Don’t Panic! Manage Your Anxiety with These 9 Helpful Tips

Practical Tips for Reducing Anxiety

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million Americans struggle with anxiety disorders, which equates to roughly 18% of the population. Although anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders present in the general population, only one-third of those suffering will receive treatment.

There are different types of anxiety, and each has its own unique list of symptoms. Social anxiety, an intense fear of social situations, afflicts many in our society, particularly introverts. According to a recent study, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) more than doubles the risk of cancer mortality in men. Long-term effects of anxiety include high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

There is Hope for Healing Your Anxiety

While daily exercise, quality sleep, supplements and good mood foods are essential stress reducers, there are many other effective strategies for treating anxiety, including:


1. Be Grateful-
Write down five things you are grateful for every day. Focusing on the things you are thankful for helps to calm the deep limbic or emotional areas of your brain.

2. Take a Time-Out- There are a variety of relaxation methods, including meditating, diaphragmatic breathing and listening to brain-enhancing music. Find a technique that works for you and use it whenever you become stressed.

3. Face Your Fears- Unless the situation is life-threatening, do not leave, run away from, or ignore whatever is causing you to have anxiety. Like standing up to a bully, you must face the fear or concern directly, or it will always have control over you and increase your anxiety.

4. Learn to Let Go- Accept that you can’t control everything. If you’re holding on too tightly, you might be causing yourself unnecessary stress, which will only make your anxiety worse.

5. Repeat a Mantra- Repeating simple words like “May I be safe and secure” can increase positive emotions and decrease negative ones. Research has shown that Loving Kindness Meditations (LKM) can minimize pain, migraine headaches and the symptoms of PTSD.

6. Talk It Out- This is an absolute must. Let friends and family know when you’re emotionally overwhelmed. Seek professional help if necessary, but don’t fight your battles alone.

7. Use a Visual Anchor- Whether it’s looking up at the clouds or staring at a picture of a tropical paradise, find a visual anchor that will calm you down during stressful situations.

8. Exaggerate Your Greatest Fear- Tell your fear to someone in as dramatic fashion as possible. Repeating the story several times will make your fear seem downright silly.

9. Laugh- When all else fails, laugh. Laughing releases stress-reducing endorphins into your bloodstream. Laughter truly is the best medicine and can work wonders in relieving anxiety.

Untreated anxiety robs you of your quality of life. If you would like to know more about how Amen Clinics can help you with the anxiety in your life, it is important that you contact us today at 888-288-9834 or online.

4 Comments »

  1. All good points. To this I would add Music. Music calms.

    Comment by clariseb — March 29, 2017 @ 8:58 AM

  2. I have the fear of driving my car in the city. I can only drive in certain areas. This has reduced my quality of life a great deal because there are things I would love to do and experience but the fear of driving in the city has made this difficult. What can I do? I’m a big fan of yours. Thank you very much.

    Marlene

    Comment by Marlene Winfrey — November 30, 2017 @ 4:01 PM

  3. I had a driving license for 7 years, but every time I tried to drive on my own, I felt anxiety, like a panic attack.
    The worst thing you can do is not to confront the problem. Now it seems like a joke to me, but at that time, I thought I will never drive, and overcome that feeling.
    As expected, you are not alone. I started to read, but then I found a video series or something like that, never been a book person.
    If I am not mistaken, I found videos on this one drivingfear.info. It was 3 years ago, the rest is history. I saw many people were like me, so that gave me hope, and after couple of months of training, I was driving without any problem.

    Comment by Lucy Andrews — May 10, 2023 @ 10:33 AM

  4. wonderful ideas!

    Comment by Doug Morris — November 11, 2023 @ 5:31 PM

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment

Contact Us

Learn to transform your clinical practice at the Next-Gen Precision Psychiatry Conference on 11/7 - 11/9. Click here for details!

X