Self-help Tips to Curb Anxiety

The most anyone can help a person who is suffering from an anxiety disorder is the person himself. A lot of times, people take their therapist’s word as the Holy Grail and forget the fact that it all boils down to their own perspective and will power in the end.

Here are a few self-help tips to help manage and curb stress and anxiety._
 
Backtrack and review your food journal

Most people have no inkling about the co-relation between food and anxiety. A lot of times, eating ‘mood’ food such
 as too much caffeine or sugar can make you irritable and jittery, thus aggravating the symptom of anxiety.
 
Consequently, people, especially comfort eaters turn to their favorite choice of food when they are going through an anxiety attack. If you are one such person, refer to what you have eaten a couple of hours before, and whether it could exacerbate your stress level.

Let off steam
 
Get on the treadmill and sprint or use a squeeze ball to let go off the feeling. 9 out of 10 times people with anxiety disorder, feel much better after a thorough workout. The reason is the release of endorphins or the feel-good hormones in the brain.
 
Get a support system

Do not alienate yourself from friends and family. When you are stressed, speak to people you are comfortable sharing things with. Not only it helps you to get things off of your mind, but also get a second opinion on factors that are making you worrisome.

Distract yourself
 
If you really cannot do anything about the problem, run away from it. Keep yourself occupied in either a hobby that you enjoy doing or work that will make you forget about the problem for a while.  Watch a movie, or go clubbing with your friends, strum the guitar, or play with your pet.
 
Take charge

This will come with a lot of practice, but every time you feel an anxiety attack bubbling up, take charge and meet the problem head on. There are times when you’d have no control over the cause of your worry, but you have 100% control over your reaction and your choice to worry or not.  Make it a habit  to stay calm in the face of stressful activities, and believe in yourself.
 
Focus on your breathing
 
When you are anxious, your breaths come out rapid and shallow (also known as hyperventilation). Try to focus on your breathing and take deep breaths till your stomach. Deep breathing restores the optimum amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body, and helps regulate the body’s temperature to normalcy.

Chant a mantra

Choose a mantra that works best for you, it needs not be anything spiritual. Sometimes, chanting words of encouragement like ‘I’m stronger than this’ ‘This is just a phase’ ‘I’ll get through this no matter what’ ‘I have the strength of the mountains within me’ or even a simple
 ‘Om’ helps. By chanting the mantra over and over again, we are forcing ourselves to believe in it, thus giving us renewed strength.

Always focus on the positive. Agreed that at times you might not be in the position to look at the bright side of things, but it is this optimism that will eventually help you to overcome and tackle anxiety.