Anxiety, and How to Cope With it.

You know that feeling when your heart is beating so fast it seems like it’s going to explode out of your chest? Some people only feel like that when their adrenaline is pumping, and they are in a stressful situation. For me, and many others with anxiety, you feel like that at least once a day. At times it feels like you’re seeing the world in a hyper-focused mode. I hear my heartbeat in my ear, reminding me that things can and will go wrong at any given moment. The constant fidgeting and failure to stay still puts even more of a spotlight on you. In this moment you feel as if everyone and their mother is staring at you; judging you. I’ve had friends lay a hand on my shoulder to stop me from rocking back and forth. I don’t even know when I’m doing it, but I know it’s a form of self-soothing.

The National Institute of Mental Health does a great job of explaining what anxiety is. Anxiety is how your body deals with stress. Disorders that deal with anxiety are more than temporary fear and worry. Usually it doesn’t go away and can get worse over time.  

Take a deep breath, my friend. There are ways to cope with anxiety.

First things first. You need to find out why you feel the way you feel. An article on Healthline says that identifying your triggers is the most important step to learning how to cope and manage anxiety.

This means you have to take a serious look at yourself and do some work to figure out what makes you tick. It doesn’t come easy though. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what exactly is bothering you at the moment. Take my cyber hand and let’s go through some ways we can deal with this disorder together.

1. Breathe, child, Breathe! Techniques that use counting breaths have been proven to lower your heart rate and calm you down. Inhale the good, exhale the bad.
2. When you start feeling nervous and anxious, write down what you feel. Whether it be on your phone or on a piece of paper, write it down! Analyze your situation at the moment. Think of your day and the activities you’ve done so far. Therein lies your trigger.
3. Go for a walk. Sometimes we don’t have time to exercise, but you can find time for a 10-minute walk. Clearing your head might give you answers as to what is making you anxious.
4. Be careful with what you eat or drink. A lot of us need coffee to function, but it tends to give us the jitters. This will only exacerbate your feelings of anxiety. Sugar is also a food demon that makes us hyper.
5. Before you decide to take anti-anxiety medications, try the natural route. Supplements like valerian root and magnesium are known to calm people down.
6. Try meditating. The moment you feel like you’re losing yourself, close your eyes and meditate. Think of something that brings you peace, whether it be your puppy, or eating chocolate. There is always something out there that will bring you joy.

Sometimes our anxiety gets so bad that it causes panic attacks. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, feelings of impending doom, rapid heart rate, stomach aches, and hyperventilation. If this happens to you often, it might be time to visit your doctor and go over your options.

Take solace in knowing that you are not the only one going through all of this. It helps to know that you aren’t an outsider; there’s many of us out there.