Anxiety could be described as a natural response that is characterized by fear and sometimes comes with some physical signs such as shivering, sweating and increased heart rate or pulse rate. It could also manifest as self-doubt when faced with an impending task.
In as much as anxiety is natural, it also needs to be kept in check because sometimes it happens at unfavorable times which might have significant consequences.
Take for instance, someone who's always shivering when called upon to address the public, he's shivering not because he doesn't know what to talk but because of the crowd he's facing with many things going through his head.
It's not uncommon also for you to go for an interview and because of the fear of perfectionism or the pressure to impress the interviewer causes a person to hesitate, stammer, or struggle to answer questions even when they are usually articulate.
These are some scenarios that will make you understand that you ought to keep your anxiety in check.
This was a topic in psychiatry medicine while I was in school so I'll be giving the various anxiety management techniques they taught us then...
Deep Breathing:
Have you ever seen someone overwhelmed with fear, maybe running out from somewhere so fast, panting heavily and turning their heads around in quick succession, as others gathered around to help asking, what is the problem?
Often people will say, "Calm down, breathe in, and breathe out" till the person gets calm.
Exactly, that's just what deep breathing is all about; repetitively engaging in deep breathing in and out while holding them for a particular duration, maybe for three seconds or two seconds helps take your mind away from every thoughts and makes you focus on just the present, helping bring down the anxiety level.
Sleep Well:
Sleeping is a great way of calming the body system down. When faced with a future task that triggers anxiety, it helps a lot to have a good night sleep prior to facing that task as this helps to reduce the cortisol level in the body which is the most important stress hormone we have and promotes serotonin and dopamine which are mood regulators.
Positive Mindset:
Every change starts from the mind. Waking up on the day to face the task that causes you anxiety and courageously saying to yourself that "All is well" or "let's go get this" or "I’ve prepared well and will do my best" and many of them is a good way to boost your confidence level for that task ahead and fend off anxiety.
In same way, celebrating every little victories of yours makes you eager to tackle bigger challenges.
Support System:
Having a reliable support system or a professional to talk to could be helpful too. Sharing your feelings and fears with your trusted friends, family members or support group could be helpful by the genuine emotional support they give you and give you the mindset that you are not alone in your struggle.
If it becomes unmanageable, visiting a professional psychologist or psychiatrist could be helpful too.
Medication:
The last resort is medications. There are some drugs such as the benzodiazepines and anti-depressants that help reduce the anxiety levels also but like I said, this is the last resort to managing anxiety.
Generally living a good lifestyle will help manage anxiety too especially exercises and good diets.
There are many ways to handle anxiety, but not all of them works well for everyone. Managing anxiety solely lies in you firstly understanding they are normal and then identifying what works best for you in those situations.
prompt to get involved.This post was inspired by the #inleo community and my entry to the #januaryinleo monthly topic Day 20.Please check out the
Thanks for reading and have a nice day 👍
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