In our world, anxiety can be a severe hindrance for many people. Some people are diagnosed with it, while some people are not. However, I don't think that where anxiety is considered, a diagnosis is required. I know so many people who have anxiety in many different levels of severities. Anxiety can be difficult to explain, especially to someone who doesn't live with it. This is especially difficult when the cause of a person's anxiety may seem irrational to those around them.
I personally have what I consider to be a mild to medium form of anxiety which means most of the time it doesn't affect me that much. However, in large crowds or situations where I am under pressure and public speaking, to name a few, can cause me to have a severe anxiety attack. These attacks are different for everybody, but for me, they involve a few different things. One of those symptoms, which most people (especially with severe anxiety) experience is feeling as if you are dying. The world spirals around you, and you get really scared. I also get really overheated, can't keep my legs and hands still (which I do most of the time, though, but it is more extreme during an attack) and it becomes harder to breathe. Even just writing this article and thinking about anxiety gives me some of these milder reactions.
So, for all of you reading this who experience these symptoms—or even if you don't—here are some tips for dealing with anxiety.
1. Breathe.
Like I said before, sometimes when you have anxiety, it can become difficult to breathe normally. This happens to me a lot and I've found a good pattern of breathing for making it somewhat easier to handle. What I do is, I start by breathing deeply inward, slowly counting to five as I go. Then I hold for three seconds and slowly exhale for another seven. This is one of the easiest ways to regulate your breathing when having an anxiety attack, in my opinion.
2. Ground yourself.
When experiencing an anxiety attack, it can seem like the world is running away from you. A good way for counteracting this feeling is to find things around you that involve your sense. Find three things that you can touch, three that you can smell, three that you can hear and so on until you feel more grounded. Feeling like you are losing touch with your reality is a scary feeling, and if you let it escape from you even further, your anxiety attack can last for much longer than it normally would.
3. Find a distraction for your hands.
What I mean by this is, find something—maybe a rubber band, a stress ball or seam on your jeans—and just keep one or both of your hands busy with this object. For me, I often wear a hair tie on my wrist and lightly snap it with my fingers. It keeps my right hand immobile and my left hand busy. The idea of this is to help you focus on something mindless, because this often helps to fend off your anxious feelings, or at least, minimize them.
4. Sing.
Singing often helps me to keep myself feeling calm. I frequently sing in the car, preferably with nobody else around (it's kind of like public speaking), unless it is only one, very close person. Humming is also something that can help you feel calm, especially if you listen to slower music. Specifically, you should listen to music that has a steady beat or a consistent and basic rhythm. This kind of music helps me to calm myself down and my heart rate slows with it.
These are only a few of the many ways that you can deal with anxiety, but these are my four favorites. For me, at least, they work pretty well with helping me cope. If anybody has any other tips for anxiety, I would love to hear them! Please share them in the comments below.
