How to Control Anxiety

If you suffer from anxiety, you know how debilitating it becomes. It is enough to completely shut you down and prevent you from fully enjoying life. Anxiety also has the ability to come out of nowhere. Suffering from anxiety itself can actually bring about more anxiety, creating a never-ending cycle. However, it doesn’t need to be. There are ways for you to reduce the mental impact of anxiety. Once you learn how to control anxiety, you’ll see a substantial reduction in how it affects your life, allowing you to live a better, more fulfilling and less stressful life.

Methods For Controlling Your Anxiety

According to WebMD, there are a number of ways you can learn how to control anxiety. Some of these techniques will take time to practice. However, the more you practice these techniques and focus your mind, the quicker you’ll subdue your anxiety attack while keeping it under control. Some tips suggested include:

• Staying in the present
• Get moving
• Changing how you define what’s going on
• Fact check
• Diet
• Stand straight
• Breathing
• 3-3-3 Rule

Staying in the Present

One of the biggest culprits of anxiety is focusing on the future. You think of everything that might happen, no matter how far-fetched it is. When you begin thinking out random scenarios your brain will begin to overthink, causing you to begin feeling anxious. If you find yourself doing exactly this you need to focus on the present. Think about what’s happening right around you and what you’re currently doing. Not what might happen.

Get Moving

Sometimes you just need to move your body. Anxiety can billow up in your body and make you want to just sit in a corner. Don’t. Get up and move about. Go for a walk if you can. Run up the stairs in the office building. Ride a bicycle. Just do what you can to avoid sitting still. Sitting still will pent-up all the mental anguish and can lead to an outburst.

Changing How You Define What’s Going On

When you suffer a panic attack, it can feel like you’re having a heart attack. And that’s where the problem begins. You begin to overwhelm yourself, telling yourself it is a serious issue, which makes you focus on it more. This quickly becomes a downward spiral in your mental state. Instead, you need to change how you define the situation. A panic attack can’t hurt you. It can’t physically harm you. You need to focus on this.

Fact Check

An anxiety attack often comes about when you begin focusing on the worst possible outcome. However, the worst possible outcome almost never happens. You need to fact check and instead, focus on the positives. You might feel an anxiety attack coming on for a job interview. However, you’ve done your homework and you know you’re qualified for the job. Instead of focusing on the negatives, fact check the situation and remind yourself that you are more than prepared for the situation.

Diet

Watch your diet. Diet can contribute to anxiety attacks. First, you’ll want to avoid over-caffeinating yourself. While you may feel drawn to coffee while going through a recovery program caffeine can increase your resting heart rate, which may affect your anxiety. As you learn how to control anxiety you’ll be able to bring coffee back into your diet, but it is one thing to keep in mind.

Additionally, you’ll want to avoid eating sugar. Sugar can increase anxiety attacks. So instead of going for a cookie or candy bar, pick up something that has protein, as this is slower digestible energy.

Controlling Anxiety While Going Through Recovery

Going through recovery is a new process for many people. As you learn to cope without your addiction, it can bring about some side effects, including potentially anxiety. You may have suffered from anxiety while on the drug, especially if you were starting to crave the drug. Not learning how to control anxiety can lead to a backslide and relapse, which is why not only fully understanding how to control anxiety, but also knowing tricks and methods for keeping anxiety under control, will go a long way in helping you remain sober well after you have completed the recovery program at Beaches Recovery.