What To Do When You Have Anxiety

Below we present some of the most common anxiety symptoms:

• Muscle tension.
• Excessive avoidance and vigilance behaviors in relation to a future threat or danger.
• Concern.
• Excitement or nervousness.
• Another symptom of anxiety is the ease of fatigue.
• Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank.
• Irritability.
• Sleep disturbances.
• Excessive worry and difficulty controlling it.
• Significant discomfort and/or deterioration in the social, work or other important areas of the person’s functioning.

Panic attacks are characterized by appearance of symptoms such as intense fear and/or discomfort which reach a maximum level very quickly and, in addition, are accompanied by other physical symptoms (palpitations, sweating…) and cognitive symptoms.

They can be differentiated two types of appearance of panic attacks: on the one hand, panic attacks can be expected, being the response to previously feared objects or situations and, on the other hand, they can be unexpected, appearing for no apparent reason.

Thus, people who usually suffer from panic attacks or crises are permanently uneasy and/or worried about suffering a new crisis or change their behavior in a maladaptive way, such as by avoiding certain situations. Taking into account the characteristics of panic attacks, it is common to ask What to do in case of a panic attack? Below, we propose some tips that may be useful for both family members and patients themselves.

• Wait For the panic attack to pass, do not fight or flee to avoid it, it is advisable to accept the attack and think that nothing terrible will happen.
• It is recommended that patients remember that the symptoms are unpleasant but at the same time, remember that they are not dangerous.
• Focus, observe what happens (not what you fear will happen) and describe what happens during the panic attack.
• To procure stop adding thoughts of fear during the attack and observe how when you stop adding them the crisis begins to disappear. When this happens, it is important to pay attention to which thoughts you put aside and which ones replace them.
• Another tip that should be kept in mind during a panic attack is the fact that notice when anxiety begins to increase until it reaches its peak and when it begins to decrease.
• The controlled breathing reduces the physical symptoms of anxiety, which is why it is recommended to breathe through the nose appropriately, that is, slowly and relaxed, mentally counting from 1 to 4 both to inhale and to exhale. On the contrary, hyperventilating (rapid) breathing can lead to panic symptoms, such as increased heart rate.
• Convince yourself that it is a panic attack and that the thoughts and feelings of excessive fear They will disappear shortly.
• During a panic attack it is common to have the sensation that time is passing very slowly, which is why it is recommended look at the clock to be able to control the time that passes.

Below, we present the four best-known methods to control anxiety:

• Chill out: It is beneficial for people who suffer from anxiety as it reduces muscle tension and the body discomfort that this tension causes (headache, back pain, etc.), it also helps reduce body functions that accelerate when anxiety takes over. them (acceleration of heart rate…), among others. You can learn Jacobson’s progressive relaxation technique.
• Distraction techniques: When a person is worried or tense, it is common for them to find it difficult not to think about it, although these thoughts only work against the person, making them feel worse and increasing their anxiety. However, it is recommended focus on other things instead of thinking about what causes anxiety, and for this it may be beneficial to resort to distraction techniques.
• Control automatic disturbing thoughts: There are thoughts that promote anxiety in people, causing physical symptoms derived from those thoughts (example: if I think that I may have something in my heart, it will accelerate its rhythm, I will experience sweating, palpitations, etc.). Well, these are the thoughts that must be learned to identify and control, preferably with the help of a professional Of the health.
• Manage feelings of distress or loss of control: anxiety situations should not be avoided, but rather they should be faced and tried to manage them. For this reason, it is recommended to establish some guidelines before experiencing an anxiety situation to control as much as possible what the person should do. Furthermore, within these guidelines, relaxation, distraction, among others, may appear.

Despite everything, it is highly recommended to go to specialist professionals so that they can control and monitor the different situations of each patient. In addition, the specialist can teach you how to relax, appropriate distraction techniques, among others.

On the one hand, exercising or any other form of physical activity It can be very beneficial to improve the health of people who suffer from anxiety, since it allows the mind to move to other thoughts, away from worries, increases self-confidence, generates well-being, increases social interaction depending on the type of exercise that is performed, among others. Therefore, exercising can help both prevent and improve health problems, such as anxiety.

On the other hand, in relation to other types of exercise, leaving aside physical activation and sport, activities such as those already mentioned above must also be taken into account: relaxation, distraction techniques, control of thoughts, etc. . These activities are also beneficial to be able to cope with anxiety more adequately.

This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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