How to treat anxiety disorder http://www.driving-fear-program.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/how-to-treat-anxiety-disorder.jpg âEvery time I think my anxiety is gone for good, it comes back worse than before. Can you help me?â From time to time I get email asking for advice on how to make anxiety go away. For some reason Iâm reminded of a rude houseguest, or a family member that lingers and looms. Perhaps t...
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How to treat anxiety disorder
âEvery time I think my anxiety is gone for good, it comes back worse than before. Can you help me?â
From time to time I get email asking for advice on how to make anxiety go away. For some reason Iâm reminded of a rude houseguest, or a family member that lingers and looms. Perhaps the connection isnât completely off base.
For the most part, anxiety is a condition that comes and goes. But for some, anxiety never goes away completely. Thatâs the bad news. The good news is you can manage the symptoms so they donât manage you. If itâs helpful, consider your anxiety as a chronic condition that needs constant monitoring. Miss a day of treatment and you may throw your system off. Having a plan means your daily To-do list includes anti-anxiety strategies.
Because anxiety can occur at three levels: brain, behavior and subjective experience, it makes sense to tackle numerous fronts.
Here are 9 things you can do on any given day to get on the right side of calm.
I. Outsmart Your Brooding Ways
1. Fire the âWhat-ifs Committeeâ inside your brain. One of the most difficult tasks is talking yourself out of the foreboding and menacing danger which (you think) threatens you. In reality, your fear is not menacing, and may not even exist. Anxiety is not actually fear, because fear is based on something right in front of you, a real and objective danger. Becoming aware of defaulting to worst-case scenarios will help you avoid being trapped in an endless loop of what-ifs.
2. Control your inner dialogue. Check your vocabulary for unhealthy words such as hate, stupid, always, never, ugly, unlovable, defective, and broken. Replace black-or-white language with more neutral terms.
3. Fall in love with the Cognitive-Behavioral Triangle. Anxious people often feel âattackedâ by their feelings. In reality, feelings come after a thought. Being aware of your thought process is crucial, especially because some thoughts are core beliefs, or internalized scripts that are ingrained and automatic. If you struggle with overreacting in the heat of the moment, itâs likely because unhealthy feelings lead to the same olâ unhealthy behaviors. Remember the following diagram:
Thoughts â> Feelings â> Behaviors
For extra support about rewiring your thoughts, check out this in-depth article.
II. Behavioral Strategies
1. Meditate to promote mindfulness. Your mind simply cannot become calm, confident and clear, if you do not pay attention to paying attention:
You canât stop boredom from bothering you if you donât realize youâre checking out in the first place You canât overcome avoidance if you donât recognize youâre dreading reality this very moment You canât practice steps to feel calm if you donât listen to your bodyâs stress signals This short video offers beginner tips on meditation.
2. Be where you are. One of my favorite anxiety hacks is giving 100% of my attention to the task at hand. For example, if Iâm helping my son with his homework, I put everything else aside and focus my attention on quizzing him on vocabulary words. I donât try and cook dinner or check email during this time because multi-tasking is bad for the brain. According to a recent time.com article:
âEvery time you switch your focus from one thing to another, thereâs something called a switch-cost,â says Dr. Earl Miller, a professor of neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. âYour brain stumbles a bit, and it requires time to get back to where it was before it was distracted.
One recent study found it can take your brain 15 to 25 minutes to get back to where it was after stopping to check an email.â
3. Work faster. I know, this seems downright counterintuitive to all the anxiety advice about slowing down and paying attention. But working more quickly and efficiently saves time because trusting your skills and talents means you donât get sucked into the perfectionist trap.
III. Healthy Lifestyle Habits
1. Breathe. Slow and deep breathing is the cornerstone of calm. Start by breathing in and out slowly. After a few seconds practice the 4-4-4: Inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, then exhale for a count of four. Let the breath flow in and out effortlessly. Repeat four times.
2. Drink more water. Dehydration may affect anxiety in a variety of ways. One sign is that your body starts to function improperly: Hormone distribution is impacted because of poor blood flow, muscles may tense up, and your brain may weaken or change as a result of water loss.
3. Make sleep a priority. Our culture celebrates those who work hard and play hard, but thereâs a price. If youâre irritable, sluggish and drained, chances are youâre sleep deprived.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF), along with a multi-disciplinary expert panel, issued its new recommendations for appropriate sleep duration. Here are the adult recommendations:
Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours Adults (26-64): 7-9 hours Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours In short, seeing your own worry list as a problem to be solved each and every day means minimizing unnecessary anxiety. Best of all, youâre harnessing your excess energy to get things done.
Copyright 2015 Linda Esposito, LCSW



















