How-To Guides

8 Positive Ways to Overcome Anxiety

By Saikat ⋅ August 28, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Perhaps, it is the best lesson children can teach us. A child is never anxious. He has no work related deadlines to fuss over, he has no disgruntled boss hovering over every act of his (i.e. if you disregard ‘parents’) and he has no fear of tomorrow. What a lovely situation to be in. But we were all children once and in the process of growing up, anxiety has insidiously seeped into our being.

I don’t think I need to define anxiety, we all know how it looks and feels. Call it a panic attack or a case of heebie-jeebies, anxiety is characterized by extreme nervousness and worry. The dangerous backlash is a psychosomatic problem, sometimes severe manic-depression. The silent killer, it sucks away all our energy and our capability to think and act. In one word it is a foundation for a miserable existence.

Anxiety is programmed in all of us but it dominates in people with low self esteem who are  insecure and the confidence deprived. People who are incapable of handling change are also more prone to anxiety. Are you caught in the crosshairs of negativism? Do you look at your past as filled with dashed hopes and your tomorrow with fear? Be warned, you are walking towards anxiety with open arms.

Tackling anxiety the positive way.

A straight advise - fight it! But here are some more ‘weapons’ for the arsenal.

Go to the source.
Try to become aware of your mood swings. What precisely is driving you towards despair-land? It might help if you could put it in writing for the first few panic attacks.

Deep breathing.
Their is nothing like a supply of fresh oxygen for a beleaguered brain to help it cope with the onset of anxiety. Take 5-6 slow deep breaths. Slow breathing helps to slow down the heartbeat and refocus your thoughts.

Switch the channel.
Yes, just a simple refocus to another thought from the one disturbing you is a quick fix aid. Worried about an upcoming review meeting? Re-channelise your thoughts and energies into finding a solution to the project you are working on. A small mental shift could help you avoid the anxiety attack.

Think a thought at a time.
Never overcomplicate your thinking prowess by thinking about multitude of problems. Let your mind work only on one thing and on one solution at a time.

Get rid of caffeine and nicotine.
Sounds difficult especially for those who have built up their defensive shields on these two poisons. But nothing soothes the nerves than a addiction free body.

Practice seclusion.
Being alone with our thoughts helps us to isolate not only our selves from the world but also our bodies. It helps if you can logically think through your misguided fears forming the roots of your anxiousness.

Avoid with hobbies.
Develop some anxiety free harbors like reading or music. Soothing music or a soothing piece of literature are the best advice anyone can give you to calm your fraying nerves.

Exercise, exercise, exercise.
The oldest advice for all health related problems. Get into a community gym, go for a walk, and take a swim. It may sound old hat but exercising is actually the best form of relaxation.

As we learn to get better at handling anxiety we will realize that most of our fears surrounding a panic attack are truly groundless. The future which anxious moments foretell never come about. And with this simple realization will come our greatest victory.

We all have our anxious moments. How do you cope with it in your own way? Please let us into your nuggets of secrets.

Image:Flickr.com

Tags: anxiety, depression, health, mental, panic, wellness