Are Some People More Anxious Than Others?
Yes. Some people are more prone to anxiety than others. A tendency to be anxious can be a matter of your personality, your circumstances, or other mental health issues you may have, such as comorbid conditions like depression. Some research suggests that anxiety may also be genetic to some degree, as those who have blood relatives with anxiety are at higher risk of being anxious themselves.
How Can You Deal With Anxiety?
Dealing with anxiety may involve some trial and error on your part, as what works to reduce anxiety in one person may not reduce anxiety in others. How you deal with anxiety may also depend on the type of anxiety you have – for example, what may work for those with social anxiety may not work for those with generalized anxiety. Some techniques for dealing with anxiety include:
Identify the Source
Knowing the source of your anxiety means being able to tell what it is that makes you anxious. Identifying the source is a good first step in learning how to manage your anxiety and your stress.
Fact Check Your Anxiety
Anxiety has a way of lying. Anxiety likes to paint worst-case scenarios that often jump to wild conclusions. If you can fact check your anxiety, you can help yourself avoid worst-case scenarios or even plan for their eventuality, even if those scenarios never happen.
Manage Negative Thoughts
Anxiety makes it very easy to dwell on negative thoughts. If you make an effort to focus on positive events or silver lining, you will be able to more easily manage negative thoughts and prevent yourself from ruminating.
Take Deep Breaths and Reduce Your Heart Rate
Anxiety sends our bodies into fight-or-flight mode, which means many of our central nervous processes are thrown off. Because anxiety may cause your heart to race or you might hyperventilate, one of the most helpful things you can do to manage physical symptoms is to take slow, deep breaths to calm your heart rate and return a clearer-thinking state of mind.
Mindfulness Exercises
Mindfulness exercises are all about staying grounded in the present, which will keep you from dwelling on future apprehensions. One good mindfulness exercise is to talk to yourself about the activity you are currently doing, such as walking yourself through making a cup of tea.
Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques are any activity that helps relieve mental and physical stress. Some relaxation techniques include exercise, yoga, meditation, reading, or other self-care routines.
Find Peer Support or Professional Help
You may find that peer support from others in your community who also deal with anxiety may help. Seeking professional help from a psychologist or a psychiatrist may also allow you to deal with the source of your anxiety or find medication to help you manage anxiety attacks.
Anxiety is so much more than average worrying. When anxiety begins to interfere with your ability to perform your daily tasks, then it’s time to explore options of how to help yourself deal with anxiety. Whether you are taking a cognitive approach with mindfulness exercises or identifying the source of your anxiety, or you are focusing on physical symptoms of anxiety by pursuing relaxation techniques and deep breathing, you have many options for dealing with your anxiety. Follow Aging Healthy Today to learn more.
