Anxiety is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting. It can take a toll on how you feel, how you behave, and how you interact with the people and situations around you. We all deal with certain levels of anxiety at different moments throughout our lives, but anxiety can spiral out of control. If you’ve been feeling exhausted and anxious for a while, you might be seeking ways to fix your anxiety symptoms.
Remember that the feelings of anxiety you are having are deeper than just the physical effects- your body is trying to get your attention. Some of us have experienced anxiety since we were very young, while others of us are responding to tough life circumstances with anxiety on a temporary basis.
You aren’t alone- many people are suffering from anxiety. If you are experiencing anxiety and you aren’t sure why, don’t feel like your problem isn’t worth talking about. Even people who aren’t normally anxious can benefit from treating anxiety during times of their life when they feel abnormally stressed or brought down.
Anxiety can be situational, a response to a death in your family, a tough school term, high career pressure, financial troubles, social difficulties, and much more. If you are in a situation that is causing you anxiety, think about your feelings. Are you anxious because you don’t want to fail, disappoint someone else, or have other fears? This anxiety is one way your body is telling you that you are taking your situation seriously, which isn’t a bad thing.
However, it is important to not let anxiety or fear rule your life during these challenging times. You might need to pay close attention to your diet, your exercise habits, and how you are sleeping in order to succeed at the task or situation that is making you anxious. If your anxiety doesn’t improve with time, you may want to consider getting additional support.
Anxiety can be genetic, too. Your family might have a history of anxiety and worry, which can make you predisposed to anxiety in your own life. If you grew up in uncertain circumstances, had a rough home life, or have had an unstable or uncertain adult life, you might have experienced anxiety for so long that it has started to feel normal.
Trauma can also cause anxiety. This can lead to other issues like post-traumatic stress disorder. Anxiety is commonly associated with depression as well.
If you’ve seen a doctor about your anxiety symptoms, there are typically five categories of anxiety that people can be diagnosed with. These include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- PTSD
- OCD
- Phobias
Just because you have anxiety doesn’t mean you are mentally ill. Anxiety can be caused by life circumstances, toxic people or situations, physical pain or illness, a genetic predisposition, and bad life choices.
We don’t have control over everything in our lives, but we can control some things that contribute to our anxiety levels.
Here are a few things to think about when it comes to treating your anxiety:
- Listen to your body. Try to think about where your anxiety is coming from, be it your childhood, your relationships, or a specific stressful life situation.
- Come up with coping mechanisms. Many people find that breathing deeply in a pattern can help with the physical feelings of anxiety. Others meditate for five or ten minutes a day, do yoga, or maintain a diet that reduces physical issues. These can all be effective ways to manage your anxiety and ultimately cause you to be healthier in the long run.
- Create a safe environment around you. If there are toxic situations or people in your life, do what you can to minimize their influence on you. Create boundaries and healthy standards for yourself.
- Research self-help techniques. Some people find that herbal remedies, essential oils, and other small habits can help them manage their anxiety on a regular basis. If you suffer from anxiety, its important to recognize how you need to manage your symptoms before they escalate too much.
- Finally, seeking professional help is absolutely a viable option for treating your anxiety. Talking to a therapist or a counsellor can help you feel better about the things you are stressed about and can help you come up with constructive solutions for managing your anxiety and moving forward with your life. It is never a bad thing to ask for a little help. Additionally, if your anxiety is taking over parts of your life, medication may be one way to treat your symptoms and allow you to get to the root cause of your anxiety.