Anxiety is a part of everyday life. According to the Australian Psychological Society (APS), “Anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling of fear or impending disaster and reflects the thoughts and bodily reactions a person has when they are presented with an event or situation that they cannot manage or undertake successfully. When a person is experiencing anxiety their thoughts are actively assessing the situation, sometimes even automatically and outside of conscious attention, and developing predictions of how well they will cope based on past experiences”.
At normal levels, anxiety can be a positive drive towards achieving goals and success in personal endeavors. It can spur you to think, take action, surmount challenges and get things done. However, at excessive levels, anxiety can become a real problem and take on a life of its own. Everything begins to seem like a potential crisis and you start having trouble eating, sleeping and concentrating. You easily get headaches, upset stomachs and may even have panic attacks. At this point you need to get help. On a normal level, anxiety still needs to be managed to keep it from getting out of hand and these tips could help you do just that.
1. Identify your triggers: Knowing the issues that have a tendency to get you worried is the first way to tackle anxiety and worrying. The idea is not to avoid these issues, but to prepare yourself both mentally and physically ahead of their occurrences so that you can be in a better state of mind to tackle them.
2-Exercise and eat healthy: Run, jog, or go for a walk. Engage in exercise as it’s a good way to get things off of your chest. When you start to feel anxious over anything, exercising can be a good way to distract yourself. Also try to eat healthy. Certain foods have being known to boost moods and keep you energetic. This is good and can translate into positively affecting the way you handle issues. Besides, a good meal is always spirit lifting.
3-Share with someone: Having a confidant who is mature and reliable is another way. After all, it is often said that a problem shared is half re-dressed. Try talking to someone you trust about the issues that bother you. They may be able to offer solutions from a much clearer mind and perspective. If that person happens to have a sense of humour, that’s even better as they can make a joke out of the issue so it doesn’t seem so big anymore.
4-Recite a mantra: Some people may call it their magic word; those words that have the ability to psyche you up when you hear them. It is said that what you focus on amplifies and gets bigger, while what you ignore diminishes. So chant something positive such as – “I’m making it” or “I’ll overcome” etc. Words are powerful tools, so use them to your advantage.
5-Keep a Positive mind and attitude: Always have a positive attitude towards life as a whole as this will always keep negative emotions away. A positive mind and attitude are like a shelter for rainy days; it protects you from the storms of life and keeps your hope alive.
6-Get involved with humour: Humour in general is good for your well being. Laughter helps to reduce stress and anxiety, which in turn helps your immune system. Laughter helps take your mind from the dark side of life by putting a smile on your face. Go out meet friends, cheer up, laugh, be joyful and remember you have only one life to live.
