Taking Control of Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Anxiety disorder symptoms can interfere with your physiological, emotional, and cognitive health. They impact relationships, work, and education. Learning to take control of anxiety disorder symptoms can help you manage and overcome them.

Common Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

People with anxiety disorder symptoms experience a wide range of physical and emotional changes.

Common anxiety disorder symptoms include:

• Excessive worry or fear
• Trouble concentrating
• Feeling restless
• Rapid heart rate
• High blood pressure
• Mood swings
• Sleep problems
• Panic attacks

These symptoms can combine and leave the person feeling anxious and panicked. For example, a panic attack can mirror heart attack symptoms, increasing anxiety. If you suspect you have experienced a panic attack for the first time, consult with your doctor to rule out heart issues. Once you have received clearance, seek help from a mental health professional to treat anxiety disorder symptoms.

Tips for Managing Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Your lifestyle contributes a great deal to the severity of anxiety disorder symptoms. For example, overconsumption of alcohol can worsen anxiety. Alcohol affects neurotransmitters, such as serotonin. You may initially feel calmer after a drink, but once the alcohol wears off, your anxiety will return, perhaps worse than before the alcohol.

Making lifestyle changes can help reduce stress and anxiety. You can help lower stress hormones like cortisol, soothe your adrenals, lower blood pressure, regulate heart rate, and emotions with a few healthier changes.

The following is a list of tips for taking control of anxiety disorder symptoms.

Understand your triggers

Identifying and understanding your triggers can help you manage and cope with situations, workload, or people more effectively. You may be able to take steps to avoid triggers or remove them entirely. You can delegate, diminish, or delete tasks. This can look like looking for a different position or job, or limiting exposure to certain people who trigger stress.

When you identify triggers, you can learn how to analyze your thoughts and beliefs surrounding them. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), you learn how to analyze and change your thoughts and the resulting emotions and behaviors associated with them.

Seek professional help

Counseling is more than just seeking advice from an unbiased third party. A counselor is a mental health practitioner specializing in evidence-based psychological methods and techniques. A counselor assesses your symptoms and creates a customized plan of strategies and skills to help you identify triggers, analyze thoughts and emotions, change behaviors, and move forward confidently.

A Christian counselor combines the science of psychology with faith-based principles, drawing you closer into a relationship with Christ as a means of strength. You can meet with a counselor for face-to-face sessions or virtual appointments from the comfort of your home.

Practice deep breathing

Deep breathing helps calm the nervous system and promotes a sense of calm and relaxation. Most people do not breathe deeply enough to force oxygen into the bloodstream. Breathing deeply triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps decrease heart rate and lower blood pressure.

There are several different techniques of deep breathing. For starters, try inhaling through the nose until you feel your lungs reach full capacity, about the count of four. Next, hold your breath for the count of four. Then, release, exhaling from the mouth for another count of four. Repeat until you feel calmer.

Stretch more

Stretching exercises help soothe tense muscles and promote overall body relaxation. You may be unaware that you are carrying tension in your shoulders, back, or neck. Exercises and progressive relaxation techniques stretch and lengthen muscles, promoting calmness.

A personal trainer or instructor can teach you proper form and positioning for stretching regimens. Consider checking in with your local gym or community center for more information. You can also find classes online if you prefer to work out at home. Make stretching a part of your daily routine. Even a 10-minute stretching session in the morning can leave you feeling better all day.

Practice progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique to help you connect with your mind and body. Chronic anxiety keeps stress levels high and in a state of constant fight-or-flight mode. Focusing on specific body parts allows you to recognize tension and relaxation.

Lie on a bed or the floor. Calm your breathing by taking deep, relaxing breaths. Starting with your toes, tense and curl the muscles and hold for a few seconds. Release and notice the tension leaving the body. Next, move to the foot. Repeat the process for each body part as you scan toward the head. Notice any lingering tension in an area and repeat as necessary.

Get more rest

Many of us don’t take the time to rest. We run around trying to fulfill responsibilities and make the most of every free second. Yet, God commanded us to rest. He rested after six days of work. He knew that our minds and bodies needed deep rest at least once a week.

Schedule a day each week to relax. Some people choose Sundays as a day reserved for just church and a time to relax with family and friends. Additionally, set aside time during your day to allow your muscles to relax and clear your mind. Perhaps this time could be in the middle of the day with a good book and lunch. Or you could make it part of your evening routine.

Prioritize regular exercise

Regular exercise lowers stress hormones and triggers the release of chemicals, such as serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. Serotonin and dopamine regulate mood, leaving you feeling happy and accomplished. Endorphins work as a natural medication for pain and boost your mood. You walk away feeling confident and less stressed. Exercise also helps lower blood pressure and regulate heart rate.

To gain the most benefit, make regular exercise a priority. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly. Varying your workouts throughout the week can help prevent boredom.

For example, you could alternate between yoga and Pilates most mornings, followed by a brisk thirty-minute walk to benefit from cardio, flexibility, and balance. Two to four days per week, incorporate strength training with body resistance and free weights to enhance bone density and strength.

Avoid caffeine, sugar, and alcohol

Do you run on caffeine and sugar? Do you rely on these substances to get you through your day? What about a glass or two of wine in the evenings? Caffeine, sugar, and alcohol can worsen anxiety. Although you may feel better after consuming these substances, the feeling is fleeting. The effects of caffeine, sugar, and alcohol can leave you with a hangover, making you sluggish, triggering inflammation, and increasing anxiety.

Commit to cutting back on these substances to avoid withdrawal headaches and other symptoms. If you typically drink two or three cups of coffee in the morning, consider cutting back to one cup in the morning, and eventually to a half-caffeine or decaf blend.

Avoid added sugars in foods and sweetened beverages and treats, saving them for special occasions or as part of one meal a week. Taper the amount of alcohol you consume. Perhaps switch from a glass of wine with dinner to a glass every other night or once a week until your body adjusts.

Use journaling as a coping mechanism

Journaling is also an effective coping mechanism. This tool provides an outlet for your thoughts and emotions. When you write your thoughts on the page, you can identify negative beliefs that may be fueling your anxiety. You can also work out solutions.

Consider using an old-school paper journal. Writing with a pen on paper is cathartic for many people. If you meet with a counselor, consider sharing entries that you feel could help your sessions.

Christian Counseling for Anxiety

If you need help managing anxiety disorder symptoms, reach out to our Christian counseling center in your area. Our representatives will connect you with a Christian counselor to meet either in person or virtually. Anxiety shouldn’t keep you from living your life. Call us today to get started.