Today, society encourages people to live hectic lives, a fact that can have serious consequences. Ideas circulate in our minds at unusual speeds, which can produce feelings that generate some discomfort such as anxiety. If you have previously experienced moments that have awakened you with high anxiety and you feel that you experience this sensation often, you may be having anxiety relapses.
If you have ever experienced this sensation, we suggest that you continue reading. In this PsychologyFor article, we will provide you with information about Why anxiety relapses occur and how to manage them.
Why anxiety relapses occur
Anxiety relapses can occur due to many factors. Next, we will detail the main causes of anxiety relapses:
- Food deregulation : Eating excessive amounts of unhealthy food can lead to increased levels of cortisol, the hormone linked to stress experienced in the body. In this sense, it is possible that there are certain situations that we try to regulate through food.
- Stressful situations : Anxiety can also be triggered by experiencing stressful moments. Among the most frequent, it is possible to highlight family fights, death of loved ones, romantic disagreements, loss of a job or school failure, among others.
- Abandonment of psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment : Sometimes anxiety relapses occur due to a sudden cessation of some anxiety treatment. Expressing emotions and thoughts reduces the feeling of anxiety.
Symptoms of anxiety relapses
What are anxiety relapses like? In order to identify this type of relapses, it is necessary to locate the symptoms they cause. Therefore, in the following items, we will locate the main symptoms of anxiety relapses:
- Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
- Palpitations.
- Excessive sweating.
- Binge.
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Dizziness
- Nausea.
- Hypersomnia and/or insomnia.
- Fatigue.
- Apathy.
- Irritability.
- Sudden mood changes.
- Repetitive catastrophic thoughts.
- Avoidance of social places.
- Anticipatory ideas about the future.
The presence of any of these symptoms in isolation does not necessarily represent a relapse due to anxiety. In this sense, it is necessary that the diagnosis is carried out by a mental health specialist that evaluates the clinical conditions of each person based on specific diagnostic criteria.
How to manage anxiety relapses
If you want to know how to deal with relapses due to anxiety, below, we will specify some guidelines to cope with this type of situation in a more pleasant way:
- Doing physical activity : Stress levels usually decrease when the body gets moving because serotonin and dopamine are released, hormones linked to happiness and a feeling of well-being. In addition, it is important to exercise and keep your body active to prevent anxiety.
- Eat a healthy diet : foods that provide nutrients for the body balance the levels of certain body substances. In this sense, it is advisable to eat green vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and proteins of high biological value, among others.
- Have fun : Moments of distraction are essential to manage anxiety relapses. If you experience this feeling, it is advisable that you do activities in which you have fun and leave obligations that produce stress aside.
- Identify anxiety-inducing situations : knowing the factors that cause anxiety makes it possible to identify and anticipate their consequences. Previous experiences and the learning obtained from each situation are some of the variables that determine anxiety relapses.
- Maintain proper sleep hygiene : Anxiety relapses may be related to poor sleeping habits. For this reason, sleep well to repair the body during. To do this, it is necessary that the environment be calm, away from outside noises, and avoid the use of electronic devices.
- Seek therapeutic help : When it is difficult for you to manage anxiety, it is best to go to a health professional. Psychological therapy provides tools to learn to manage relapses and their symptoms.
- To meditate : When worries haunt you, it is necessary to stop negative thoughts. In this sense, meditation can help you relax the nervous system and eliminate ideas that make you uncomfortable. Discover the benefits of meditation for the brain in this article.
- Surround yourself with a pleasant social environment : The people who are part of your environment can influence your mood. For this reason, emotional containment is necessary when managing anxiety relapses.
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.
If you want to read more articles similar to Why anxiety relapses occur and how to manage them we recommend that you enter our Clinical Psychology category.
Bibliography
- MartÃnez Mallen, M., López Garza, DN (2011). Anxiety disorders. Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry Magazine, 44 (3), 101-107.
- Navas Orozco, W., Vargas Baldares, MJ (2012). Anxiety disorders: Targeted review for primary care. Medical Journal of Costa Rica and Central America LXIX, 1 (1), 497-507.