Five simple things you can do to manage anxiety.
For people who struggle with anxiety, negative thoughts and emotions can overwhelm the nervous system enough to trigger real, measurable physical symptoms. Sometimes those physical symptoms can feel so extreme, it feels like a real medical emergency is happening. Sometimes those physical symptoms get so bad, some people wind up in the emergency room, only to find out that what their experiencing is an anxiety attack, not the heart attack or stroke they thought they were having.
The uncomfortable physical symptoms we experience from an anxiety attack (rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, fever, shaking, etc) occur because the mind–the thinking and feeling parts of the brain–has been able to override the body– the autonomic nervous system, which regulates automatic functions, like breathing and heart rate– all those things we do without thinking, and need to do in order to stay alive.
When we don’t pay attention to things that are bothering us, when we shove them aside without acknowledging them, or manage them in unhealthy ways, our brains will sometimes throw a temper tantrum to get our attention. That’s a simple explanation for anxiety: having physical symptoms we can’t ignore due to emotional symptoms we are either ignoring or not managing well.
This is good news! Because knowing anxiety is a physical issue means we can manage anxiety with physical interventions. Sure, your problems are real, and your worries about them may be valid, but you can live more comfortably with those problems by changing a few things. Here are five simple things you can do to lessen the frequency and severity of anxiety attacks:
- Cut added stimulants and depressants
- Breathe more
- Move more
- Drink more water
- Rest more
Sounds too easy? The important thing to remember is that although our minds sometimes take over our other body systems, our bodies can always take back control by fostering a healthy, calm environment for our brains. These five steps will help that happen.
Still skeptical? I’ll write a bit more explaining each step in future posts.