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By Amy Collett
Anxiety and panic disorders are amongst the most common mental health issues affecting Americans today, with up to 37.2% of the population believed to be suffering. And the number of cases continues to grow, given new pressure from the pandemic and its corresponding symptoms like chest pain, chills, and difficulty breathing. This said, it’s still possible to minimize the effect of anxiety on your life by adjusting your routine and adopting a few new coping techniques. From LynesOnLine.com, here are some recommendations on dealing with anxiety.
Lean on Your Support Structure
For those who suffer from anxiety attacks, it’s important to know that you can rely on your support system when you feel yourself spiraling. Take some time to identify the people in your life that have shown genuine understanding of your struggles and establish an understanding that you may need to reach out to them in the event that your mental health deteriorates. It would also be useful to teach them a few grounding techniques so that they can help de-escalate any panic you may experience.
Maintain Healthy Habits
Despite the many myths surrounding mental health issues, there is truth to the statement that a good diet and lots of exercise can greatly lower the frequency of panic attacks. Limiting your caffeine intake, eating balanced meals, and spending time in nature are all stress-reducing mechanisms that will minimize your risk of experiencing an attack. It can also be useful to work on clearing your house of negative energies in order to reduce your stress at home. By being conscious of these decisions, you’ll ultimately draw your mind’s focus away from your stressors.
Pinpoint Your Stressors
While the root cause of anxiety can stem from many factors, it’s vital to pinpoint which of your life’s stressors are the main contributors and make concerted efforts to eliminate them in order to begin mental healing.
On average, it’s estimated that people spend a third of their entire lives at work, so there’s no doubt that job dissatisfaction could be a major factor in your anxiety or other mental health issues. If you feel that a career change would lift your spirits, you don’t need to commit to full-time study in order to further your education in the right field. Online learning makes it easy to earn your Bachelor’s, Masters, Doctorate, or Associate’s degree in your chosen specialty while still working full-time.
Seek Professional Help
Anxiety is a treatable medical condition that should be approached no differently than any other chronic illness. When seeking help from a medical professional, be certain to discuss the various behavioral therapies that are available to you. The right treatment, paired with effective medication, can make a world of difference in helping you to regain control of your panic disorder.
Adopt Coping Mechanisms
Grounding is a popular mechanism utilized by those living with anxiety. It incorporates the concept of mindfulness to pull you out of your state of stress and back into the present. The reality is that you may not always be surrounded by people who can provide comfort in moments of panic, so having a few grounding techniques under your belt will allow you to be your own support system when no one else is around to assist you.
There’s no doubt that anxiety is one of the most debilitating mental health conditions to live with, and panic attacks are no walk in the park either. Left untreated, anxiety can wreak havoc on your mental stability, so regaining control is important for ensuring that you live life as stress-free as possible.
This article is brought to you by LynesOnLine.com, the writing of William Lines, MD, a retired Stanford trained physician, urologist, author, and speaker on physician burnout. For more information, contact him today!
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