Recent studies have shown an alarming increase in the number of people facing some form of psychological issues such as Anxiety and Depression. Overcoming such problems is not easy because there aren’t any concrete medicines to completely eliminate the psychological issues. However, with some practice, you can surely overcome anxiety because they help in re-training your mind.
Why Anxiety Occurs?
Before we explain how to resolve anxiety, let’s analyze the probable causes as to why it occurs in the first place.
Unexpected Events
In the majority of the cases related to anxiety and other mental disorders, there is a negative and unexpected event that has occurred in the past. For example, if a woman has been harassed, she would tend to feel anxious and uncomfortable in crowded situations and would become more like an introverted person. The unexpected events cause a major change to our thinking perspective and influence our minds in the long run. Anxiety is most likely to begin from a young age.
Build-Up of Stress
Anxiety attacks happen when a person has been taking too much stress. While some people can easily manage highly stressful situations, many others cannot face any such situation which results in building up stress. It could be related to work, family, friends, or any other situation too. This can then trigger an anxiety attack during which a person may feel shortness of breath, confusion, mind chaos, fear, and an utter state of panic.
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Genetic Reasons
A person may not have anxiety for other reasons but they may face it as a genetically passed disorder. Researches in 2017 have concluded that Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is inherited from either or both parents. Genetic Anxiety is not easily curable because it involves changing a part of your DNA – something that science hasn’t figured out yet.
Eating Habits
Certain foods and drinks may contain high levels of substances that are known to cause anxiety. Coffee is the biggest example. If you are on a high intake of coffee, the excess dose of caffeine is most likely going to give you stress and anxiety. Overconsumption of Alcohol has also been related to different types of mental disorders. In certain cases, medical treatments may also cause anxiety. People who go under chemotherapy during cancer treatment are generally the ones who face massive anxiety attacks.
Tips to Overcome Anxiety
Completely overcoming anxiety is a very difficult process. It may take years but if you follow the right tips, overcoming anxiety will be in a shorter time.
The 333 Rule
According to many leading experts, one of the instant ways to overcome an anxiety attack is the 333 rule. Whenever you start overthinking and worrying about your future, you should look around yourself and name three different things you can see. The next step is to name three different sounds which you are hearing. The last step is to move three of your body parts which could be the face, hands, arms, or legs. This is a trick to your brain which makes it focus on the present with the current actions rather than thinking on the future condition. This tip is helpful especially if you are feeling mild anxiety.
Healthy Eating Habits
You may not have anxiety but would be pushing it to happen due to poor eating habits. Immediately take your hands off of all those drinks that provide you with instant energy because they mainly have high doses of caffeine. In addition to that, if you are eating too many processed food items or fast food, it could also lead to high levels of anxiety and depression. The high-fat dairy products, candies, and fried foods could contribute further.
People who smoke or inhale from vapes are also at the risk of feeling anxious. They may think that for the time being they are becoming very relaxed but it is naturally damaging to your mental health which is why avoiding these drugs is essentially important.
Start Watching Videos
Psychiatrists believe that deviating the mind from anxiety is only possible when you are engaging your mind in something else. Many might say that simply doing something else is the easy cure but we are specifically talking about watching videos for multiple reasons. Firstly, if you are feeling anxious and try to do something requiring physical effort, you may not be able to do the work properly because the mind may not be overcoming the feeling of anxiety.
Secondly, watching a video is a much easier way to engage your mind as compared to doing something. Being interactive towards the users, videos by your famous Youtubers could be the best thing to kill anxiety. Many experts recommend that watching funny videos that could give you a great dose of laughter will have various benefits on your mental well-being and can result in a lower level of anxiety.
Engage in Sports
To overcome anxiety, in the long run, the best tip is to engage yourself in sports and physical activities. This will help you in gaining more confidence as well and cure depression too. Many people who have hit the gym when they were depressed to have turned out pretty good. All it takes is a few weeks of consistent effort. This happens because the brain is continuously producing chemicals and good endorphins which provide a sense of comfort and well-being.
If you don’t have enough time to go to the gym, a walk around the block would be sufficient too. What matters is that you are willing to make an effort to avoid anxiety. No matter where you are, it is important that you should change your location and move around in case you start to feel anxious. Changing the environment is essentially important in dealing with anxiety.
Watch Fish
One of the best ways known to cure anxiety is with the help of an aquarium. Scientific research has concluded that keeping fish helps in improving mental health. Try watching the fish move around when you are feeling anxious. Feed them if it’s their time or try to change their water. Researchers at Plymouth University concluded that just watching fish in an aquarium led to control in the blood pressure and elevated heart rate. In case an aquarium is too expensive for you, you can simply begin with one or two fish in a bowl of water and then expand gradually.
Call a Friend
You are feeling anxious because you are all alone and your mind is just worrying about the future because there is no other productive thing to do. In the other case, if you are just bored, call a friend and connect with them. It’s important to do this before you start feeling anxious. When you get free and don’t want to rest, don’t give yourself a break and just sit idle. Call a friend, share with them how your day has been, and ask them about theirs. If possible, visit them. The lesser you stay free, the less you are going to feel anxious.
Be a Rebel
A psychological disorder is best treated when you are willingly making an effort to treat it. A direct method of fighting against anxiety is by being a rebel. Consider anxiety as something weak and consider yourself as something strong. Consider it like an enemy you have to overcome. Mentally, take it as a fight rather than a disease or problem. Feel like you are the one who cannot be let down because anxiety is weak and you are strong.
To make sure your mind is motivated to fight against Anxiety, we recommend you start watching different types of motivational videos in your free time. There are different types of motivational speakers such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dr. Martin Luther King, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, and Nick Vujicic. You can also watch videos or listen to podcasts of other motivational speakers as all are converting the same message with a different tone.
Rest is also important to overcome anxiety. Here are a few sleeping hacks to get a better sleep – Sleeping Hacks To Get Better Rest.
Medication
In case of anxiety is something you cannot control and affects you badly, one of the ways to overcome the problem is with the help of medication. Medicines such as Xanax prove useful at times of stress as they lower mental activity as well as reduce blood pressure as well. They will put you to sleep in a short period too. Medication is generally the last step towards treating anxiety. However, only take medicines after consulting a professional and verified doctor.
Conclusion
Unlike popular belief, overcoming anxiety is difficult but possible. With the tips we mentioned above, you will surely be able to overcome anxiety. It all depends on how dedicated you are to your efforts. We have also mentioned the probable causes of why anxiety would occur. Therefore, try to avoid the reasons as much as you can. In case you are feeling stressed at work, change your job rather than developing a permanent mental issue.