3 Ways to Get Your Anxiety Symptoms Under Control

Anxiety is a struggle that we have all experienced. It can often ramp up with or without our notice. In a nutshell, we experience anxiety to help alert us of nearby danger. Sometimes this danger can be due to a traumatic or uncomfortable experience and other times it comes out because you’re face to face with a life-threatening situation. No matter the cause, it can lead to major everyday struggles and sever anxiety symptoms when unmanaged.

Anxiety symptoms

Anxiety commonly is identified through a feeling of immense dread, fear, and an overall sense of discomfort. Anxiety causes many physical reactions in the body. Increased heart rate, stomach unease, tingling sensation in the arms and legs, rapid breathing, and dizziness. These symptoms can happen all together or independently of one another. Understanding why these symptoms are happening is the first step to helping manage them.

Increased heart rate

When the brain perceives that a life-threatening situation is occurring, it immediately sends signals all over the body. One of the first is to increase your heart rate. This happens so that more blood can circulate to your arms and legs in case you need to run or fight for your life.

Stomach unease

After sending the signals to the heart to increase speed, the next signal goes to your stomach. We feel a certain discomfort in the pit of our stomachs typically described as “butterflies” or “rocks” due to digestion coming to a screeching halt. After all, digesting your last meal does not seem important if your brain believes you won’t get your next. This energy that is saved from digestion goes straight to your arms and legs.

Tingling in the arms and legs

When all the energy that was saved from food digestion gets to our arms and legs along with the increased blood flow from our heart beating faster, you tend to notice it pretty quickly. This is most often described as the feeling of “pins and needles” in our arms and legs.

All of this extra energy can be the reason why some people during an adrenaline rush can run faster than they ever have or lift heavy objects they normally would not be able to. However, this is not the case every time. More often than not, when this feeling arises it can be uncomfortable, and you may feel restless.

Rapid breathing

With all of the extras that are happening throughout our body, it can feel as though we have just run a marathon since an intense workout is typically the only time our hearts are beating faster, and our arms and legs feel shaky. At this point in the anxiety symptom list, our brain is trying to make sure that we are not only getting more blood to the different parts of our bodies that may need it but also more oxygen into our muscles.

Oddly enough, when we begin operating at this level of respiration it is often described as the feeling of being unable to breathe or “catch a breath.” This is caused due to the diaphragm muscle in your stomach not being able to fully expand.

Dizziness

Increased oxygen intake also means an increase in the carbon monoxide in our system. When breathing becomes too rapid the balance of oxygen and carbon monoxide becomes unbalanced which leads to dizziness and, in severe cases, tunnel vision and loss of consciousness.

When anxiety becomes overwhelming and unregulated, it can lead to serious problems such as panic attacks and anxiety disorders. During a panic attack, you experience all of the above symptoms, but in a much more intense fashion. The development of anxiety disorders can interfere severely with daily functioning. It may cause problems with socializing, going to work, and problems with interpersonal relationships.

What do we do about this?

The first step in regulating anxiety is understanding why it is present in the first place. We do this by identifying our triggers. Common triggers for anxiety include:

• Stress from daily situations.
• Reminders of past traumatic experiences.
• Overstimulation from increased sensory experiences such as loud sounds and bright lights.
• Uncomfortable social situations.

While these are among the most common reasons a person’s anxiety can be uncontrolled, understanding your own triggers is imperative. A helpful hint for when you can identify these triggers is not to practice avoidance, but rather to help yourself regulate during the trigger. This can be accomplished by taking breaks during these high-stress times and practicing relaxation skills that can be performed during the situation.

Remember that practice does not make perfect instead it makes progress. We practice these skills multiple times daily to become efficient at them. When we practice, our brain can know what to do in times of need without having to put much thought into the process itself.

Coping skills

Breathing

Taking slow and deep breaths allows our body to be able to restore the balance of oxygen inside of our body. It also helps our diaphragm to be able to expand and regain the feeling of being able to breathe at a normal rate.

Achieve this by sitting up straight with your feet flat on the floor. Relax your muscles by lowering your shoulders and relaxing your neck and jaw muscles. Focus on your body systems involved in breathing, taking in a slow breath through your nose, expanding your stomach, and holding for three seconds. Breathe out slowly through your mouth as if you are trying to blow a bubble. Repeat this three times.

Meditate

Doing meditation is a great way to help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. This can be accomplished in many ways either on your own through the practice of mindfulness and clearing your head of unhelpful thoughts or with the assistance of apps that offer guided meditations. Meditations can be however long you desire.

Engaging in a desirable activity

This can be accomplished in any way that is best for you. The activity you choose should be something that you feel brings you happiness and peace of mind. Common activities include drawing/coloring, baking, listening to music, watching a television show you enjoy, or exercising.

This is a coping skill that has many different possibilities and there is no wrong way to do it. The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a healthy and enjoyable coping skill is to remember that it can be anything that does not cause harm (mentally or physically) to yourself or others.

When beginning your journey to manage anxiety, it can also be helpful to remember that there is no shame in seeking help from medical professionals and discussing medication options. While medication can be helpful when working to manage anxiety, it is necessary to consult a psychiatrist or your primary care physician to discuss the risks and benefits.

Medication is not always as effective for one person as it is for another and finding the right medication for you can be a journey itself. If you do decide to begin medication, always take your prescription as directed by your doctor and do not discontinue or increase dosage without consultation with your doctor beforehand.

There are many ways that a person can begin working to manage their anxiety symptoms. Making everyday lifestyle changes can lead to some of the most effective improvements in mental health. Eating a healthy diet, making sure that you are getting adequate sleep, drinking plenty of water, avoiding alcohol and other substances, and getting more sunlight.

If you are struggling to manage your anxiety it is important to know that asking for help is a great first step. Talking with a professional about these symptoms and finding a treatment plan that works best for you are among the strongest and bravest things that we can do for ourselves.

Finding a therapist that you feel is a right fit for you can be a daunting task itself, but there is help available. If this speaks to you, please call and set up your risk-free fifteen-minute consultation at no charge to you.