Anxiety can be a nightmare for some to deal with, especially people who have to deal with it every day of their lives. Chronic anxiety, living with it every day, can be torturous, but it is treatable. Reaching out for help would be the first step to getting this under control. While you are going through the process of therapy to treat your specific anxiety disorder, here are some ways to try to manage the day-to-day, when the anxiety disorder seems out of control.
Break things down into what you can do for your body, what you can do for your mind, and what actions you can take to help yourself out that day. Looking at what you can do for your body, adopting some healthy lifestyle traits will go a long way towards alleviating anxiety and improving your mood as well.
Tips to help your body (to get rid of anxiety disorder) include:
- Limit or cut out alcohol and caffeine from your diet
- Try to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night
- Eat regularly, and eat well-balanced meals
- Set up regular exercise, for at least thirty minutes a day
- Take frequent breaks from what you are doing
These may not seem like much, but anxiety can be intensified when you are, tired, stressed, or intoxicated. By doing this you will take care of your health and lower your anxiety disorder.
Caring for your mind to lower anxiety is a little more complicated. A lot of work can and should be done in talk therapy to help manage these conditions, but here are some tips to help alleviate some anxiety when it happens:
- Ask yourself if this is something worth getting upset over
- Ask yourself if this is something that will matter a year from now
- Learn to accept what you cannot control instead of letting it consume you
- Learn what you can and cannot control
- Develop a strong sense of humor
- Meditation and keeping yourself focused on the present
These are simple steps that may take a lot of practice but will go a very long way in the quest to rid yourself of anxiety.
Now, taking action is another thing that will help, especially when it is action aimed at fighting anxiety disorder, both being proactive and reactive. These can include:
- Slow, deep breathing or some thoughtful breathing technique
- Learning distraction techniques, like listening to music, reading, or talking to friends when you are upset
- Set goals for yourself every day, attainable ones
- Learn what triggers your anxiety and avoid it until you are strong enough to manage it
Coping skills to combat daily anxiety disorder are a necessary tool in living with it. There are things to do that will overall help lower anxiety, as well as things to do in the moment when the anxiety is getting bad. These will help in conjunction with any medication and talk therapy you are doing to eliminate chronic anxiety from your life.
