Anxiety and 5 Ways to Manage It
Do you ever find yourself feeing worried that something bad is going to happen, even when you have no evidence of such? Or feel overwhelmed by your to-do list for the day and find yourself in a panic? You are perhaps experiencing symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety can present itself in feelings of fear, apprehension, worry, overwhelm, or panic.
When experiencing chronic or more regular anxiety, you may find yourself in a fight, flight, or freeze mode due to an increase of adrenaline in the body. The good news is, there are strategies to help you manage and reduce the above symptoms of Anxiety.
Participating in individual counseling for anxiety is one of the best ways to learn more about your symptoms and gain techniques and tools to manage it. Here at Natalia Savage Counseling in Tampa, FL, we have therapists who specialize in Anxiety and use various therapeutic interventions to assist you in understanding and managing your worries. Meanwhile, here are 5 tips to help you start easing and managing your own anxiety symptoms.
The 5 Tips
The 5-5-5 Rule of Anxiety
The best part of this technique is it requires something that is always with you, your breath. The 5-5-5 rule for anxiety (PsychCentral) is a breathing exercise used to help slow down your thoughts and calm your body and senses. Following this rule is simple and it is done by breathing in for 5 seconds, holding your breath for 5 seconds, and then breathing out for 5 seconds.
The practice is repeated until the desired sense of calm is reached and relief is experienced. In addition to the 5-5-5 Rule, another breathing technique that is used to provide relief is taking a deep breath in through your nose and releasing the breath out through your mouth. Again, the best part of this technique is that you can use it anywhere and at any time. All you need is your breath.
Getting Physical Activity
Moving your body and getting regular exercise is a great way to improve anxiety symptoms. There are countless types of exercises that are beneficial such as walking, running, riding your bike, and strength training. Living in Tampa Bay Area adds an extra benefit if you take your exercise outside, thanks to the beautiful weather. Going outside to exercise allows for some Vitamin D and fresh air to enhance your walk, run, or bike ride. Even adding a 10-minute walk or 15-minute bike ride a few days a week can help improve your symptoms of anxiety over time. Increasing the time of your workout to even 30-minutes and the number of days a week will help to considerably improve symptoms of anxiety. You may even find improvements in your mood and physical health as well.
Getting Adequate Sleep
Sleep is the foundation for better mental and physical health. Getting less than the recommended amount of sleep each night puts you at risk for an increase in anxiety symptoms. There are a variety of suggestions for obtaining adequate sleep such as limiting screen time, limiting caffeine intake, moving your body during the day, and creating the perfect sleep space that is dark and quiet. If you find that your anxious thoughts are what is keeping you up at night, there are tools for you to try that can help alleviate them.
Listen to calming music or sound machine, focus on your breathing and getting a warm bath before bed can help with calming your body and relaxing your mind. The other tools and techniques provided in this post such as meditating, and journaling will also help with alleviating anxiety and allowing for better quality sleep.
Writing in a Journal
Grab yourself a pen and paper and let your thoughts flow. If this feels too difficult, there are countless types of journals that have prompts and themes to respond to. There is no right or wrong way to journal, it is about what works best for you and how you feel most comfortable expressing yourself. Take your journal with you anywhere and use it as needed. We recommend finding a nice spot by the water or in one of our local parks in Tampa and start writing.
Meditation
Just as with journaling, there is no right or wrong way to meditate. Meditation can be done by simply sitting on the floor in your room, closing your eyes, and breathing. If that is not providing the relaxation you are looking for, hop on the internet and choose from one of the thousands of guided mediation videos. You can even check out your local yoga studio and see what meditation classes are offered. Mindfulness meditation is beneficial for alleviating anxiety and helps with shifting your focus to the present moment.
Summary
These are among the many coping tools and techniques that help with managing and alleviating symptoms of anxiety. In addition to using the tools, individual therapy for anxiety can help with understanding the patterns of thought that are contributing to your symptoms.
Your therapist will create an individualized treatment plan aimed at helping you to understand, manage and overcome your experiences with anxiety. Give us a call or schedule an appointment online to start getting help today!