Are you living with anxiety?Here are best ways to cope

Breathe: There are ways to control your anxiety

Do you remember that feeling of your heart beating faster in response to a stressful situation? Or perhaps, instead, your palms get sweaty when you’re confronted with an overwhelming task or event?

That is anxiety — our body’s natural response to stress.

If you haven’t recognized your triggers yet, here are a some common ones: your first day at a new job, meeting your partner’s family, or having a presentation in front of a lot of people. Everyone has different triggers, and identifying them is one of the most crucial steps to coping and managing anxiety attacks.

Identifying your triggers may take some time and self-reflection. In the meantime, there are things you can do to try to help minimize or quiet your anxiety from taking over.

quick ways to cope with anxiety

If your anxiety is episodic and getting in the way of your focus or tasks, there are certain quick natural remedies that could help you take control of the situation.

If your anxiety is focused around a situation, like being worried about an upcoming event, you can notice that the symptoms are short-lived and usually subside after the anticipated event has taken place.

Question your thought pattern

Negative thoughts may take root in your mind and distort the severity of the case. One way is to question your fears, ask if they’re true, and see where you can regain control.

Practice focused, deep breathing

Try breathing for 4 counts and breathing out for 4 counts for 5 minutes total. By evening out your breath, you’ll slow your heart rate that should help calm you down.

The 4-7-8 technique is also known to be helpful in tackling anxiety.

Use aromatherapy

Whether they’re in oil form, incense, or candle sents like lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood,they can be very soothing.

Aromatherapy is thought to help activate some receptors in your brain, potentially reducing anxiety.

Go for a walk or do 15 minutes of yoga

Sometimes, the best way to stop anxious thoughts is to walk away from the situation. Sparing some time to focus on your body and not your mind can help relieve your anxiety.

Write down your thoughts

Writing down what’s making you anxious gets it out of your head and can render it less daunting.

These relaxation tricks are particularly useful for those who experience anxiety sporadically. They can also work well with someone who has generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) when they are in a bind too!

However, if you suspect you have GAD, quick coping methods shouldn’t be the only option for treatment to employ. You’ll want to get long-term strategies to help lessen the severity of symptoms and even keep them from happening.

long-term strategies for coping with anxiety

If anxiety is a regular occurrence in your life, it’s important to find treatment strategies to help you keep it under control. It might be a combination of things,such as talk therapy and meditation, or it might just be a matter of cutting out or addressing  your anxiety trigger.

If you’re not sure where to start, it’s always important to discuss options with a mental health professional who might suggest something you hadn’t considered before.

Identify and find ways to manage your triggers

You can identify triggers on your own or with a therapist. Sometimes they may be obvious, like caffeine, drinking alcohol, or smoking. Other times they may be less obvious.

Long-term problems, such as financial or work-related situations, can take some time to figure out — maybe a due date, a person, or the situation? This may take some more support, through therapy or with friends.

When you do figure out your trigger, you should try to reduce your time of exposure if you can. If you can’t limit it — like if it’s due to a stressful work environment that you can’t actually change — using other coping methods may help.

Some general triggers:

• a stressful job or work environment
• driving or traveling
• genetics — anxiety could run in your family
• withdrawal from drugs or some medications
• side effects of some medications
• trauma
• phobias,like agoraphobia (fear of crowded or open spaces) and claustrophobia (fear of small spaces)
• certain chronic illnesses like heart 
• disease, diabetes, or asthma
• chronic pain
• having another mental illness like depression
• caffeine

Adopt cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT helps people learn various ways of thinking about and reacting to anxiety-causing situations. A therapist may help you develop strategies to change negative thought patterns and behaviors before they spiral

Do a daily or routine meditation

While this takes some practice to do successfully, mindful meditation, when done often can eventually help you train your brain to dismiss anxious thoughts when they arise.

If sitting still and concentrating is difficult, try practicing some yoga.

Try supplements or change your diet

Changing your diet or taking supplements is certainly a long-term strategy. Research shows that some supplements or nutrients can allow anxiety reduction.

These include:

• lemon balm
• omega-3 fatty acids
• ashwagandha
• green tea
• valerian root
• kava kava
• dark chocolate (in moderation)

However, it may take up to three months before your body can run on the nutrition these herbs and foods provide. If you’re taking other medications, make sure to discuss herbal remedies with your doctor.

Keep your body and mind healthy

Exercising regularly, eating balanced meals, having enough sleep, and staying connected to people who care about you are excellent ways to stave off anxiety symptoms.

Ask your doctor about medications

If your anxiety is severe enough that your mental health practitioner thinks you’d benefit from medication, there are numerous directions to go, depending on your symptoms. Discuss your concerns with your doctor.