According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 40 million adults in the United States anxiety disorders. Anxiety can affect you mentally, physically, and socially. Some symptoms of anxiety include breathing rapidly, increased heart rates, gastrointestinal issues, and trouble concentrating. , If you are noticing that you are having some of these symptoms, here are some strategies that can help.
Get Back to Basics
First and foremost, it’s important to get back to the basics. You should be getting 8-10 hours of sleep.
Try to eat healthy calories throughout the day. Your diet should include fruits/vegetables, protein, grains, dairy, and healthy fats. Try to limit sugar and saturated/trans fats. Avoid alcohol and drug use. Alcohol and drugs can make anxiety symptoms more severe.
Physical activity is also important for your well being. You should have at least 1 hour of physical activity each day. This can include riding your bike, taking brisk walks, or playing a sport.
In addition to physical activity, social activity is important for your well being. Try to find ways to have meaningful social interaction with peers, co-workers, family, and friends. You can participate in similar hobbies, take walks together, play sports together.
Stress Relief Strategies
Mindfulness is the practice of having understanding over your body’s current emotional state and understanding your own feelings and thoughts. Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can help reduce your anxiety and stress.
One way to practice mindfulness is through meditation. Applications such as Calm or Headspace can be downloaded to your device to help walk you through meditation. You can participate in activities such as yoga, which promotes meditation and mindfulness.
Learning strategies to calm down can be helpful in reducing anxiety and stress. This includes focusing on taking deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly when you feel stressed. Or, practicing guiding imagery where you visualize a calm happy place. These strategies can help you feel grounded when you are anxious.
Seek Support
There are many treatment options for adults with anxiety. This includes therapy or medication. There are various ways to get therapy support: group therapy, 1:1 therapy, telehealth therapy, text therapy. Support for anxiety can also include medication. There are a variety of medications that can assist with anxiety. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information concerning medicine or therapy.
If you have further questions about strategies or therapies, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Wellness and Developmental Center at 732-919-1335.