated food or beverage.
- Quit Smoking
People with anxiety struggle to find relief on a constant basis. Some turn to harmful substances like cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs to soothe their nerves and get through the day. Smoking may temporarily alleviate stress, but it cannot replace a healthy lifestyle. Over time, this quick fix may exacerbate anxiety. Smoking is often believed to calm your nerves and relieve anxiety. Unfortunately, nicotine does the exact opposite, either causing anxiety symptoms or making them worse. Since it doesn’t treat the underlying cause, anxiety continues to foster and cause increasing worries.
Smoking is a damaging and pricey habit that everyone should avoid, particularly those suffering from anxiety disorders, as it can exacerbate their symptoms.
- Practice Mindfulness
Often, anxiety leaves your body exhausted and affects its normal functions. However, studies have shown that mindfulness tips can help you reduce your stress and anxiety.
The act of being mindful is to focus on your actions instead of rushing through them. Taking this approach allows you to reduce all background noise and focus only on your body. The following are a few tricks you can use to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine:
- Meditate
- Color or draw
- Go for a walk
- Keep your phone away
- Write or keep a journal
- Focus on your breathing
- Live in the moment
Conclusion
If you suffer from anxiety, you may find the strategies above helpful. First, determine the approach that is most effective for you. Learn which treatment can best alleviate your symptoms, from ketamine therapy to mindfulness practices, and then use it in your daily life.
