How to cope with anxiety

How to cope with anxiety

If you are someone who deals with anxiety on a regular basis, then medication is not sufficient. You need to make some major lifestyle changes to sustain yourself and keep your anxiety in check in the long run. This article discusses some of the best ways to do this on a routine basis:

Exercise
One of the most important ways to deal with anxiety on both a physical and mental level is to practice exercising. You can easily boost your well-being by being dedicatedly active for just about 30 minutes for at least three to five times a week. You can easily make these sessions interesting and concentrate better to keep at it when you choose an exercise that you enjoy doing.

Keep track of your sleep
A good sleep is measured in terms of both quantity and quality. While doctors recommend about 8 hours of sleep at night for a healthy and stress free body, anxiety can easily throw you off track. You need to develop a routine wherein you make sure you do not spend excess time on your mobile or laptop. You should develop routine sleep schedules, sleep on a comfortable bed, and make sure you maintain a cool enough room temperature.

Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake
One of the most common reasons why anxiety goes into overdrive is due to caffeine and alcohol, which are uppers and downers, respectively. You need to ease up on the intake and cut out as much of it as you can. Other than cutting down on caffeine in coffee or sodas, you also need to stop consuming caffeine from chocolate, teas, diet pills, and some forms of medication including headache medication.

Plan your time
Who says you need to keep worrying all the time? You should instead pick a time of the day and keep track to limit your worries only within that designated time. If you want to analyze your day and be concerned over things, then 30-minutes is more than sufficient to rummage your thoughts. Stop over thinking or over analyzing — this is critical to break free from anxiety.

Take deep breaths
When you take a deep breath, your brain is signaled that you are fine, and this, in turn, helps to ease the mind and calm the body down. One of the best ways to do this is to lie down flat, and then place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Inhale slowly and steadily, and allow your belly to rise with the breathing. Hold the air in before you breathe it all out.

Take charge of your thoughts
Instead of constantly being surrounded by negative thoughts, try to ease up and think positively. One of the best ways to do this is to face your fears and circumvent through the hardships with a headstrong attitude.