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While you’re drifting off to sleep, looking over bills or when you’re doing nothing at all, anxiety comes when you least expect it. It’s overwhelming, uncomfortable and terrifying all at the same time. You’re never really sure how to handle it and the worst times are when you are in social settings. It starts with just one thought that shifts and evolves into an enormous monster you’ve inadvertently created. In the moment, you may feel helpless, but that’s never the case. You have all the power to cage the anxiety monster you’ve conjured up. It takes time to gain complete control but having control is possible.
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First…
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Understand what triggers your anxiety, understand what anxiety is, what causes it, and other words that are associated with it. Anxiety is characterized by feelings of worry, fear and stress that interfere with your daily activities. After reading that you probably feel like you’re the odd ball, but more than 3 million people deal with anxiety every day. You’re not alone. Also, don’t start Googling anxiety and believing you have a disorder. You may just have anxiety spells that can be easily maintained. However, if you are that person who suffers from an abnormal amount of anxiety, which can lead to other dangerous disorders such as depression, seek help. But first try natural remedies before thinking about taking medication, as medicating may increase your anxiety.
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1. Exercise
The best way to push out extra energy, stress or frustration is working your body out. Being active produces endorphins – which are chemicals in your body that act as natural painkillers. Working out improves your ability to sleep and helps reduce stress, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Great activities to defuse your anxiety are yoga, going for a walk or playing a sport. Staying active also builds your self-esteem. Make sure you feel good externally and internally.
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2. Talk Yourself Down
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Breathe. Relax your mind. Even though you may not feel like you are in control – you are. The thoughts in your mind aren’t real until you make them. In reality, those bills won’t go away, your loved one may not be coming back, and it’s okay if you are wearing the same outfit twice in the same week. Accept that you cannot control everything, and be okay. Instead of stressing over what has yet to happen plan out how you can fix your problems. Talk to yourself and ask why you’re putting some much energy into what doesn’t exist. But don’t judge yourself in the process, be free with your own thoughts and be okay with questioning your feelings. Every thought is an okay one and has a right to be there. You have to just figure out where to place each feeling.
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3. Write It Down
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A great way to relieve stress is by keeping a journal. In this journal, you should write down everything you’re feeling. In addition, track what triggers you, when it triggers you and how you dealt with it. Again, be free with yourself don’t critique your thoughts or even how you’re writing. If it’s sloppy, your words are incorrectly spelled or you missed a comma – that’s okay. This your space to make mistakes and to understand those mistakes don’t define who you and what you’re capable of. Along with writing, pick up drawing and coloring. There are several apps that cater to people who struggle with anxiety.
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4. Eat Right⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Like exercising, consuming the right foods and not consuming the wrong ones are essential to your mental health. There are certain foods that are known to cause anxiety, and make dealing with anxiety a lot harder. While it’s okay to have a coffee every now and again, caffeine is a stimulant and psychoactive drug that triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response, according to everydayhealth.com. In turn, this can make you nervous or emotionally unstable. If you need healthy energy boosters try drinking tea instead of coffee. Great foods that battle anxiety are dark chocolate, blueberries, turkey meat, salmon, asparagus and yogurt. Foods to stay away from are soda pop, gluten, alcohol, dairy and fried foods.
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5. Get a Good Night’s Rest
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When you are well-rested, you are more prepared to take on your day. According to goodtherapy.org, sleep deprivation is one of the key contributors to anxiety and depression. Think about it: when you don’t get enough sleep you’re usually cranky the next day, right? Not having enough sleep can make you unable to deal with problems appropriately and will hinder you from thinking matters through the way you normally would when you have enough sleep. In turn, this makes you stressed and upset causing anxiety.
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6. Stay Positive
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This is a journey not a race. Getting rid of your anxiety takes time, trial and error. You won’t fix everything in a day or the next. Don’t take time out of your day to think negatively. Tell yourself you’re amazing, you’re smart and that you have the strength and the ability to conquer anything that may stand in your way. Love yourself through your flaws and allow your flaws to teach you about who you are. Having anxiety doesn’t have to be bad thing, it can be the tool that helped push towards your ultimate power.
