Ways to Deal With Anxiety

The symptoms of anxiety can be crippling for some people. Learning how to take action when you feel the symptoms--such as your heart racing, your palms sweating and the overwhelming feeling of dread creeping up--can help you take control of the situation. Start fighting back against feelings of anxiety.

Therapy

• No matter what type of anxiety disorder you suffer from, therapy can be a great resource. Licensed mental health professionals are trained to help people who suffer from anxiety. If you have a specific phobia, a therapist can help you analyze your phobia and assist you in exposing yourself to the phobia in a safe way. For example, if you have a spider phobia and it greatly impacts your daily living, the therapist would help you reduce the fear so it would no longer impact your daily living. If you suffer from generalized anxiety, the therapist would give you specific techniques to reduce your anxiety. You would work on those techniques in and out of therapy.

  Individual therapy is ideal for someone who needs a therapist to help him make an individual plan, and group therapy is a good option for people to get support from others who have the same issues.

Medication

• If you have a level of anxiety that impacts your daily living, then you may require medication to assist you in lowering your levels of anxiety. For example, if you have panic attacks and feel like you're dying, become paralyzed in crowds of people or become too overwhelmed to speak in front of anyone you don't know, you may need medication for a period of time until you can work with a therapist on mastering techniques. If you think you need medication, consult your therapist and your primary care physician.

Techniques

• Even with therapy and medication, you'll need basic techniques to deal with your anxiety in the moment. Relaxation techniques can be helpful when you start to feel the symptoms of anxiety arise. One relaxation technique is to focus on your breathing and take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Another relaxation technique is visualizing a safe place. For instance, close your eyes and imagine that you're sitting on a beach with white sand and clear, calm water. In Try to feel the warmth on your skin, smell the ocean and hear the water. Doing one of these techniques for even 30 seconds can help reduce feelings of anxiety.

  Many therapists also suggest regular exercise, healthy eating and at least 8 hours of sleep for people who suffer from anxiety. These are natural ways to reduce daily stress and promote healthy living. To get the benefits from exercise, you participate in aerobic exercise most days of the week for at least 30 minutes.