If you’re struggling with anxiety regularly, it’s time to take action, as it can affect your lifestyle on multiple levels. You can find it increasingly hard to work, study, or perform simple necessary chores throughout your everyday life. You might even struggle to maintain relationships with people you care about.
The experience of managing anxiety can differ from one person to another; it might take you some time to figure out the strategy that works best for you. There are, however, a few helpful tips you can try to get through the day. If you’re looking to improve your quality of life, here are 6 tips to effectively manage your anxiety.
- Know Your Triggers
Before trying to find solutions, you should first understand what’s causing you distress. Understand your anxiety to know how to manage it. Start by identifying your triggers. Keep a journal with you wherever you go. If your nervousness keeps you up at night, keep the journal by your bed. Write down all your thoughts, even if they’re not organized. After a while, you’ll be able to detect a pattern and know what triggers your anxiety.
- Engage in Physical Activity
Exercising helps regulate your blood pressure and heartbeat and provides enough oxygen to the brain. This helps clear your mind and focus on the present instead of dwelling on past events or intrusive thoughts. You can stay active by running, doing yoga, walking, or engaging in a 10-minute cardio workout to keep triggers away.
- Seek Therapy
Living in a busy state like Colorado can trigger your anxiety. The traffic, loud noises, and crowds can cause restlessness. If you cannot manage your tension by yourself and avoid these triggers, it’s always recommended to seek help. An experienced Denver therapist will most likely understand how the local atmosphere can trigger anxiety. A therapist who shares a few aspects of your own experience and everyday life will make it easier to form a productive bond with them.
They’ll also recognize that anxiety can be chronic and make some people feel lost, preventing them from concentrating on anything else. Going to a local therapist will help you see things in a better light and understand the root causes of your issues. They will also teach you coping methods and how to manage compulsive thoughts.
- Reduce or Quit Caffeine
Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol are all stimulants to the brain. For those who are struggling with stress, caffeine can make it worse. Any stimulant enhances your attention and cognitive functions, and for someone with anxiety, it can cause an anxiety attack or worsen your symptoms.
- Breathwork
When you can’t control your thoughts, take a moment to focus on your breath. Shallow and fast breath makes our nervous system stressed, making us feel anxious. Stop and concentrate on your body movement as you take a deep breath in and slowly let it out to prevent that from happening. Repeat this process 4 or 5 times whenever you start feeling anxious.
- Get Out Of Your Head
Sometimes the trigger of your anxiety is your thoughts. Try to keep yourself busy to avoid these thoughts. You can invest your time in hobbies, social activities, meditate or read a book. These activities will help you redirect your thoughts to focus on the present moment.
Feeling stressed or anxious all the time is normal. What’s not normal is feeling that way all the time, sometimes even without a clear cause. When you’re always worried and thinking about the worst-case scenarios, your brain is not performing properly, and you should start taking action to manage it. If you can’t control it, you should contact a therapist to help you find solid ground again.