Mental health is an incredibly important issue that experts around the world are starting to focus on more and more. A major cause of mental health issues is anxiety since modern-day stress and fast lifestyles have left people with less and less time to process the world around them. If you are in a similar boat, you may be having issues with anxiety, which is why you should know how to manage that anxiety properly.
Finding the Right Anxiety Counselor to Transform Your Life
By partnering with the right anxiety counselor, you can develop strategies to not just cope with anxiety, but work towards significantly reducing or eliminating its impact on your life over time. Counselors are experts in exposing underlying issues that cause anxiety, such as trauma earlier in your life and any phobias you may have, and once these issues are exposed, you will be able to gain insight into your mind and work on your anxiety. That’s not all, though, since counselors also specialize in providing their clients with the right tools to handle their daily lives, including teaching breathing or counting mechanisms that you can use whenever you feel like you’re having an anxiety attack so you can ground yourself and get to a safer place.
Using the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique for Anxiety
As previously mentioned, breathing techniques are important if you’re having issues with anxiety since they can be used whenever you’re having an anxiety attack or feeling quite anxious in general. A common technique you should try is the 4-7-8 method: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. This will improve the circulation of oxygen throughout your body, especially your brain, and by focusing on the physical act of breathing, you’ll be able to take your mind off of the other stressors in your environment.
How Regular Exercise Reduces Anxiety
The human body needs exercise on a regular basis, and those who aren’t able to do that tend to experience more physical and mental symptoms, including drowsiness, depression, and even anxiety. Every time you work out, your brain releases endorphins and other neurotransmitters that make you feel more relaxed and peaceful. If you are getting exercise regularly, the regular cycling of these endorphins will slowly reduce your general stress and anxiety level, making it even less likely that you will have a major issue with anxiety, or even an anxiety attack, in the near future. If you are using exercise as a coping mechanism, you should try to get regular exercise on most days of the week however you can, whether it is running, weightlifting, or yoga.
Considering Medication for Anxiety Management
Medication is a complicated subject, especially when it comes to anxiety since the world of psychiatry is constantly evolving as researchers find out more and more about the human brain. However, if you truly feel that your issues with anxiety are taking over your life and are leaving you unable to function properly, medication could be the solution you are looking for. There are a lot of anti-anxiety medications out there, ranging from lithium-based drugs to SSRIs, that will help you cope with the issues you’re facing without needing to make any major changes on your own.
How Nutrition Affects Your Anxiety
Nutrition has an impact on mental health, too, which is why you should always be careful about what you are putting in your body. Modern lifestyles encourage the use of drinks filled with caffeine and sugar and junk food as snacks whenever you’re feeling hungry. Sugar and especially caffeine are stimulants, as they work on your nervous system to keep you more awake – this state of alertness usually results in a much higher level of overall anxiety. If you are looking for a change in your lifestyle that will reduce the anxiety you’re feeling instantly, you may be best served by reducing or eliminating the caffeine and sugar you’re having.
Conclusion
With each passing year, more and more people report feelings of anxiety and stress, and while this issue may be common, tons of people still are not sure how to handle it. However, learning how to cope with these mental health struggles is a long process that often begins with a simple step, whether you are learning to be patient with yourself or taking time to get yourself out of a bad situation. Using the tips in this article, you will be able to control your anxiety better the next time you feel it.
