Advice for dealing with anxiety

Advice for dealing with anxiety

Top advice for coping with your anxiety.

If you are living with anxiety, you may wish to try a few of these coping strategies that will have you feeling and coping better:

  • What is your purpose? Whether it’s to raise a child or to be good at your job or to continue to learn or to make the best of this gift of life, identify it, remind yourself of it, and it will give you strength.
  • Be the observer, not the sensation. Have the attitude of “Ah, there you are again, my familiar friend”, acknowledge the anxious feelings then refocus on what you want to be doing.
  • Realise that you can’t read minds and can’t possibly know what others think of you or what you should do.
  • Anxious people tend to have high IQs. Among them was the philosopher John Stuart Mill who had a nervous breakdown at the age of 20 and consoled himself by reading French history and the poetry of Wordsworth.
  • Learn some form of meditation either by finding a teacher or an online app, and practise it. Many people have found transcendental meditation (TM) – which uses the repetition of a mantra – works for them. Others enjoy mindfulness meditation which involves directing your focus towards something – your breath, for example – and returning to it without judgement each time the mind wanders.
  • Diet and exercise will help overcome and prevent anxiety. Walk more, do exercise such as yoga or Pilates that focus on breathing deeply. This reduces the heart rate and relaxes muscles, releasing tension.
  • Finding a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy practitioner to help you challenge your belief systems could help you to boost your self-esteem and give you a more positive perspective in order to ward off anxiety.
  • Make sure your diet includes zinc. A shortage of zinc has been linked to depression. Zinc is found in kiwifruit, blackberries, mushrooms, broccoli, eggs, nuts, seeds, seafood, beans and broccoli.
  • Seek help from your GP if you feel anxiety is getting the best of you.
  • If you can spare the time, consider some form of voluntary work. This has been found to improve self-esteem and reduce depression as it takes your mind off yourself and helps you to feel less isolated by connecting you with others.
  • Whatever you do, be kind to yourself. Your relationship with yourself is the most constant one in your life.

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