Among the reasons why people go to psychological consultation, anxiety stands out.
This phenomenon has effects both on our physiological state (sweat, blood pressure, etc.) and on our thoughts and actions, and in fact appears both in patients without diagnosable mental disorders and in such important psychological pathologies as OCD or social phobia. . Anxiety takes many forms and is capable of manifesting itself in different ways and regardless of our way of life.
Thus, It is important to know what to do if you have anxiety ; If we modify certain aspects of our daily life, we will be less vulnerable to this type of discomfort and we will be able to prevent its appearance in contexts in which it is not useful to us. Let’s see how we can limit its harmful effects on our mental health.
Anxiety is one of the most common psychological and physiological disorders, and it can appear regardless of our lifestyle. In fact, it is part of the basic functioning of the human body, and its reason for being is very simple: it leads us to pay attention to our environment to react quickly when there is something potentially dangerous.
The curious thing about anxiety is that it has not disappeared when we begin to live in societies in which access to technology and the creation of the welfare state has distanced us from immediate physical dangers such as predators or death from hunger or accidents. . However, this propensity to enter a state of alert continues to stalk us and appears even when there are no contexts that are capable of seriously harming us; Sometimes, something as seemingly simple as a midterm exam or the need to cook something for guests in our home can lead us to suffer through a mix of anguish and stress
In part, anxiety is a product of our body’s inability to adapt to tasks and challenges that require continued effort. Therefore, we must make sure that we are doing everything possible to ensure that our body is able to perform well and has energy available.
For it, It is essential to have a healthy diet and sleep well, above all. It may be that the same lifestyle that leads us to suffer from stress encourages us to forget these two aspects of daily life to focus on what worries us, but if we take them seriously, the effects of this will be quickly noticeable.
2. Do moderate exercise
This tip to control anxiety is related to the previous one, but it also represents an escape valve to release tension. Being able to make physical efforts without damaging our body thanks to moderate exercise keeps our muscles and joints in good health, and is also an excellent way to “disengage” our attention from our worries and obsessions, so that although it may seem paradoxical, it prevents us from We feel exhausted more quickly as the day progresses.
So, spend between 30 and 40 minutes doing moderate exercise about 4 or 5 times a week and try not to make it shortly before you go to sleep at night.
3. Plan your time
Another thing that we usually miss when asking ourselves “what to do if I have anxiety?” The thing is that this alteration often arises when we see that we do not adapt effectively to the challenges that arise in our path, such as university projects or professional goals.
Therefore, not wasting time and effectively managing our capabilities and resources is key. Therefore, it is important facilitate our commitment to these goals and for this we must subdivide the goals into simpler and smaller goals, and set short-term dates to reach them.
Keeping an agenda and writing everything down there is also very useful as well as physically moving away from distractions during the times of day that we set to attend to these responsibilities.
4. Attend psychotherapy
The possibility of going to psychotherapy and having professional help who can monitor our evolution is also a possibility to take into account. Contrary to what is often believed, these types of psychological interventions are usually short, and do not focus only on talking to the psychologist, but on receiving “training” that leads us to transform our habits to protect ourselves against anxiety, more whether or not we are inclined to experience its effects.
To manage the effects of anxiety and prevent its appearance in contexts in which it is of little use, psychotherapy professionals use different tools.
In the Psicode Institute of Psychology of Alicante For example, we intervene by helping patients transform their way of relating to their environment and also by helping them adopt a mentality through which self-confidence increases and it is less common to feel overwhelmed by events when it is really possible to put ourselves at ease. at the helm of what happens.
These are the basic principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy applied to anxiety, which affects both behavior and thoughts and beliefs so that we believe that we can face challenges and are more capable of managing them effectively.
At the Psychode Psychology Institute, which has more than 12 years of experience, they point out that although it is essential to adapt psychological therapy to the needs and personality of the patient, this double path of action is something that guarantees achieving results. desired in the shortest possible time, making the effects of psychotherapy sessions last over time Of course, they also use techniques that complement this cognitive-behavioral approach, such as Mindfulness, which helps people better modulate their attentional state and not let worries linked to the past and possible future generate additional problems.
In conclusion
Anxiety is an inevitable aspect of our lives, but we can do our part so that its effects do not overwhelm us and damage our well-being.
To do this, it is important to modify our habits, since this will make us less vulnerable to its appearance, and it is also desirable to be able to count on the help of psychologists with experience with anxiety problems, since their assistance can make a difference.
