If you are in an anxious state. Anxiety and worry: causes, symptoms, treatment

Anxiety takes away strength, thoughts, and the ability to react to a situation and look for opportunities to solve it. Anxiety drives you into depression and acutely makes you feel your own helplessness and insignificance. Is there a way to get rid of this oppressive state?

According to many psychologists, anxiety has a greater destructive effect than even depression. A state of constant tension, anticipation of something terrible, the absence of the slightest opportunity for relaxation, the inability to make the right decision and generally take at least some action that can overcome the feeling of anxiety and get out of this difficult psychological state - this is how people who experience constant stress describe their feelings. sense of anxiety. This exhausting, depressing feeling contributes to the development of various psychosomatic diseases, sleep disorders, digestion disorders, physical and mental activity. That is why it is so important not only to identify in advance the slightest manifestations of anxiety and immediately begin treatment when its main symptoms occur. To overcome anxiety caused by stress, psychologists recommend using several methods that will help cope with the first symptoms of anxiety:

1. Recognize the existence of the “lizard brain.”

It means coming to terms with the fact that our fears, concerns and our anxiety come from a small part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for the emergence of primitive reactions and feelings. Of course, our thoughts, decisions and actions in a normal situation arise in the frontal lobes of the brain, the part of the brain that is responsible for cognition, learning and logic in reasoning and actions. But as soon as a threat arises to our basic needs (our life, health, well-being of loved ones and relatives), logic is powerless, we are overwhelmed by feelings and emotions that have very deep roots and we act more instinctively than judiciously. What solution can be found in this situation? Every time you feel your hands getting cold, your stomach shrinks into a tight ball, and words begin to get stuck in your throat, in general, feeling a full set of approaching alarming symptoms, it’s worth remembering that now the situation is controlled by the “lizard brain,” and not by us. It's worth remembering this and talking to this overly dramatic creature and offering to take control! Realizing that you can find a way out of any situation, you just need to think about what resources we have at the moment, you can return to logical reasoning, ceasing to be afraid and worried about who knows what.

2. Understand the cause of anxiety: try to find out what causes your anxiety, why you feel anxious and what it is aimed at.

Having found out what your anxiety is, where it came from, in other words, what or who you are worried about, it is much easier to stop worrying and think about what can be done to neutralize the alarming situation in which you find yourself. It might be worth calling the family whose trip you're worried about to find out how they're doing, sending an SMS to a child who's late from school, talking directly to your boss to clarify your situation at work.

3. Perform breathing exercises.

They are necessary to calm down and pull yourself together. The principle of these breathing exercises is quite simple: you need to consistently inhale through your mouth, hold your breath, then exhale through your nose and hold your breath again; only the abdominal muscles should work, not the chest. The main task is to relax all the muscles of your body as much as possible while inhaling and focus on the state of relaxation that gradually covers you during this exercise.

4. Imagine the most terrible outcome for your alarming situation, what could happen to you in this situation and accept it.

Try to feel what you might feel if the ending were like this. Calm down, don't forget about breathing exercises. Now imagine how you will act in this situation, find all possible solutions and ways out of this situation. See how you can fix everything. By preparing in this way, you can stop worrying and worrying and start taking action. So, instead of anxiety and a feeling of fear, you were prepared for the worst outcome of the situation and were able to find a solution for it, although the situation may not happen! Is it worth worrying about minor troubles now?

5. Distract yourself from any source of anxiety.

Stop watching news coverage of disaster scenes if you are worried about them. You shouldn’t increase your own anxiety by looking at the nightmarish pictures in the news. This will make you even more anxious. Find yourself a hobby that can captivate you, try to avoid topics that cause you anxiety when communicating with family and friends. Hang out with people who exude confidence and a positive attitude, watch interesting movies, take up new sports, start collecting stamps, or join any environmental society.

6. Write a letter to yourself.

In the letter, list your worries, the reasons for them, and the decisions you are going to make to stop worrying.

7. Time management: divide the day into minutes and hours.

This gradation will allow you to escape from disturbing thoughts, especially eating. Your whole day will be busy with some important and not so important things. By concentrating on them, you can safely set yourself not to worry until tomorrow, almost as Scarlet did from the movie “Gone with the Wind.”

8. Eat tasty and healthy food.

Limiting diets in order to lose weight, become slimmer and more attractive, especially if the decision to “go on a diet” was made independently, without the necessary recommendations from doctors, can play a bad joke on your mood. There are enough other things to worry about in this world than adding a few extra grams to your weight. Your body will thank you if you do not burden it with diets, but create a balanced diet that includes vitamins and minerals that your body is used to receiving in full.

9. Double your physical activity.

Running, swimming, skydiving, cycling and mandatory evening or morning jogging - any physical activity will help you cope with anxiety. No matter how good you are at this sport, just do it consistently and to the point that your doubts and worries fade into the background. It doesn’t matter what exactly you do - aerobics or weeding in the garden, the main thing is a combination of determination and physical activity that can distract you from anxious thoughts.

10. Use visual anchor images.

Choose an image that suits you that represents calm and relaxation. For example, clouds, with their measured and smooth flow across the sky, or the deep calm of the ocean, its waves gradually rolling onto the sandy shore. Every time you look at a picture of the ocean or look out the window at the clouds, you will feel that they are helping you calm down and stop worrying.

11. Repeat your own mantra.

For everyone it is different, the one that brings peace and serenity. For example, in a wonderful cartoon, Carlson loved to repeat “It’s not a big deal, it’s just an everyday matter,” and he blithely waved his hand, turning away from the newly broken toy, which threatened to turn into a disaster for the Kid. Come up with any phrase for yourself that will help you overcome the approaching anxiety and remind you that you can always find a way out of any situation, the main thing is to know that it is possible!

Photo source: Depositphotos
August 17, 2015 I like:

The concept of “anxiety” was first identified by Sigmund Freud, describing it as an emotional state that includes the experience of expectation and uncertainty, and a feeling of helplessness. Unlike fear (a reaction to a specific danger that threatens a person’s life), anxiety is the experience of a vague threat. Anxiety can arise for no apparent reason: there seems to be nothing to be afraid of, but your soul is restless. Such experiences develop into anxiety and become a distinctive feature of a person, features of his character.

All our worries come from childhood. At first we are afraid of the Serpent Gorynych and Baba Yaga, as we get older - a dark room, spiders, snakes and cars. At school we are afraid of bad grades, at work - conflicts with the boss and/or dismissal, in the family - misunderstandings and disappointments. Everyone has their own Achilles heel. However, absolutely all of us tend to worry about the health and well-being of ourselves, our children and loved ones.

However, the absence of reasons for concern frightens some people no less: if everything is fine now, it means that something unpleasant will certainly happen soon. However, it is important to understand that the basis of all our anxieties is fear of the future, and all people, without exception, are susceptible to it, even the strongest and most fearless in appearance. The difference is only in relation to anxiety and the degree of experience.

How she is born

The emergence of anxiety in a child is promoted by insufficiently competent behavior of parents. Increased demands with an inadequate assessment of his real capabilities can cause a child to constantly fear that he does not meet the expectations of his parents and does not deserve their love. An anxious child, as a rule, is passive, not sufficiently independent, he tends to dream rather than act, live in an imaginary world, and finds it difficult to build relationships with peers. With this behavior, parents begin to worry even more, thereby provoking his self-doubt.

On the other hand, a child can become anxious even with overprotective parents - in an atmosphere of excessive care and precaution. Then he gets the feeling that he is insignificant, his opinions and desires are actually not needed or interesting to anyone. And if so, then the world seems unpredictable and filled with continuous dangers.

The next scenario is the conflicting demands of parents: when the father approaches the upbringing process harshly, and the mother lowers all his demands. Torn between one pole and the other, the child is unable to make decisions, which increases his level of anxiety.

“Not so long ago, the concept of “family anxiety” appeared in psychology,” says psychologist Zhanna Lurie. – It refers to a state of often poorly understood anxiety experienced by one or more adult family members. Anxiety can be caused by doubts about the continuation of relationships, problems with money, different views on education... All this, of course, is passed on to the child, very often he becomes an indicator of problems in the family.

In addition, at the psychological level, anxiety can be caused by internal conflict associated with incorrect ideas about one’s own self-image, an inadequate level of aspirations, insufficient awareness of the goal, the need to choose between different areas of activity, and so on.

Universe of Threats

What happens to a person when he is in a state of anxiety?

“One of the characteristic signs is muscle tension, in which a certain muscle group is tensed - usually the collar zone,” says Zhanna Lurie. – Often a person is not aware of the tension, feeling only some discomfort. If this happens constantly, the clamps threaten to become chronic and turn into a kind of armor that will limit freedom of movement and can lead to loss of sensitivity in this area. Periodic massage of the collar area, of course, will relieve tension for a while, but will not get rid of the problem if the person continues to live in stress.

An anxious person becomes nervous, irritable, on the verge of a breakdown, gets scared easily, cannot concentrate, suffers from insomnia, and gets tired quickly. The world around him is perceived as a universe of dangers and threats, and this state can subsequently turn into neurosis, says Zhanna Lurie. “He often hears what is said to him differently, reacts sharply and painfully to harmless messages, and perceives any words from his boss as a personal insult. Such a person is very afraid of making a mistake, perceiving it as the ruin of his entire life.

However, anxiety also has its positive sides. She warns us of real dangers, of the possibility of injury, pain, punishment. It is normal for a person to feel anxious when going on a first date or speaking in front of an audience if they are worried about being on time for an important meeting.

We fight and win!

Experts say: anxiety almost always arises when a person is forced to make some decisions, when he is not sure that he can implement them, and when the result is very important and valuable to him. That is, in fact, anxiety accompanies us most of our lives. Therefore, it is very important to understand how to deal with them and how to direct your experiences in the right direction.

● It is important to understand the nature of the anxiety tormenting you: is it real or imaginary. To do this, ask yourself a few questions: how important and necessary is what I am afraid of? What's the worst thing that could happen if everything turns out exactly as I fear? What will happen if it happens differently? This will help separate what is important from what is not.

● Try to think positively. Calm down and tune yourself to the fact that there are more good people in the world and not everyone in this life wishes you harm.

● Rest and relax more often, do not push yourself: in an exhausted state, all reactions are experienced much more acutely.

● Consider yourself to cope with the situation that is causing you anxiety, or at least try to do so. But it is advisable not to slip into auto-training: in this case, a person does not realize the real dangers and does not assess his strength to combat them, but pretends that the problem simply does not exist.

If you are tormented by constant anxiety and you cannot say what exactly you are afraid of, ask yourself: what worries you so much at the moment? What can you do right now? If you can't find the answer, try to imagine something positive. And don’t put off visiting a specialist: he will help you figure out the reasons and understand what to do next.

By the way

If anxiety goes through the roof, it can develop into panic. Here are its main symptoms: inability to breathe deeply, dizziness, fainting/fainting, clouding of consciousness, rapid heartbeat, trembling throughout the body, severe sweating, choking, vomiting. As well as stomach upset, numbness or tingling in the body. A person feels either cold or hot, he feels the unreality of what is happening (the body is not mine), pain or a pressing feeling in his chest, it seems to him that he is about to die or go crazy. At least three or four signs from this list are enough to understand that panic attacks have begun. And here you can’t do without a specialist.

Personal opinion

Alexey Romanov:

– Feelings of anxiety are common to everyone. But you don't need to give in to him. I recommend distracting yourself: opening a bottle of champagne or re-reading The Marriage of Figaro. Try to think positive. It's not as difficult as it seems. It helps me out. For example, you are walking down the street, you hear some bad music coming from a stall, it will definitely cling to you and spin around in your head, then with an effort of will I force myself to remember something good from the music. And it drives out nonsense. Same with feelings of anxiety. Gloomy people on the streets think about bad things. This is a bad habit, but it is very easy to fight. You just need to make an effort. It is difficult to cope with strong emotions and requires enormous training under experienced guidance. At a young age, over-emotions helped me in creativity, but now I avoid them. A wise figure itself avoids stress, this is simply a property of an adult organism. There is no escape from experience, it turns you into an armed ship when you foresee - armed, forewarned and not getting involved in anything.

Feelings of anxiety and fear are familiar to every person. They usually occur when there is a reason. As soon as the circumstances that caused them disappear, the psycho-emotional state also stabilizes. However, there are times when constant fear and anxiety become commonplace, these feelings begin to haunt and become a habitual state.

Fear and anxiety as symptoms of the disease

Feelings of constant fear and anxiety can be symptoms of a variety of diseases. Most of them are the area of work of a psychotherapist. In any case, you need to listen to your own feelings and decide whether you should contact a specialist, or you can try to solve the problem yourself.

The most common diagnosis, the symptoms of which are fear and anxiety, is anxiety or fear neurosis. However, this can be finally verified or refuted only by seeking qualified help.

Causes of fear and anxiety

If there are no obvious reasons to be afraid and worry, you should find out why the person is experiencing constant tension. In fact, the reasons lie in a combination of physiological and psychological factors. The connection between generations, that is, heredity, is of great importance in solving the problem. That is why, before diagnosing anxiety syndrome or another disease in a child, you need to find out whether parents and close relatives suffer from similar problems.

Psychological causes of constant fear and anxiety

Among the psychological reasons that cause constant fear and anxiety are:

strong emotional experiences, stress. For example, when changing place of residence, there is a fear of change and anxiety for the future;
suppression of one’s deepest desires and needs, restraining emotions.

Physical causes of constant fear and anxiety

The main cause of all nervous mental disorders usually lies in the malfunction of the thyroid gland. Disturbances in the endocrine system entail a hormonal imbalance, which leads to the active production of fear hormones. They are the ones who control a person’s mood, making them fear, worry and worry for no apparent reason.

In addition, it is of great importance:

strong physical activity;
severe course of the underlying disease;
presence of withdrawal syndrome.

Constant fear and anxiety in pregnant women

Pregnant women, as well as those who have recently become mothers, experience severe hormonal changes. Associated with this are unpleasant feelings of anxiety and fear for your life, for the life and health of the baby. Added to this is a lot of new knowledge gleaned from medical literature and the stories of those who have already gone through this. As a result, fear and anxiety become permanent, and the expectant mother does not need nervous stress at all.

If this happens to you, then enlist the support of your loved ones, as well as an experienced doctor who is ready to advise you on any issues.

Such symptoms are troubling in case of mental disorders or physical stress

Treating persistent fear and anxiety

Self-treatment of anxiety and fears

If you have just recently begun to feel that you are haunted by constant fear and anxiety, but there are no other symptoms and you have not experienced severe emotional distress, then you can take steps to self-treat. The word “treatment” here is conditional. Try the following tips:

think about switching to a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition. This will not only help you maintain good physical shape, but also stabilize your hormonal levels;
sleep and rest more;
combine mental stress with physical exercise, only in conditions of such a balance will you feel in good shape;
Find something to do that gives you maximum emotional satisfaction. It can be any hobby;
communicate with people you like and limit unwanted contacts;
try not to think about what bothers you, especially if these events are in the past. There is no point in imagining an unfavorable future by deliberately exaggerating;
Find a relaxation method that suits you. This could be auto-training, a relaxing bath, massage and much more.

Observation by a specialist for fears and anxiety

If you feel that it is becoming difficult for you to live with a feeling of constant fear and anxiety, that these sensations interfere and change your usual way of life, then seek help from a psychotherapist. An argument in favor of consulting a specialist will be the accompanying feeling of heaviness in the chest, pressure in the heart area, and difficulty breathing.

Treatment may involve a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Only timely treatment will become the basis for effective relief from fears and anxieties. A psychiatrist or psychotherapist will determine how severe the stage of the disease or disorder is, based on the data obtained, he will prescribe an appropriate approach.

Not everyone who suffers from constant fear and anxiety needs pills. The drug method is used only if you need to quickly relieve symptoms and achieve results. In such situations, tranquilizers and antidepressants are prescribed.

Psychotherapeutic treatment can be combined with examinations of the whole body, especially to identify disorders of the thyroid gland.

The key to successful treatment is being attentive to yourself and following the doctor’s recommendations.

Hello! My name is Vyacheslav, I am 21 years old. I live with my father. The mother lives separately with another person after divorcing her father about seven years ago, maybe more. Graduated from school and technical college. I'm not working or studying right now. Because of my illness. I suffer from an almost constant feeling of anxiety and severe panic attacks. I also have heart arrhythmia, which happened about four years ago.

I don’t remember how long ago this started, it seems like it’s been with me all my life. Symptoms of panic attacks are as follows: it suddenly becomes stuffy, sweaty palms, dizziness, shaking hands, shortness of breath, difficulty moving, slurred speech. This happens every time I go outside. Sometimes even if I just need to call someone. Several years ago, I began to go out less and less because of this. Then he almost stopped completely. The fear of going out constantly accompanies us and forces us to stay at home.

I recently went to a psychotherapist, he prescribed me a mild tranquilizer - the drug adaptol tablets. He said to take one tablet three times a day. I take Adaptol two or three tablets two or three times a day, less does not help. It’s better with pills, but even with them, sometimes the attacks slightly remind me of themselves. I actually have a few questions for you.

1. How long can you take tranquilizers? After all, I am afraid that if I stop drinking them, the symptoms will return.

2. How harmful are they and what do they affect?

3. Do they cure or temporarily relieve symptoms?

4. Are there any methods of independent psychological training against feelings of anxiety and attacks?

I will be very grateful if you answer.

Answer to the question:

How to relieve anxiety.

Very well, quickly and reliably you can remove the feeling of anxiety and panic with the help of tranquilizers. But we must not forget that anxiety goes away only while taking the drug. Therefore, it is imperative to come to terms with your fears in order to successfully treat this condition.

1. The instructions for tranquilizers say that you can take them for 2-6 weeks, then gradually reduce the dose to get away from them. The drug adaptol is the weakest drug from the group of tranquilizers. It cannot cause drug dependence. But still, you are right to be afraid. If it helps you, then stopping adaptol will lead to the return of symptoms of VSD. But it happens that with VSD, people take tranquilizers for years in a small constant dose to stabilize the condition, but drug dependence does not arise.

2. Tranquilizers are the most effective, strong and fast-acting among psychotropic drugs. Long-term use can cause drug dependence. They also cause drowsiness and decreased attention. This is all a side effect. The medicine adaptol does not cause drowsiness, but may cause symptoms of indigestion (heartburn). No one knows exactly how tranquilizers act in the body, but they are much less evil than antidepressants. Compared to antidepressants, their harm is negligible.

3. Tranquilizers remove the feeling of fear of death and panic, which is what triggers a panic attack. This helps stop the attack. They do not cure, but enable the body to return to its normal state and remember it. The main principle in treatment with tranquilizers is this: you need to choose a drug and dose that would completely relieve fear, panic and panic attacks.

I think that in your particular case, adaptol, the use of which is indicated for very weak and minor disorders of the nervous system, does not provide the necessary therapeutic effect. You need a stronger drug, based on the symptoms that you Vyacheslav described. Tell your doctor about this and choose a slightly stronger drug that will allow the body to normalize the condition.

4. There are a huge number of methods and psychological trainings: auto-training, meditation, prayers, positive attitude, contrast shower, dousing with cold water, etc. But, firstly, they need to be performed against the background of a stabilized mental state, and secondly, they also do not help radically, but only provide temporary relief. Understand that no one will do this for you, you need to work here yourself. The most important treatment is to explain to your brain and subconscious the meaninglessness of fear and panic. This can be done only by enduring one attack without fear for life and without panic personal and others and without any medications. Fully independently controlling what is happening and understanding that it cannot kill you. After all, the body is very healthy in such years, and arrhythmia and everything else is caused by a functional disorder of the nervous system. And such a small victory will lead to success. At the same time, you cannot evoke feelings of self-pity.

There are plenty of reasons for the emergence of a state of anxiety: these include imperfect relationships with children, work problems, and dissatisfaction in the personal sphere.

The body instantly reacts to negative thoughts:

the heart rhythm is disturbed (as a rule, the heartbeat quickens, a tingling sensation may appear, the heart contracts);
intermittent breathing (or, conversely, there are such long pauses between breaths that discomfort is felt, the person seems to forget to breathe);
covers either fussiness or apathy - just thinking about the scale of the problem makes you want to do nothing;
the brain refuses to work productively, even doing routine tasks requires a lot of effort.

When faced with such an unpleasant condition, the first thing you want to do is solve the problem with the help of medications. But, firstly, only a doctor can make such prescriptions; secondly, such drugs negatively affect other body systems.

Treatment at home will help you cope with increased anxiety. We have selected 18 effective recommendations for combating anxiety in adults.

1. Chamomile.

This is a kind of “first aid” - a cup of tea made from flowers and twigs of a plant immediately brings a feeling of peace. The effect is provided by substances contained in the plant. In terms of their effect on the body, they are identical to tranquilizers such as diazepam (they bind to the same dopamine receptors as the compounds in pharmaceutical drugs).

Chamomile flowers also contain the active ingredient apigenin. Thanks to its antispasmodic effect, this flavonoid soothes, relieves pain symptoms, and helps to relax.

Chamomile (with long-term use, at least a month) can help even in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

2. Green tea.

Perhaps it is this drink that helps Buddhist monks maintain peace and concentration during long hours of meditation - green tea has been present in their diet for 13 centuries.

L-theanine has a calming effect on all body systems. The amino acid normalizes heart rate, blood pressure, and reduces anxiety. Those who consume 4-5 servings of the drink per day are calmer and more focused. In addition, green tea is part of a group of natural remedies that protect against the development of cancer.

3. Hops.

It is used not only in the preparation of a popular foamy drink, but also to relieve anxiety.

It is easy to prepare hop cones yourself (in mid- or late August). Hops are harvested when the inside of the cones turn yellow-green with a pinkish tint. It is necessary to pay attention to weather conditions. Ripening may occur at the end of July (if the summer is hot).

The sedative properties of the plant appear not only when brewed; hop essential oil, its tincture and extract are also useful for relieving anxiety. But the taste of the tea is not pleasing - it is very bitter, so it is better to combine hop cones with mint, chamomile, and honey. If the goal is to improve sleep, it is good to add valerian to the hops (for example, making an aromatic sachet).

When using other sedatives, combining them with taking hop cones is not recommended. It would also be a good idea to inform your doctor about your desire to use this natural remedy to combat anxiety.

4. Valerian.

Some of the remedies listed above reduce anxiety, but do not have a sedative effect (like green tea, for example). But valerian is from a different group: the plant causes drowsiness and contains sedative compounds that help fight insomnia.

Not everyone likes the taste and smell of the plant, so valerian tea is not as popular as tincture or capsule preparation. To improve the taste, the plant can be combined with mint or lemon balm, honey.

While taking this medication, plan your day so that after taking it you will no longer need to drive or perform tasks that require precision and concentration. Valerian greatly relaxes both the body and the brain.

5. Melissa.

Another plant that has been used since the Middle Ages to reduce stress levels and solve sleep problems.

Melissa is safe and beneficial only when used in moderation. Exceeding the dosage is fraught with increased anxiety. Therefore, you need to take infusions, tea, capsules, lemon balm, starting with small portions (for infusion - no more than 150 ml per day). It is not advisable to use this remedy for hypotensive patients, as lemon balm reduces blood pressure.

6. Passionflower.

Passion flower - the second name for passionflower - along with medications, relieves anxiety attacks and is used to treat insomnia.

May cause drowsiness, enhances the effect of other sedatives. Passion flower is best used as a one-time remedy to help relieve anxiety (in extreme cases, use no more than two weeks).

7. Lavender.

The intoxicating aroma of the plant calms and helps balance the emotional state. You can often smell lavender in the waiting room of dental clinics or other medical facilities. And this is not an accident: it has been experimentally proven that the aroma has a calming effect and helps those waiting for a doctor’s appointment to relax.

In another study, students inhaled the scent of lavender oil during exams. And although anxiety levels decreased, some students noted a decrease in concentration. Therefore, people whose work requires good coordination and quick reactions should carefully use products with lavender.

8. Omega-3 fats.

For those who have had to deal with the treatment of heart ailments, this group of fats is well known. Omega-3 (for example, fish oil) helps restore vascular permeability and restore their elasticity. They are useful when you need to calm your nerves and get rid of a depressive mood.

There are omega-3 in salmon, anchovies, sardines, mussels, vegetable oil (olive, flaxseed), and nuts. But it is preferable to get omega-3 supplies from seafood, as they contain a higher concentration of these substances.

9. Exercises.

Exercise is good for your muscles and joints, as well as your brain. Moreover, they can be used both as an urgent remedy to help relieve tension and have an effect in the long term.

Physical activity improves self-esteem and makes you feel healthier. The result of your efforts can be assessed objectively – both by appearance and by how you feel. Improving health removes the cause for concern even for people prone to reflection.

10. Holding your breath.

Short-term hypoxia and then filling the body with oxygen can reduce anxiety. You can use a technique borrowed from yoga, it is called “breathing on a count of 4-7-8.”

Before you let air into your lungs, you need to exhale powerfully (through your mouth). Inhale (through your nose) for four counts, hold your breath for 7 seconds, then exhale as powerfully as you did at the beginning (for 8 seconds). 2-3 repetitions a day are enough. This practice is also useful in the treatment of insomnia.

11. Adjustment of sugar levels.

Often irritability and anxiety increase for a banal reason - a person is hungry. At the same time, sugar levels drop, which affects mood and behavior.

It is necessary to keep foods with you for a quick snack: nuts (raw and unsalted), whole grain bread, fruit, dark chocolate, a sandwich with lean meat and herbs.

Snacking on processed foods (sausages, smoked meats) and sweets only aggravates the condition due to sudden jumps in glucose levels. Very soon the body will again require food and return to a state of irritation.

12. Effect of 21 minutes.

If the thought of systematic exercise scares you, it is enough to find just 21 minutes a day in your schedule - this time period is enough to relieve anxiety.

In this case, it is necessary to choose an aerobic exercise: running, jumping, walking on an elliptical (or regular) staircase; in extreme cases, a regular walk is also suitable (if you keep a high pace).

13. Mandatory breakfast.

Those who suffer from increased anxiety often ignore breakfast. An excuse can be too much workload (when every minute, especially in the morning, is precious), or lack of appetite, or fear of gaining weight.

Choosing the right products will not only put you in a good mood for a long time, but will also have a beneficial effect on your figure. One of the obligatory dishes during the morning reception should be scrambled eggs (boiled eggs or omelet are also suitable). This product fills the body with protein and healthy fats, which allows you to feel full longer. Eggs contain choline - low levels of this element in the body provoke anxiety attacks.

14. Refusal of negative thinking.

When anxiety attacks, there is no room left for positive thoughts; pictures, one more terrible than the other, scroll through your head again and again. Moreover, the likelihood of such a bad development of the situation may be negligible.

This flow of negativity needs to be stopped as early as possible by practicing deep breathing and looking at the problem from all sides. If you work through the situation soberly, without emotions, it will become clear that everything is fixable, and the order of necessary actions will immediately emerge.

15. Sauna or bathhouse.

When heated, the body relaxes, muscle tension subsides, and anxiety decreases.

Even the neutron networks that control mood (including those responsible for the production of serotonin) change under the influence of heat. It’s not for nothing that after the procedure there is a feeling of peace, calm, and your head literally clears up.

16. Walk in the forest.

The Japanese know a lot about maintaining health – including emotional health. The popular practice of shinrin-yoku helps restore psychological balance.

The procedure is also available to residents of other countries - it is an ordinary walk along forest paths. It is preferable to visit a coniferous forest, receiving a portion of phytoncides as a bonus.

The surrounding aromas, sounds, and the need to walk on uneven ground have a calming effect on the psyche. After just 20 minutes of walking, your stress levels are significantly reduced.

17. Mindfulness meditation.

This Buddhist practice is effective in treating anxiety disorder. It helps to realize the importance of each moment, and to critically evaluate what is actually happening, and not the terrible pictures drawn by the imagination running wild under the influence of panic.

You can start by simply concentrating on what is happening, the most ordinary things, the main thing is not to allow your consciousness to slip into fantasy (especially with a negative connotation).

18. Statement of the problem.

Finding ways to deal with increased anxiety already indicates that the person has realized the problem. The ability to analyze your emotional state and draw the right conclusions is a good sign and the first step towards improving your condition.

When you know the problem in person, it is easier to solve it. Further steps include working on positive thinking (such as reframing) and making lifestyle changes.

Constantly being in a state of anxiety over time destroys not only your emotional health, but also your physical health. Use these recommendations to combat stress, and if there is no improvement, seek help from a specialist.