The Art Of Instant Calm: 8 Ways To Keep Anxiety From Hijacking Your Life
irynakhabliuk | Canva Anxiety isn't fun, but it seems like it continuously makes its way into my life. And that means I've got to fight back. After having my first panic attack in February and then multiple ones in August, I decided I'd had enough. I wanted to tell anxiety to sit in the back seat while I drove the car, and I haven't looked back since.
Does anxiety sometimes try to grab the wheel, swerving me off the road? You bet. But it doesn't mean I'll take it quietly. Instead, I work every day to kick anxiety's little tiny tush. If you're feeling the same, here's how to deal with anxiety, recognize anxiety symptoms, and stop living in a state of panic.
Here are 8 ways to keep anxiety from hijacking your life:
1. Admit you have some form of anxiety disorder
Admit you have a problem or sometimes have anxiety, whatever the case may be, and accept it. This is the single biggest step towards kicking anxiety's tush.
If you pretend you don't have it or try to make excuses for your behavior, you won't improve. Realizing that anxiety affects you and you need to take back control is the best way to have a happier life.
2. Realize getting help doesn't necessarily mean going on medication
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I'm not a big fan of meds, even for panic attacks. But it's a case-by-case and personal preference basis. Either way, getting help for your anxiety is the only way to gain control.
I highly recommend cognitive behavioral therapy, otherwise known as CBT. Numerous studies have outlined the effectiveness of CBT for anxiety because anxiety is so rooted in our way of thinking — negative thoughts, catastrophizing, projection, and fear. CBT addresses ways to change your thinking and point of view.
For me, I'm now able to tell when I'm buying trouble where there is none, or if I'm catastrophizing about the future. CBT is helping me to do this. Research demonstrated how CBT can also help you gradually address fears and phobias with the guidance of a therapist, so that it becomes a fear no longer.
3. Get moving
Anxiety takes up a lot of energy. I sometimes joke that it's not just my fast metabolism that makes me thin; I must burn calories simply from worrying. Physical activity helps bring feel-good endorphins to the brain, and studies show it is a great way to reduce stress and step away from your life for a moment.
Yoga is helpful. I'm totally lazy about yoga, but I love the gym and running. Get yourself moving to clear your mind and refocus.
4. Practice deep breathing techniques
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You may feel silly taking deep breaths and stretching in the middle of your room each morning, but it's how I start my day. I've noticed a big change in myself since I started. In fact, if I feel a panic attack coming on, I immediately focus my attention on taking deep breaths. Making this a morning habit is a great way to start your day and keeps anxiety at bay.
Clinical psychologist Kimberly LaFollette explained, "When you are anxious and stressed, your breathing becomes rapid and shallow. This causes you to be oxygen-deprived, which only makes your body feel more anxious. The quickest way to reduce stress-related anxiety is to slow down and deepen your breathing. Inhale for a count of four, hold the inhale for a count of four, and exhale deeply for a count of six."
5. Take inventory of your symptoms
Everyone experiences anxiety differently. Taking inventory of your anxiety symptoms is an absolute must if you want to tell anxiety to go home already. Do you sweat profusely or turn red? Perhaps your stomach turns, and you find yourself running to the bathroom?
Noting the signs of anxiety will help you to take a step back and say, as the symptoms come:
- Why am I feeling anxious?
- How can I manage these feelings?
- Can I take deep breaths?
- What are the ways my thinking is feeding into my anxiety?
6. Keep a daily journal
Writing a daily blog or journal entry can help you spot moods and periods of time in which your anxiety is worse than others. This will help you learn how to stop feeling anxious and cope with anxiety effectively, especially if you're doing cognitive behavioral therapy.
Author and self-proclaimed anxious person Kaki Okumura explained, "Don’t get bogged down by wanting to write perfectly the first time around, because the important part of the exercise is to get started and enjoy the process. Focus on being consistent about the practice, because a little bit of writing today and enjoying the process is much better than making the practice a burden, which will eventually lead to abandonment."
7. Recognize a panic attack for what it's worth
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Instead of freaking out when you have a panic attack — which is a normal response, especially when you have your first attack — recognize the attack doesn't mean something is wrong with you. In fact, the attack is essentially an evolutionary response to fear.
Your body is reacting to fear almost as if a bear is chasing you down in the woods or some horrible creature, much like our ancestors were. The fight or flight response, as it were.
Instead of taking Xanax, I've dealt with a panic attack through deep breathing and the recognition that my body believes it's being attacked by a horrific creature, but isn't. No, it's not a heart attack or some other vile disease; it's simply a fight or flight response to something I'm anxious about.
If you need to medicate, do so under a doctor's care, but if you can at least recognize the biological components of the fight or flight response, it can make a panic attack less scary. It's a scary experience to have a panic attack, but over time, I understood what was happening and have prevented myself from having full-blown attacks.
8. Don't let anxiety hinder your everyday life
When your anxiety is bad, it can cause you to retreat from others or stay inside. One time over a few vacation days, I had the beginnings of a panic attack quite a few times, which almost kept me home until I told myself that if I stayed home now, I'd start to retreat more and more, feeding my anxiety.
Instead, I did exactly what I had planned — with my anxiety along for the ride. It meant taking a long road trip while wondering if I might have an attack. It meant going on playdates with my daughter while wondering if, again, I might have an attack. I didn't put my life on hold so my anxiety could take over; I kept moving on.
Anxiety is awful, and that's why it takes a lot of insight, patience, and love to tame that beast. But if you put the work into the fight, you'll come out victorious.
Laura Lifshitz writes about divorce, relationships, women's issues, and parenting for the New York Times, Women's Health, Working Mother, PopSugar, and more.
