If you have severe anxiety it is frustrating because it becomes a hindrance in doing regular activities at home, school and work. Even fun and leisure activities are affected because you lose the drive to enjoy them. On top of this anxiety can affect your interpersonal relationships negatively.
I’m going to share with you 3 simple ways to cure anxiety.
These methods can be easily implemented in the privacy of your own home. In addition we will briefly discuss the symptoms of anxiety and the risks associated with this disorder.
Can Anxiety be Treated Without Medications?
You probably know that the best anxiety treatments are the ones that do not include medication. Medication has one purpose, and that is to stop the symptoms. But it fails to treat the problems or inner fears that actually cause anxiety and panic attacks. Unless these are addressed and you find the root cause of anxiety it will be difficult to be totally cured from this ailment. A great website that I have found helpful for anxiety is Panic Away by Barry McDonagh.
What exactly does an anxious person feel?
Since anxiety happens because of the stimulating effects of your fight-and-flight response of the nervous system, there are many physical signs and symptoms that can be noted. Some of the physiological responses of anxiety include:
- increased heart rate
- fast breathing
- sweating
- feelings of fainting
- inability to focus
These are natural responses and pretty normal because anxiety itself is a normal psychological reaction. This happens because your body may perceive you to be in a dangerous situation and triggers a fight or flight response depending on the situation.
When does anxiety become a problem that needs to be addressed?
Anxiety becomes a major problem if it begins to affect your lifestyle in a profound way, especially within the physical, mental, emotional and social domains.
If you are overly anxious you will begin to display an obvious change in dietary and sleeping patterns, as well as the presence of other disorders like hypertension and migraines. A notable change in cognitive function is also observed, especially when academic or work-related tasks are abandoned.
Symptoms of depression can also be noted, which may reflect a change in mood and lifestyle habits.
Lastly, your relationships with others are affected, as close relatives and significant others are usually the people who first notice something different.
Symptoms of your anxiety moving to a level of panic attacks include feelings that you are about to die or about to go mad. At the peak of a panic attack, your perception is distorted. This marks the difference between normal and pathological anxiety.
3 Ways to Cure Anxiety at Home
1. Understanding
There are a number of coping strategies that you can employ to curb anxiety.
Learn to rationalize every stressful situation, as it is through understanding that you are able to fully grasp the meaning of the situation. Social coping is also effective because building relationships with other people can help you boost your confidence.
Spending extra time researching anxiety, as you are doing now, is a positive way to understand the condition so that you can prevent severe anxiety as well as panic attacks. Another website I would recommend is Panic Away by Barry McDonagh.
2. Relaxation
During anxiety attacks, in particular, breathing gets faster and more difficult by the minute. This happens due to the disrupted equilibrium of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the respiratory system, as the blood vessels in the lungs are constricted because of the fight-or-flight response. Breathing steadily and more evenly can suppress your anxiety attack while promoting muscle relaxation.
There are a few breathing techniques that you can learn to manage anxiety. One method is the 4-7-8 breathing technique. To do this, simply inhale for 4 seconds, and count for 7 seconds as you hold your breath. Exhale for 8 seconds, and pause for a short break and then repeat the same process.
3. Desensitization
Your anxiety may be associated with a certain kind of phobia. Desensitization is an effective strategy in psychology, which involves the slow and gradual exposure to the object of fear. You may ask a family member to help you through this technique.
You want to gradually expose yourself to the environment or stimulus that causes you to be anxious.
For instance if you become anxious among large groups of people, you should slowly expose yourself to larger and larger groups of people. Start out with a lunch date with a friend or two, then slowly invite more people.
Simple and Practical Solutions for Anxiety
Other practical solutions that you can employ even when you are not at home include listening to music, reading a book or watching a feel-good movie. Practicing natural ways of managing your anxiety is necessary so that you can live a normal life.
If you are overly anxious you have an increased risk of experiencing panic attacks, which are horrifying episodes that are enough to leave a traumatic mark.
Although most happen suddenly, some attacks gradually progress especially when left untreated or ignored. Suffering from panic attacks causes you to be overly cautious and watchful of your surroundings, sometimes even having phobias or exaggerated fears.
Living in constant fear and worry may even cause you to withdraw yourself from the world, which ultimately affects your self-esteem. In the long run, your apprehensions will make it even harder for you to live a normal life.
Please visit Panic Away for more information on natural ways to cure anxiety.