Anxiety is one of the most prominent mental health conditions in the world. Anxiety affects 6.8 million adults or 3.1% of the U.S. population with only 43.2% receiving treatment. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men. Anxiety often co-occurs with depression.
Anxiety can range in severity from person to person. Some have difficulty consistently with anxiety, while others experience flare-ups triggered by life events.
Luckily there are many ways you can learn to manage your anxiety and be in more control of your emotions.
Here are five habits that can help make your symptoms feel more manageable and help you take control of your life again.
1. Talk to someone
You don’t have to suffer in silence. Seeing a therapist can help you overcome your anxiety by helping to create healthy coping skills. Sharing your struggles with someone you trust in your life can also be helpful and we often find that others have similar struggles that are relatable.
2. Get active
Physical activity has many benefits one being that it can significantly benefit your mental health. Exercise regulates your brain’s response to stress and alleviates feelings of anxiety, many times almost immediately. And here’s a bonus: get outside when being active to increase serotonin levels.
3. Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness can help bring you back to the present moment to help reduce worries about the past or the future. Spending a few minutes being mindful can prevent anxious thoughts from becoming invasive.
4. Get sleep
Creating a healthy sleep routine has a large impact on reducing anxiety. Going to bed at the same time each night and practicing good sleep hygiene habits can help increase sleep quality.
5. Start journaling
Writing down your thoughts and feelings daily can help shift perspective around anxious thought patterns. Seeing these thoughts and feelings on paper can help them look less overwhelming.
Is it time that you sought help for your anxiety? Active Path provides short-term psychotherapy services for those suffering from anxiety. For more information, click here or fill out our free consultation form below.
Sources:
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics
