Anxiety and Stress: How to cope with them

When feeling scared, filled with nervousness and unease because we have no control over what is going to happen in our future, we are overcome by anxiety. This goes hand in hand with feeling stressed or overwhelmed at how many things there are on your shoulder that you just feel you cannot manage anymore. A big percentage of the population if not all of them suffer from anxiety and stress every day. They feel tense, apprehensive, uneasy and generally unpleasant at the fact that their day is not going how it was planned and they have to do things in a way they were not ready so.

One of the biggest or most common psychiatric disorders is anxiety and social anxiety disorder. The world and the people in it can feel very hostile and uncertain to us, making us feel small, unwanted and unworthy of being in this world. This point of view on ourselves is strengthened by today’s social standards and prerequisites. How we dress, how we speak, how we carry ourselves, it all matters and does not matter. People think it is important to be at their best and never fail at what they do when failure is just a natural part in the ever going cycle of life.

Many people suffer from crippling anxiety and stress because of these unwritten rules. We never want to let anyone down and think that our failure means the end of everything for our future. This is of course an overreaction. The brain can feel overpowered and useless when task after task is put upon it, always expecting only the best of results. That is not how we work though. We mess up, we are not perfect and we certainly cannot expect to be. Letting us be overcome by fear or trembling panic because we did not meet an expectation put on us is both irrational and unreasonable.

Now some of us only deal with small burst of anxiety or stress when change or dramatic situations occur. It could be anything from a promotion to a first date. There is something new in your life and you only want to do well in it. Others though go through great amounts of stress, tension and anguish almost all the time. Even while alone, they beat themselves up with how they have messed up or how they are not where they wanted to be at the moment. This creates human beings incapable of leaving their homes and dealing with society and people.

When faced with dread and irrational fear, what most of us decide to do is hideaway and stay safe from whatever it is that is haunting us. This is connected to the fight or flight mechanic we know so well. This only gives our fear power over us since we have let it rule our behavior and have given it the status of a “big problem” when it really isn’t. We fail to realize that whatever it is that is causing us to freak out is not the end of the world and that it can be fixed if looked at with a cool mind and positive thoughts. T here are four kinds of anxiety disorders that we fall into when we let things take control of us and how we live. These are as follows:

Specific Phobia: An intense fear or debilitating horror that overcomes us when facing a specific animal, object or situation.
Social Anxiety Disorder: It is the constant worry over ones image and self-worth in society. This causes people to be afraid to be in public or share with others since they expect something terrible to happen and to be judged by others.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): This disorder is characterized by people feeling worried and anxious over many little or insignificant things.
Panic Disorder: A sudden fear or terror that makes people unable to breathe, sweat excessively and make them lose their sense, feeling insane and without any control over their bodies.

These are all different but share many of the same symptoms, such as shortness of breath, utter panic or fear, nausea, feeling crazy, tingling in the hands and feet, muscles getting tense, slower digestive system, higher blood pressure and problems to fall asleep.

As crippling and terrible these disorders are, there are cures and treatments to each, some applicable on your own and others with the help of professionals. Well, to be honest, the decision to get rid of a disorder like that has to come from the person first. They have to decide that they want to be able to live happily, without caring so much for so many things that do not better their lives. After they have made that decision, procedures for healing can begin.

There are various specialists, doctors and therapists with different ways to deal with stress and anxiety disorders, all with their separate success rates and what not. Deciding if you want any professional help like that begins with telling your doctor that you feel you suffer from one of these disorders and that you need help overcoming it. There are many things that you can control and do to help yourself feel better at home though. Here are some tips and tricks that you can try out to reduce stress, fear or constant uneasiness:

Remember it cannot hurt you unless you allow it: Problems do exists, and they can sometimes be harsh to deal with, but letting them affect your life and your health is not an option. They have to stay in their area and you go deal with them when you are strong and ready.
Try getting lots of sleep: After constant worrying, the body and mind are terribly tired and need their rest. This does not mean to go to sleep exactly when feeling terrified or stressed since it will only become a trigger and then you will always have to sleep when feeling the same way again. You just have to come to terms that you need your rest and that nothing should stop it.
Talk to people: It does not matter if it is family or friend, as long as you trust them and feel comfortable around them, speak out to them. They are there for you, even if you don’t feel like they are at times. They care about you and want to know that you are okay. You can either talk about what it is that is bothering you so you can get it out of your chest or you can talk about anything else, hear about them too. Getting things out of your mind for a while is also very healthy.
See something funny: Online comedy specials, radio hosts, funny short videos, they all come a long way for something going through anxiety. They let you enjoy something and get away from things for a while.
Relax: I am going to tell you right now, a lot of things you were not expecting are going to happen. When they do, you do not have to be ready. Just stay conscious of the fact that life is going to keep going no matter what decision you make.
Eat properly: A good and healthy intake of the nutrients you need every day will always keep you in a good and energetic mood, ready to fight anything that they throw at you. Try not to eat more than three square meals and light snacks though since too much food is never healthy for the body and heart.
Breathe: Whenever you get a chance, without fail or hurry, just breathe. Good and long breaths can come a long way to getting relaxed and feeling at ease in your environment.

Always remember that you are not the only that has gone through these situations, these feelings. There have been countless others and they have all come out of it alive so why shouldn’t you? You are perfectly capable of leading a healthy life where you just make choices, all neutral. All later decisions and actions will have to be made accordingly but as long as you hold yourself and your well being as the most important thing, you will be fine. People will come and go, events and jobs will come and go, but you will stay, so it would be good that you are happy and strong for the long journey. Now relax, breathe and step into the world ready to be happy and feel great.

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