Occasional feelings of anxiety or worry can be seen as a normal response to stressful situations. But for about 30% of U.S. adults, they’ve experienced anxiety at some point in their lifetime that can be amplified to excessive, persistent, and interfere with daily life. This includes physiological symptoms of anxiety, such as sweating, rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath.

The root causes of anxiety disorders are complex and can stem from a mixture of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. So, while the occurrence of anxiety disorders is not necessarily preventable, you can try to manage anxiety in your daily life by implementing coping strategies and seeking professional help.

Tips for Coping with Anxiety

Certain lifestyle changes or mindfulness techniques can help manage anxiety. Fortunately, you can combine a variety of research-backed techniques to ease anxiety in your daily life.

Be proactive

Not only does regular exercise help maintain overall health, but it has also been shown to reduce the severity and frequency of anxiety attacks. Even just one workout may be helpful (at least temporarily).

Data shows that 15 minutes of activity a day, such as walking, biking, or swimming, can begin to relieve short-term anxiety symptoms. For longer-lasting, more significant benefits, keep exercising. This means at least two hours of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, each week. It also means regular conscious exercise practices such as yoga, which are believed to have anxiolytic effects.

Get enough sleep

There is a complex relationship between anxiety and sleep. Studies have shown that anxiety can lead to sleep deprivation and vice versa – sleep deprivation triggers anxiety. Women may be particularly affected by this relationship.

To help stop this cycle, evaluate your current sleep habits. While adjusting your sleep habits is easier said than done, remember that getting enough sleep is essential for overall health, mood improvement, and stress reduction.

Experts recommend employing one or more of the following sleep techniques to relieve anxiety symptoms:

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule so that your body and mind get used to regularity.
• Don’t play with your phone or watch TV before going to bed to suppress your brain activity at night.
• Drinking a warm cup of herbal tea can help keep your body in a state of relaxation.
• Turn on some relaxing spa music to soothe the mind and possibly improve sleep quality.

Limit Alcohol and Caffeine

Substances like alcohol and caffeine can affect functions like sleep and mood, so it’s no surprise that they also have the potential to trigger anxiety. That’s why experts recommend limiting the intake of these two substances to avoid exacerbating anxiety symptoms.

When reducing your caffeine intake, though, be aware that you may experience some withdrawal symptoms along the way. Drinking water throughout the day to stay hydrated may help. Studies have found that drinking plain water is associated with a lower risk of anxiety and depression in adults.

Eat a Balanced Meal

What you eat can affect how you feel. For anxiety symptoms, maintaining normal blood sugar levels can have a big positive impact.

Researchers have found that diets rich in processed foods, fatty foods, and sugar are more likely to trigger anxiety than diets rich in lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables.

After changing eating habits, the improvement of anxiety symptoms can be seen quickly. After following a balanced eating plan, some study participants reported a reduction in anxiety levels within a month.

Self-Care

Make time for regular self-care, as this can help relieve anxiety symptoms. Everyone’s self-care style is different. For you, self-care may mean setting aside time for fun activities and relaxation strategies, chatting with friends, getting a massage, or journaling. Emptying your schedule for these purposes can help improve your well-being.

Meditate

By clearing the mind and entering a state of deep relaxation, meditation and conscious deep breathing may help reduce anxiety symptoms in people with anxiety disorders.

Studies have shown that one type of meditation that can reduce anxiety is guided mental imagery. This can also be referred to as guided meditation, visual imagery, mental rehearsal, or guided self-hypnosis. Guided mental imagery often involves portraying a future situation, task, or event in a positive way so that when it actually happens, you will feel more prepared and at ease.

Many mental health professionals can help guide meditation. You can even find useful online resources or apps.

Try Grounding Techniques

Grounding is the process of temporarily freeing yourself from anxiety in order to allow yourself to focus. Grounding, while not stopping you from feeling anxious, may help reduce the intensity of anxiety. This can make you feel safer and more in control.

There are several techniques to keep your feet on the ground. One of them is the 333 rule, which can be used anytime, anywhere, to keep you grounded. To practice the 333 rule, do the following:

1. Scan your surroundings and name the three objects you can see.
2. Listen to your surroundings and say three things you can hear.
3. Touching or moving three things, such as objects or body parts near you.

Another grounding technique is the 54321 method. To do this, you should determine the following in your environment:

• Something you can taste
• You can smell two things
• Three things you can hear
• Four things you can touch
• There are five things you can see

When to See a Doctor to Relieve Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal reaction to a particular event or situation, sometimes you may feel anxious and the anxiety does not go away, it can be a sign of an anxiety disorder, there is a difference between anxiety.

Experts recommend keeping an eye out for some common signs. Consider contacting a healthcare provider if you notice:

• Difficulty controlling anxiety symptoms
• Finding it difficult to carry out daily life normally
• Excessive or frequent worry and anxiety
• Poor sleep, either too little or too much
• anorexia
• Symptoms of physical anxiety, such as a fast heart rate or sweating
• Feeling increasingly irritable or moody
• Difficulty concentrating