One of the most commonly diagnosed mental health conditions are anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders affect approximately 275 million people worldwide. Anxiety is treatable, however, many people do not get diagnosed and don’t know how to manage their anxiety.
Types of Anxiety
Anxiety is caused by a response to stress. It’s perfectly normal to experience anxiety for instance when you are taking a test or meeting, someone, for the first time. This type of anxiety doesn’t cause any problems in your life.
Sometimes, anxiety starts to control your life and that’s when it becomes a problem. Here are some conditions that require you to manage your anxiety:
● Generalized Anxiety Disorder
● Obsessive-Compulsive disorder
● Social Anxiety Disorder
● Panic Disorder
● Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
● Phobias
These conditions should be discussed and diagnosed by a mental health profession.
What Happens if You Don’t Manage Anxiety?
If you don’t address your worries and fears and learn how to manage them, then it can take over your life. Anxiety can keep you from doing the things you love doing and keep you from being able to relax which makes the anxiety worse. Here are some ways to tell if anxiety or worry has become an issue. Ask yourself are your thoughts:
● Excessive
● Disruptive
● Persistent
● Intrusive
Unmanaged anxiety can also cause physical problems such as headaches, digestive issues or chronic health conditions.
Tips for Managing Anxiety
Whether you take medication or not, managing your anxiety is extremely important for your wellbeing. Here are some tips to help you keep anxiety under control:
Identify what triggers your anxiety. Is it a relationship, work, kids or health? It may help to keep a journal and write down when you are feeling stressed so you can see a pattern
Accept things you can’t change. There are just some things that you can’t control. You can’t control someone else’s behavior or your work environment for example. Take a step back and look at the situation. Is it really that bad?
Learn to manage stress. Managing stress goes a long way in managing anxiety. Since stress is the cause of anxiety, learning to manage stress can help you slow your mind down so you don’t experience as much anxiety. Here are some ways you can manage stress:
● Meditation and deep breathing
● Connecting with friends
● Writing in a journal
● Avoiding situations that cause stress if possible
● Watch a funny show or movie (laughter helps your mood and relaxes your body)
When you have anxiety and you don’t take the steps to help keep it in check, it can take over your life. Learning how to manage your stress and anxiety can help you live a happier healthier life. If you can’t manage your anxiety or feel you may have an anxiety disorder, seek the help of a mental health professional.
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