Are You Always Anxious? Here's How to Find Relief. While it's normal to feel a certain degree of anxiety, it can become overwhelming. Here's what to do when it does.
By Ayodele Johnson Edited by Amanda Breen
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Have you ever been worried that something was about to go wrong? Or concerned about a specific event, to the point where it caused significant stress or anxiety?
The fact that everyone undergoes anxiety from time to time might seem normal, but for some, it is more frequent and severe. In any case, anxiety is not to be taken lightly because it can significantly impact a person's mental and physical wellbeing.
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Signs of anxiety
There are several common signs that you might be experiencing anxiety.
If you're having repetitive thoughts that keep you awake, you may be experiencing anxiety. Sleep is a crucial aspect of daily living that often gets affected when a person starts feeling anxiety. Sometimes, that's a result of insomnia, stress, worry, panic attacks, health situations or past events. Lack of sleep causes people to become weak or tired and have little or no energy.
Sometimes, anxiety manifests as a panic attack. When you have a fearful response to a situation and cannot stop your mind from racing, you are likely having a panic attack. You might be afraid of losing consciousness or fear that you might die. You start to have increasing difficulty breathing; you sweat, experience pain, feel dizzy, then abruptly dissociate yourself from your mind, body and even environment. This implies that your body is going beyond its normal response to stress or danger.
There's also a feeling of sadness. When you begin to feel accustomed to the fear, you gradually enter darkness until it consumes you, and anxiety-induced depression occurs. Though it can be mild, moderate or severe, depression makes one's daily activities harder to complete, and can even make them seem unnecessary. Depression can be life-threatening because it can make you feel suicidal and incapable of coping with whatever comes your way.
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Once your anxiety becomes seemingly unending, your anxiety has transformed into an anxiety disorder. Specific traumatic experiences might be the cause of anxiety, and people can experience two or more anxieties at the same time.
Because anxiety happens to everyone, it can be hard to tell if someone experiencing it requires medical attention or not. But once you notice exorbitant worry for long periods of time about a variety of things, it's probably time to seek help.
How to find relief
If you're experiencing anxiety, there are some self-help tactics you can try.
You can try a deep-breathing exercise. Anxiety brings about tension, which can be lessened through breathing. This type of breathing includes the use of the diaphragm and lung. When anxiety is about to occur, and you become consciously aware of your breathing, try as much as possible to reduce its rate.
You can also count your breath, which can ward off thoughts that are stressing you out. The goal is to continuously inhale into your diaphragm deeply and exhale until there is nothing left. At the end of the breathing exercise, you will feel open and empty of all the anxious feelings, and your breathing will not be forced.
There's also autogenic training: a form of relaxation that assists in the reduction of anxiety when accompanied by other forms of treatment. It helps the victim be calm and relieves tension. To undergo autogenic training, certain affirmative actions should be performed, such as taking slow, deep breaths; focusing attention on your arms, then on your legs; and saying some words of affirmation. Afterwards, enjoy the sensation of relief and warmth.
Additionally, consider the 3-3-3 Rule. According to Chansky, when going through an anxiety episode, you should look around your environment and name three things you can see. Then, name three sounds you can hear. Afterwards, move three parts of your body. This exercise can help you center your mind and become aware of your environment.
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You should also think about making an appointment with a therapist. Some things occur in our lives that we consider normal — but they're not. You should be able to talk to someone about the stress that you're battling. Whatever your individual circumstances may be, talking can help, and a therapist will give you an unbiased perspective.
The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can feel better.
