How Do I Stop Anxiety?

Anxiety is not the easiest thing to deal with. I have dealt with anxiety, especially during stressful times of my life. When I have felt an attack coming on, there have been strategies that I have used to stop anxiety before it becomes a problem.

Here are five tips to help you keep your anxiety attacks at bay. These strategies have helped me so much.

1. Distract your mind. When you feel like an attack is about to strike do something different to get your mind off of your stress. I like exercising or watching a funny movie.

Depending on my mood, it is sometimes fun to listen to upbeat music or call a friend. If you have a hobby, try doing that for a while to get your mind off of things. Reading is a great escape tool for me.

2. Calm down. When I feel really stressed out and feel like my life is getting out of control, I know an anxiety attack is on its way. At this point, I try to stay as calm as I can and take deep breaths.

When you breathe too rapidly it causes you to get dizzy. Sometimes people use paper bags to help them breathe normally. If that works for you that may be a good option.

3. Water. If you can’t take a bath, find a sink to splash some water on your face. I have found this to be really relaxing. When possible, I like taking a bubble bath to help calm me down. Sometimes this isn’t practical when you feel like the attack is coming on at work.

4. Relaxation. Another great strategy to stop anxiety is to practice yoga or muscle relaxation. If you have never done yoga, you may want to try a class so you can learn some movements and positions that help you relax. Yoga is known to help regulate your breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

5. Treatment. Until you deal with the source of your anxiety issues, you will never be cured of it. These strategies will help you get through the day, but they won’t ultimately stop anxiety.

It is essential for you to understand the triggers of your anxiety and how to prevent those triggers from going off. Learn all that you can about anxiety and your own issues. I think it is a good idea to see a psychotherapist, enroll in a self-help course, or a support group.