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7 Things To Remember if You Have Anxiety

By Theresa Cofield

Out of the eight billion people globally, about 275 million worldwide suffer from a form of anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a mental health problem that affects a person's happiness and life quality. But you can deal with it and control it by following the seven things we'll discuss in this article.

When dealing with anxiety, keep these seven things in mind:

  • Feeling Anxious is Okay

Whether it's anxiety or loss, the first thing you need to do and accept is that "It's okay to feel that way." Anxious people also often think there is something wrong with them for feeling the way they do.

Rather than trying to push it away, and bury the feeling, accept it. Trying to deny its existence or relying on pills to deal with it each time will make it remain a constant in your life. According to Psych Central, "Acceptance is critical because trying to wrangle or eliminate anxiety often worsens it."

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You need to remember that anxiety is just a feeling like joy, delight, tiredness, or sadness. Tell yourself that it's just a feeling, and you can control it. Don't let it weird you out. Retake the power by seeing it for what it is.

  • The Feeling Won't Last Forever

According to Merriam-Webster, anxiety is an apprehensive uneasiness or nervousness usually over an impending or anticipated problem. Those who suffer from an anxiety disorder often self-diagnose themselves before seeing a physician.

Common symptoms of anxiety disorders are:

  • Behavioural: Hypervigilance, irritability, or restlessness.

  • Cognitive: Racing or unwanted thoughts, and lack of concentration.

  • Whole Body: Fatigue or sweating.

Others are insomnia, nausea, heart palpitations, trembling, and excessive worry.

When experiencing any of these symptoms, it is easy to feel like it won't go away. The more you focus on it, the more you feed and empower it. Thus, it would be best to tell yourself that the feeling wouldn't last forever.

Try to ease your mind and relax; it might take a while, but it would eventually go away. Waiting out your anxiety is better than resorting to drugs unless you want to end up as an addict.

  • You've Dealt With It Before and Can Do It Again

Remember the saying: there's nothing new under the sun; well it remains the same. There's nothing you'll feel or go through that you or someone else hasn't dealt with before. That's the mentality to have when dealing with anxiety.

You've experienced it before and found ways to cope with it without seeing a physician. So, you can do it again. It's like visiting datingjet.com for a second time. Even if you felt jittery getting into the online dating world for the first time, you would have familiarised yourself with how it works by the second or third visit.

Develop a mechanism for dealing with your anxiety. There's no guarantee that a method will work each time, but it will give you a pattern to follow when you start feeling anxious. Whether it's walking, listening to music, or hitting the gym, find what works for you and stick with it.

  • Things Aren't as Bad as They Seem

When you're feeling anxious, everything might seem complicated, depending on how bad it is. There won't be a light at the end of the tunnel, and trying to find a silver lining would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

To deal with this, ask yourself how you'll feel about the problem the next day or week. Try to imagine life after the situation has passed, and picture yourself already laughing about it. By doing this, you'll acknowledge that nothing is as bad as they seem.

It also helps to remind yourself that you're not the only one going through difficulty. Your motto should be "This too shall pass," because no matter how bad things are, it will surely pass.

  • You Can't Control Everything

We all have that time or moment when we want to control everything. Most anxiety comes from the sudden feeling of losing control. The thought that things are falling apart triggers anxiety, so you need to get a handle on things.

Even if you're a control freak, you have to accept that you have limitations. Accept that things will happen to throw a wrench in your plans, and there won't be anything you can do about it.

It would be best if you also remind yourself that you can only handle and live in the now when feeling anxious. Don't fret about what will or will not happen in the future. Remember that you will not always have everything figured out.

When anxiety sets in, say the Serenity Prayer. It reads, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the difference.

  • You're Stronger Than You Think

Some people see anxiety as a sign of weakness, which it isn't. Several things trigger anxiety. It could be bad memory or phobia. When you feel anxious, the one thing to remember is that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

You have an inner strength that can help you through any situation. All you have to do is pull through, knowing that you'll be a much better person when you overcome your anxiety.

  • Breathing Makes Things Seem Easier

You've heard this so many times before, and it most likely feels like a cliche by now. But breathing makes things easier. Practice breathing exercises when you feel anxious. Breathe in and out, and count back from ten.

As thoughts keep coming into your mind, let them float. Strengthen your spine by sitting straight. If you are into meditation or yoga, this is the best time to put what you've learned to practice.

If you're on the road when you start feeling anxious, find a place to sit, and take ten minutes to breathe in and out. Even if it's only for a minute, the exercise will calm you and help you pull yourself together. Another thing breathing does for you is that it puts everything in perspective, so do it.

Life is full of challenges and triggers that will make you feel anxious even on your best day. To ensure your anxiety doesn't win, sleep, stay off caffeine and alcohol, exercise, schedule worry time, help out in your community, tame tense muscles, and be the boss of your thoughts. Finally, note your triggers, write them down if you need to, stay away from stressful situations, and surround yourself with positivity.

About the Author

author Theresa Cofield is a freelance writer who has a love for creativity and a passion for helping others. She works as a blogger at datingjet.com where she covers the topics of relationships and love in general.

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