Anxiety is behind many of the unpleasant experiences we live on a daily basis. The fear of public speaking, the fear of failing an exam, the desire to return home after spending a long time in a place we do not know… The number of contexts in which this psychological phenomenon haunts us is very large. In this article we will let you know how to control anxiety?
Thus, knowing how to control anxiety is something that can be very useful , as there are some strategies to achieve it that can be applied in almost any situation and in a relatively simple way.
How to control anxiety?
Anxiety is a state of activation of the nervous system that is oriented towards the anticipation of danger, real or imagined. Because it is so general, it has a physiological and a psychological side: in the first there are phenomena such as tremors, sweating and pulse acceleration, and in the second there are phenomena such as the emotion of fear, the desire to avoid an aversive stimulus and difficulties in controlling emotional responses to a situation .
Now… how can we control anxiety and dampen its effects or even disappear? We will see
1. Eliminate Anxiety Binge Eating
Many people fall into the trap of going to the fridge to get stuffed with food every time they notice that anxiety is becoming excessive.
This can be a very short term solution, but it has a very harmful effect in the medium and long term. Because because it enters into a dynamic of rewarding the appearance of anxiety episodes. The body gets used to this busy emotional life and this, of course, is anything but healthy.
So something as simple as setting clear boundaries with meals can go a long way in not causing anxiety.
2. Take care of yourself and practice moderate sports
We often forget that anxiety is also linked to our self-esteem and self-concept. If we believe that we are insignificant beings and whenever we think about ourselves, we only focus on our imperfections, we will obviously conclude that everyday life is full of dangers for us and therefore we must always be alert.
Something as simple as playing sports regularly, trying to eat healthy and maintaining good personal hygiene will make us feel better about ourselves . The results are amazing and tend to be noticed in a matter of a few days. If you change the way we think about ourselves, our way of seeing the world will also be transformed.
3. Practice breathing techniques
In many ways, our mood and emotions largely depend on the degree of activation of the nervous system. If oxygen is lacking, we will experience more stress as our body will enter the alarm phase to find a solution to this situation. What happens is that part of this oxygen deficit could be due to the way we breathe.
Breathing techniques help to get the most out of our lungs, and this allows us to gain a significant advantage at specific times when we feel over-activated. In addition, offering us a simple exercise to focus attention helps us to lose sight of the unpleasant feeling of being overwhelmed by the need to multi-task, something very typical of anxiety contexts.
4. Leave what you’re doing and go for a walk
Often, anxiety is due to the fact that we are surrounded by elements that remind us of something that worries us. Therefore, it is helpful to disconnect, even for a few moments, and then return with renewed strength.
When we go for a walk, we have the possibility of encountering new stimuli that demand our attention and that allow us to “refresh” our mind. Specifically, if you come out of totally unfamiliar places, references that evoke memories linked to what concerns us will be much less abundant. In this sense, environments where nature prevails , such as large fields or parks, were especially effective against anxiety.
These phases in which distraction prevails help you to rest and, in this way, you gain power to change what worries us when we return to routine.
5. Avoid caffeine
If you consume caffeinated products such as coffee or certain cola drinks, you are cheating. Remember that the distinction between body and mind is just a mirage, and many of the substances we consume often affect how we feel. Caffeine makes us prone to activating before stimuli that we normally don’t attach much importance to. Anxiety control is also achieved with diet.
6. Sleep well
This condition is essential because, in a state of sleep, it is very easy for everyday situations to overtake us . Sleeping well makes us much more prepared to face everyday life.
