Do you have problems with anxiety? You are not alone. According to Our World in Data, about 285 million people around the world have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can also come in levels that don’t qualify as a disorder but still make us uncomfortable. Any level of anxiety has the potential to impact our lives.
So how can we deal with our anxiety? Today we are going to take a look at five different ways to handle feeling anxious. Each one has been tried and tested to help a wide variety of people.
Understand Why You Have Anxiety
It is near impossible to start dealing with your anxiety if you don’t understand why you have it and that it isn’t your fault that you experience it. So before we go any further we are going to take a look at why you have anxiety.
Anxiety stems from our natural instinct to have a negative view of the world, we are hardwired to protect ourselves from everything and anything that comes our way. Anxiety is the way that our minds have developed over generations to protect us, although as most can attest to, anxiety does not feel like a defense mechanism. This is good at times when we might need it but it is not a state that we want to live in all the time.
Before we get all technical, we should just summarize this as anxiety and stress are not your faults, they are your body’s reaction to the chaotic world around us. Even without difficult times, the amount of work and pressure we have tends to activate our brain’s anxiety systems.
Build A Positive Self-Concept
We may not actively notice it, but we build up an image of ourselves, a story of who we are. When we have a lot of anxiety built up we tend to have a negative self-concept. Part of combatting our anxiety comes down to creating a positive self-concept of ourselves.
A positive self-concept has a variety of aspects, but one of the key elements is how we describe ourselves when talking to others. Your life is your story and you have the power to tell it the way you want to. Use positive words to describe yourself and the more you do so, the more that story becomes you.
At the end of every day take the positive things that happened during the day and go over them in your mind. As you go over these positive points in your day, it becomes part of your overall story. When you go to tell people how your day was or how your week was, focus on these positive points that you covered each night.
When developing your positive self-concept you need to be true to yourself. A healthy and positive self-concept is based on real events and your real perception of those events. There is no problem with reframing events in a positive light, just make sure that reframing is true.
Keeping a journal of your daily positive moments and your self-concept is a great idea. This helps you to keep everything in mind and to be able to review everything. If you are anything like us, our memories need a little help every now and then.
Try CBD For Anxiety
Does CBD help with anxiety? That is a common question heard among those who use CBD and those who sell it. More research is needed, but we have seen a lot of potential for CBD to help with anxiety.
Many of those who have started to use CBD for anxiety have noticed that it helps them to feel calm but state that they also feel alert at the same time. CBD has been studied with most, if not all, forms of anxiety. So far, the majority of results have been positive, showing that CBD has the potential to help with different anxiety disorders.
A specific study has shown interesting results. In a Japanese study with teenagers who had a social anxiety disorder, when CBD treatment was used, they saw improvements.
What was most notable though was the fact that just over half of the participants sought out further treatment after the study. None of the control group sought out further therapy or medication. The study mentions that the majority of teens don’t receive treatment for social anxiety disorder so the use of cannabinoids can be a positive tool to help promote mental health.
It is true that some people do not respond well to CBD for anxiety. From studies so far, this portion of people is rare.
Practice Good Self-Care
Self-care is a process that has always existed but has been named and focused on in recent years. It is the deliberate act of practicing things that revolve around yourself. This can include carrying out basic tasks such as making sure your daily hygiene tasks are performed to initiating breaks to meditate and relax.
No matter how anxiety enters your life, whether it is through work, homelife, or anything else, self-care can help to alleviate your anxiety. Take a look at these various parts of practicing good self-care.
Hygiene is an essential part of your self-care. It ensures we are healthy and is also a psychological part of preparing for and ending your day. Make sure you practice the following hygiene steps and any that you might have that are specific to you.
- Get 8 hours of sleep every night
- Brush your teeth 2-3 times a day
- Eat healthy meals throughout the day
- Wash your hands throughout the day
- Maintain your personal space
In addition to hygiene, proper self-care means managing anxiety, stress, and personal self-concept. The other four steps in this article are considered part of this area of self-care but there is more to it. Setting aside time to do the things that make you happy is important.
Here are a few ideas of common self-care activities you can use to manage anxiety.
- Read a chapter or two a day
- Engage in daily exercise
- Spend time meditating to know yourself
- Practice a hobby
- Learn an instrument
- Spend time with friends
Properly Manage Your Diet
Besides using CBD for its effects on anxiety, your diet can play a major role in how you feel. To close off our 5 ways to deal with anxiety we are going to talk about some positive things you can do with your daily food intake. Anxiety and nutrition have been tied together as our bodies rely on nutrients in order to function properly.
Eating protein with every meal can help you to reduce your appetite but most importantly for your mind and body, protein helps give you the energy to get through your day. With more energy through a healthy diet, you can reduce the amount of caffeine you need.
Speaking of caffeine, you should limit your daily intake to a cup or two a day, better yet if you can avoid it, do so. Not only does caffeine get you physically wired, but it also affects your sleep. The less you sleep, the less your body is able to recover from anxiety. Further, caffeine can make you nervous and anxious by itself.
Our bodies need water to function and a fair amount of it every day. Especially if you lead active days or live in a hot climate. Even missing out on a small amount of water can cause anxiety, headaches, and sleepiness. Get a water bottle and set a goal on how much to drink every day.
Remember to also eat "good carbs", also known as complex carbohydrates, these carbs can be found in oatmeal, certain types of bread, and certain cereals. With moderation, complex carbs can help your brain to release good levels of serotonin to help relax your anxiety.
Just make sure not to overdo carbs as even "good carbs" can pile up in your diet.
Anxiety is complex and what might work for one person might not for another. The tips in this article are also just a start. There are many steps you can take to fight anxiety, it just starts with simple steps such as the best CBD for anxiety and learning about yourself. Let us know what else you do for your anxiety in the comments down below.
