It’s rare to find someone who hasn’t suffered from anxiety. Whether you get a bad case of nerves before public presentations or you feel overwhelmed in large crowds, anxiety strikes us all in varying degrees. For some, however, anxiety hits particularly hard. In bad cases, anxiety and its many symptoms can begin to interfere with everything from your job to your social plans. Luckily, anxiety doesn’t have to rule your life. Understand the symptoms of anxiety and learn how to overcome them.
Anxiety Symptoms
Your mind is extremely powerful. It controls how you react to new information and perceive threats. It’s also sometimes misleading. Sufferers of anxiety know that anxiety isn’t just something that causes mental distress: it can manifest itself physically as well.
Symptoms of anxiety include tense, nervous, or restless feelings and having a sense of panic, danger, or doom. This can lead to an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, trembling, feelings of lethargy, difficulty concentration, sleep issues, intense worry, GI issues, and severe avoidance of triggers. These symptoms can cause you to miss out on your work and life.
Anxiety and Health
Anxiety can wreak havoc on your health, leading to heart problems and chronic stomach pain. Anxiety can cause chest pain and a rapid heart rate, wreaking havoc on your cardiovascular system. There is a link between panic disorder and heart disease, making it especially important to treat your anxiety if you come from a family with a history of heart disease.
Stress is also one of the key factors that lead to chronic stomach issues, since anxiety can affect your brain, in turn leading to it sending negative signals to the rest of your body. Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between stress and the feeling of an upset stomach.
Natural Treatments
While medications and talk therapy can assist patients suffering from severe cases of anxiety, there are also a number of natural treatments you can try before considering medication options. The best part about many natural remedies is that they don’t have any nasty side effects.
A number of natural anxiety pills are on the market to help sufferers achieve a sense of calm. These supplements can help improve concentration and irritability and lessen panicked thoughts and rapid breathing. However, it’s essential to do your research before making a purchase in order to assure that you are buying a quality product.
Aromatherapy is a wonderful, natural way to manage your anxiety and get control of your life by calming down. Essential oils are beneficial for a variety of reasons, and treating anxiety is one of their top uses. Lavender oil, in particular, is lauded for its anti-anxiety properties.
Calm Your Mind
When pervasive, anxiety can begin to majorly affect your mood. Anxiety sufferers can be consistently nervous, on edge, or irritated due to their constant racing thoughts. It’s therefore essential to learn how to relax your mind in order to let go of your anxiety.
Something that sounds simple, but takes lots of determination and practice, is to learn how to stay positive. Watch a funny video and allow yourself a moment to unwind when you feel a wave of anxiety coming on. Laughter really can be the best meditation.
Figure out what makes you feel safe and happy and find a way to schedule this into your everyday routine. Maybe it’s a scented candle, a hot bath, or a few minutes with a good book. Allow yourself the chance to unplug and rewind daily in order to reduce stress.
Relax Your Body
Your best chance of easing anxiety is taking care of yourself. That means sticking to a regular and healthy diet even if your stress is keeping your appetite at bay and forcing yourself to move around and get daily, regular exercise. It also means focusing on getting enough sleep, which for many with anxiety is a step that is easier said than done.
A good way to foster healthy sleep habits is to practice meditation. Meditation involves taking the time out of your day to clear your mind and focus on deep breathing. If you’ve tried meditation before, but haven’t reaped any benefits from it, fear not. Meditation is a skill that takes time to learn. In the meantime, you can rely on prayer and yoga to help with dual mind and body relaxation.
