Easy said than done isn’t it? Being told to stay calm during panic attacks, being told to stay brave during nervous breakdowns and many more other situations? To keep going when anxiety makes our life a living pain is undoubtedly considered to be the most difficult tasks to do. For most of us, the word ‘anxiety’ sounds like a title. We begin to believe it defines who we are. Anxiety can affect our behaviour in numerous ways, the most common practice being having restrictions and boundaries around even our closest people. Sufferers can be your friends and family (even teachers!), but some have perfected the art of hiding it beneath the surface of skins and smiles. Let us take this one step further and discuss about it, shall we?
WHAT IS ANXIETY?
According to the definition provided by MedicineNet, anxiety is “a feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and feelings of stress.” It does churn a cog inside don’t you think? And that is because we’ve all- at some point in our life – felt that way. If you aren’t still convinced, just look back to the time you had an assignment that you were obliged to submit but you’ve been delaying. The submission date inches closer and closer and you have a taut feeling rising within you, due to the regret and pressure. That is how it feel to have anxiety.
HOW DO I RECOGNIZE IF I HAVE ANXIETY?
The symptoms of anxiety varies between each one of us. But it can also be detected by some of the symptoms that have become common.
- Restlessness
- Insomnia
- Sweating heavily
- Activation of the sense ‘fight’ or ‘flight’
- Gastrointestinal problems such as acidity, passing of gas or constipation
- Avoiding people, events or things that trigger some of these symptoms within you
HOW DO I REDUCE ANXIETY?
It can get overwhelming to handle the roller coaster of emotions that torment your peace of mind. To give yourself some relief, the following provided steps can be taken to reduce your anxiety.
- Play some music in the background and perform exercises – exercise can provide anxiety relief more than you know, and with some good music playing in the background, you are bound to feel good!
- Reducing or avoiding the intake of caffeine – caffeine is not your friend if you have anxiety! In fact, it makes you feel worse!
- Perform breathing exercises – deep breathing exercises can help you feel less anxious when your anxiety is prompted
- Relaxing yourself by doing aromatherapy – scented candles, jazz music can indeed give you good sleep as well as a calm mind!
There are more than these several ways to provide relief so find what makes you feel better and do it. There is no assurance these will work for everyone, so identify what triggers your anxiety, understand why you feel that way and be the person who makes you feel better!
Rtr. Raheesa Moulana
Editor