Site Meter Healthy B.P.M. » Blog Archive » Managing Anxiety

Managing Anxiety

by

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack. And let me tell you they are the pits! Sometimes you’re so convinced that you are having a heart attack that you bolt for the nearest emergency room. After the attack has passed you feel a bit stupid and embarrassed, but you had to know what was happening. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening. More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it. Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression. If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control.

  • See a professional. This is always a good first step. Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous. A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques. Also, a professional is better than surfing medical websites, which make you more fearful and anxious.
  • Get a good night’s sleep. During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself. You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage. Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way. However, if you’re not sleeping eight hours at a time, don’t stress about it. Staying calm is key to dealing with anxiety attacks.
  • Exercise on a consistent basis. Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently. It helps to get more oxygen to the brain. It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them.
  • Meditate. Meditation is more than chanting mantras. Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing. Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.
  • Manage the worry. When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten. As you count, focus on the situation. What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation.
  • Don’t use alcohol. You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant. In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process. And do your best to avoid anti-depressants. They may take you to la-la land for a moment, but you can’t spend the rest of your life taking drugs.
  • Find some relaxing activities. Stress can rob you of your energy. On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.
  • Learn to say NO. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll be no good to anyone else. To thine own self be true.

    • Anxiety can come into your life at any time. It’s normal. When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions. If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately. There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.


    Posted in General on March 27th, 2009

    Link to this Entry

    Recent Posts

    Related Posts

    Leave a Reply


    About Healthy B.P.M.

    Do you want the heart beat of healthy living? Do you want daily updates on the health obsession? Welcome aboard people! Healthy B.P.M is a blog fattened by everything fat, fun and fitness. Not to mention the tragedy of eating disorders, the humor of unchanging weight scales, the luxury of spas and the never- ending pursuit for the ideal body and mind. Digestible language on diet do’s and don’ts. Read it.

    Healthy B.P.M. Author(s)

    NAVIGATE

    LINKS

    CATEGORIES

    TOP COMMENTERS

    RECENT COMMENTS

    SUBSCRIBE

    ARCHIVES

    Science & Health Channel Links

     

    Science & Health Channel Posts

    • What The Heck Is Treatment Resistant Depression?
      This is a dreadfully named type of chronic depression. Please, someone in the medical community rename this thing. When you're depressed, you're always convinced that you cannot be cured or helped. [...]
    • Victoria's Secret? She's a Vegan!
      Victoria's Secret is no longer hiding in closet. The lingerie and beauty product brand is getting loud and proud about veganism. Pink Body is a new line of Victoria's Secret cosmetics - including [...]
    • I binged
      Yes. I am not all perfect and cured. I totally had a binge last night. It was my own fault. I had junk food lying around the house for the "future" and needless to say, I pounced on the food last [...]
    • Is Volumetrics for you?
      [caption id="attachment_756" align="alignnone" width="339" caption="Volumetrics "][/caption]"Free foods" are those that help you get more bang for your buck because they contain a lot of water, [...]
    • Psoriasis and Earache
      I'm going to be honest and beg the blogosphere for information of psoriasis and earache. I have psoriasis and now it seems to have spread to my right ear. It causes a dull ache, but not bad enough [...]
    • Dear Non-Vegans, Love Eccentric Vegan
      Eccentric Vegan compiled a great resource post, called "Dear Non-Vegans," all about why meat, eggs, all other animal products are not healthy, humane, or environmentally friendly on Vegan Soapbox. I [...]
    • Top Ten signs of Alzheimers Disease
      [caption id="attachment_1800" align="alignnone" width="67" caption="Alzheimers"][/caption]Memory loss that disrupts everyday life is not a normal part of aging. It may be a sign of Alzheimer's [...]
    • The best way to measure body fat
      [caption id="attachment_796" align="alignnone" width="104" caption="Tape Measure"][/caption]When does "putting on a few pounds" cross the line into needing to lose weight? Neither scale, BMI, pinch [...]
    • Exacts on how you too can run up expensive therapy bills for your children.
      Ok, so see, as I said, I’ve never been away from my children much.  And, I have missed not one, not two but on Saturday, I will have missed three of my son’s basketball games.  Never in [...]
    • Published Letter to the Editor
      My first letter to the editor was published this week in the Middle Tennessee State University student newspaper, Sidelines. Here's the published version of what I wrote in response to their article [...]

     

    Hot Off The Press