Tips To Control Anxiety

We can control anxiety by simultaneously managing two types of approaches: one cognitive and the other behavioral.

Becoming aware of the existence of this psychological condition is, without a doubt, the first and most important step of all.

As striking as it may be, there are many people who do not assume the presence of this problem in their day-to-day lives. The beginning often starts from these unmanaged stressors, from situations where worries and mental exhaustion not only extend over time, but also intensify.

Controlling anxiety in this society marked and defined by stress is a priority that we should all work on.

Thus, just as we exercise in a sport, take care of our diet or cultivate our mind with new knowledge and skills, it would be essential that we learn to manage these recurring conditions.

The keys to achieving this, as we have pointed out, involve goals at the cognitive level (modifying dysfunctional beliefs) and, in turn, behavioral (initiating changes in our routines).

Let us, therefore, see some valuable tips to put them into practice.

Sometimes you just can’t handle everything: asking for help is also synonymous with responsibility

Plato said with great success that “nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety. “

With this reflection something very simple is evoked: no aspect of our day to day deserves that intense fear, the one with which sooner or later we lose control over our own reality. Namely:

• No one is efficient, successful, or competent when their psychological state is characterized by high anxiety.
• Instead, a moderate stress level acts as an impetus to help us achieve our goals.

Now, there are several aspects that should be clear when dealing with anxiety:

• Sometimes we overcommit. We want to get to everything and we also want to carry all responsibility on our own back.
• However, it must be clear, the day has only 24 hours, we are people and we need to maintain a balance between obligations, rest time, self-care and pleasure.
• Understanding that we must delegate responsibilities to others is precisely an accountability strategy.
• If the discomfort persists, it is necessary to seek professional and specialized help.

To control anxiety, watch your thoughts

You take care of your skin, your weight, your intelligence by training yourself with courses, books, workshops … Why don’t we start taking care of our thoughts as well?

• To manage anxiety we must try to detect those negative and dysfunctional beliefs that limit us in the face of difficulties.
• We must discard the “I’m going to fail”, “I’m sure it will go wrong”, “this is going to get worse”, “nobody understands me”, “even if I try, it won’t do any good”.
• Nor is it about cultivating blind and exaggerated optimism. It is only about not losing hope, of placing ourselves in that gaze capable of seeing a little light in each difficulty, of renewing illusions in the face of failure.

The past does not exist, the future has not yet happened: place your mind in the here and now

Anxiety loves to anticipate catastrophes, mistakes, misfortunes and the most varied fatalities.

In turn, it thrives on our past failures and disappointments. What good is this attitude to us? Basically to cause us discomfort and make us captives of anxiety.

Let us turn our attention to the only thing that matters: the here and now.

Take a deep breath (practice breathing and relaxation)

To control anxiety, it will also be useful to practice strategies such as the following:

• Muscle relaxation: through which it would try to relax our body from certain muscle groups. We will start with the neck and forehead and then go to the back, arms, hands, abdomen and legs. Jacobson’s progressive relaxation technique is one of the most effective.

• Diaphragmatic breathing: it is another strategy that can be used when faced with states of anxiety. It consists of breathing deeply, but focusing the activity on the diaphragm and belly area. When inhaling oxygen, we must ensure that the abdomen swells instead of the chest.

Yes to Mindfulness

There are studies in which it has been found that the practice of Mindfulness can be associated with fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Mindfulness can help us to be more aware of our needs, what is happening in our present and also our moods.

This traditional practice with Buddhist roots is a very cathartic way of calming the mind, relaxing the body and generating changes to find well-being.

Final note

Although we take these guidelines into account, we must consider that the best answer to control anxiety is always the expert help of specialists.

At our disposal we have very adequate psychological therapies to learn to manage the emotional discomfort that characterizes anxiety states.