Ways to Cope With Anxiety
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotional state where a person has feelings of restlessness, worry, and discomfort. We experience some degree of anxiety daily especially when we face new challenges or when we feel that we are in danger. During a mild level of anxiety, we are able to continue with our daily tasks and can react on that anxiety-provoking situation. For example, you can be anxious if you know that you are running late for a very important meeting, but you can still manage to head to that meeting and face the consequence. On the other hand, a severe level of anxiety can almost inhibit a person to move and can lead to a state of panic which hinders the person’s ability to cope with the situation.
People react differently to various causes of stress, but most of the signs and symptoms that they exhibit are the same. A person who becomes forgetful, irritable, depressed, pessimistic, confused, and discouraged can be going through anxiety. At some point, especially for people who are employed, they become unproductive, easily frustrated, and are unable to concentrate and finish the tasks delegated to them. They may also feel physical symptoms such as a decrease or an increase in appetite, headaches or migraines, episodes of insomnia, palpitations or the rapid beating of our heart, stomach upset, and fatigue. Some may even result to cigarette smoking, excessive intake of alcoholic drinks, and drug abuse. Usually they isolate themselves and have feelings of distrust towards people in their environment.
What can we do to help?
A person who is anxious may just need someone to talk to. Be an active and attentive listener while they express their feelings. Never use negative comments or statements because it can only worsen what they feel, but do not give false hopes either. Never touch an anxious or agitated person unless you have asked permission from them since they might be somewhat disoriented to their surroundings. We can suggest ways on how they can manage stress properly such as progressive relaxation, prayer, and music therapy. These techniques can reduce the level of stress and anxiety in our body. It allows us to have control over our reaction to stress. Progressive relaxation can be done while sitting comfortably on a chair and alternately tensing and relaxing a certain muscle group. For example, you can tense your fist and relax it repeatedly. It provides distraction and allows our body to recognize the feeling of relaxation. Since it is to be done progressively, try doing this exercise with both fists, and every muscle group of the body such as shoulders, buttocks, and stomach. Within ten minutes, a gradual reduce of tension will be appreciated. It can be done almost anywhere at any time since the only thing you’ll need is a quiet room and a chair. Another way to manage anxiety is through praying.
Since most of us have religions, prayer can also be a tool for relaxation. Allowing oneself to communicate with God lets us explore feelings of apprehension and worry and gives us the ability to consider possible solutions. Another one is music therapy. It uses music as a tool to relax a person’s mind. Usually, music without words is used so that the person does not get distracted by the message of the song and allows him to just flow with it. Music appeals to the right cerebral hemisphere which is responsible for creativity and intuition. However, it can be distracting and useless if the person is a musician who tends to analyze the quality of the song.
Since people have different reactions to various stressors, I suggest that exploring coping techniques which will suit a person best and can be easily done even while amidst one’s work.
Author Bio: Brent McNutt enjoys writing for Uniformhaven.com which sells baby phat scrubs and cherokee 4101 as well as a host of additional products.
Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: music therapy,manage anxiety,muscle group