With the nature of human creation, anxiety is an inevitable occurrence in the lifetime of every man, but the form which it takes differs depending on the individual and the situation. Anxiety may be in form of attack, disturbance, stress, phobia or social fear, however, anxiety could be described as a kind of mental illness in response to a condition that the body fails to manage.
Typical examples of anxiety include examination worries, the pressure of getting a task done within a stipulated period, the fear of speaking in public, the unease experienced at a job interview and more to count.
When symptoms like fear, tension, panic set in for an acute period, one would say, such anxiety is normal.
While the other type of anxiety known as Anxiety Disorder is succeeded by recurrent worries, fatigue, muscle tension, sleeplessness, heart palpitations, headaches among others. Thus, this type of anxiety affects our daily activities and productivity by incapacitating us. It may also cause serious health defect.
Tony Attwodd, PhD, a clinical psychologist specialised in autism disorder said anxiety disorder deter people from sleeping, concentrating, having conversation with people and sometimes associated with mental illness like Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Personality Disorders, and Eating Disorders.
Tony estimated that about 40% of American adults had experienced an Anxiety Disorder at some point in their life. Above affirms that anxiety can be experienced by anybody at one point or another. In this regard, it is out of correctness to say it is an absolute anomaly.
Other symptoms of anxiety include hyperventilation, dry mouth, dizziness, stomachache, sweaty feet or palm, sweating and more.
To this extent, you should be able to identify some of the symptoms you experience while you are anxious.
Although anxiety is believed to be a normal experience in the lifetime of a man, it has some adverse effect on the body like damage of DNA and cells in the body, cancer exposure, loss of memories, organ failure, brain damage among others, especially when it last long.
Mary Lamia, a clinical psychologist, said the vague warning signs of anxiety could be a helpful friend if you respond to them appropriately.
Evident of such, one needs to curtail it by knowing how to manage it properly.
Below are ways in which we can manage anxiety on our own.
#. Avoid Caffeine Foods And Drinks.
Caffeine foods and drinks such as coffee, tea and energy drinks are known to topple the heart rate and give jittering behaviour. Sometimes, they enhance sleeplessness, which is a symptom of anxiety.
On its own, caffeine does not initiate anxiety, but it is apparently not good for anxiety patient because it worsens it.
Caffeine or refined sugar alone does not worsen anxiety as much as the combination of the two as it is in energy drink. Therefore, energy drink is a no-go zone for anxiety patient.
A caffeine researcher, professor Roland Griffiths, PhD, in the department of psychiatry and neurosciences, Johns Hopkins University said people perceive coffee, soft drinks and tea as normal beverage or drinks, but in the real sense, they contain caffeine which worsens anxiety and pain disorder.
If you are an anxiety patient, do not wait until caffeine exacerbates your condition control.
#. Alcohol
Taking alcohol to calm anxiety is an activity common among people especially those who experience social disorder, when social gathering inconveniences set in place, whereas, one will gradually get inclined towards addiction.
However, there has been an element of truthfulness in the fact that alcohol helps in suppressing stress in the body by reducing fear, making you feel relaxed. Nevertheless, it does greater harm than benefit. A good example of the detriment alcohol causes in the body is damaging of the liver and memory loss when consumed excessively.
Timothy J. Legg, agreed that alcohol intake gives a sense of relaxation which is observed to be attributed to rising in the Blood Alcohol content (BAC) level. Subsequently, when the alcohol fades off, and the BAC level falls back, and the anxiety in the body exacerbates, causing headache, dizziness and more.
According to a research published by UNC health care, people who take too much of alcohol may find it difficult to recover from trauma.
If you are anxious, stay away from alcohol, alcohol intake is not a good means of taking care of anxiety.
#. Exercise
Jasper Smits, the administrator of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at the University of Southern Methodist, Dallas said exercise is known for its tremendous benefits for mental health.
No doubt, exercise is good for the body since it aids several metabolic reactions, discharge of hormones and stimulation of the nervous system. Nevertheless, we still need to ask ourselves if some conditions does not comply with exercise, is there any positive link between exercise and anxiety?
Rescuing the inquisitive mind, researchers have identified that since exercise helps to boost blood flow in the brain, stress, anxiety and depression could be reduced through exercise.
Aerobic exercise such as walking or jogging has also shown the ability to generate new and sensational brain cells which help in enhancing the mood and distracting one from daily worries.
According to Michael H. Sacks, exercise for stress control, may contribute to activating a neurophysiological high-a shot of adrenaline or endorphins, which in turn yields antidepressant effect in some, an effect that counters anxiety in others, and a sense of “feeling better” in the majority.
An excellent means of relaxation that helps in tackling the stress of daily life effectively, could be achieved through exercise. Various studies have disclosed that exercise can diminish anxiety and depression, improving the self-image of individuals, and shield people from stress, Michael confirmed.
Exercise is a good manager of anxiety.
#. Approach your fear
Majority of us believe in avoiding what angst us, thinking it is a means of managing our anxiety. Thinking that once you avoid or dodge it, it is gone and gone forever, no more need for worries, forgetting that for every difficulty fought, lesson(s) learned. Sometimes, our worries pace along with us like a shadow until they are solved.
Combating your obstacle makes, you realise your edge over it and its weak point. Fisticuffing your stress could dissociate you from it completely, and your anxiety for that thing would be erased.
#. Don’t aim at doing the abracadabra
While in public, some of us want to display perfection to impress someone or create awareness, whereas, the result is more discomforting. Trying to be perfect puts a lot of burden, stress and worries upon us especially when we pledge to do something beyond our capability.
#. Talk to your love ones
I have noticed that we feel less shy speaking to people we love and confide in rather than others. When talking to our loved ones, we are able to disclose our imperfection to the brim because we see them as people who accept us with our flaws.
When we free up our mind through speaking, we have less bothering us. Although, taking alcohol to achieve this may not be a good method, but some do it so that they could reduce the burden in their mind while speaking under the influence of alcohol.
To conclude, the above is my sentiment about how well you could manage your anxiety. These conclusions of mine are based on the information I was able to gather, but other persons could have more info that is also beneficial. Nevertheless, if you abide by the above, you are sure of managing your anxiety properly.