Coping with anxiety and stress

Anxiety is our natural body and mind signaling response to danger. The danger may be physical or psychological in nature and may come from either internal or external sources. Constant anxiety may lead to severe stress and eventually result in depression if not deal with appropriately. Different people have individual tolerances for stress and anxiety.

If you’ve been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, it is crucial for you to seek medical treatment. This is the first step to recovery. Anxiety disorders include medical conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, agoraphobia, and panic disorder. When you talk to your doctor about your conditions, he or she will probably recommend certain talk therapies, in which you work with a therapist and cognitive-behavioral therapy to overcome your disorder. You may also be recommended to take specific medications. However, there are also a number of other therapies that you can consider to help you overcome your anxiety disorder.

If you are interested in oral medications, there are a number of supplements that may be able to help with your anxiety. Supplements are generally more naturally than the chemicals found in medications, so you body may be less likely to react to them in an adverse way. However, it is important to remember that supplements can still be dangerous if abuse. Common supplements that can be used to treat anxiety disorders include passion fruit, passionflower, kava, valerian root, St. John’s wort, hops, chamomile, magnesium, and glycine. Your doctor can instruct you taking these supplements in a safe way.

If you have very low anxiety symptoms, you can also work by yourself to combat the development of full-blown anxiety disorders. First, get a proper diet. This will include all the nutrients you body needs to stay active and healthy. Reduce the amounts of caffeine and sugar you ingest to help with anxiety. Also make sure that you are getting both sleep and exercise. This can help you manage stress more readily.

If you believe you may be developing an anxiety disorder, trying to use stress management skills is very important. Know your own limits, what you can and cannot change and learn to live with it. Be open to changes and take things in stride.
Learn to say ‘no’ if you have to and recognize the fact that at times you can’t do everything by yourself. No one is an island by him or herself so to speak.
Keeping pets may help to reduce stress and anxiety.
Manage your time properly and try to deal with problems before it accumulates and becomes overwhelming. Set achievable goals daily.

Many people also advocate that alcohol is a great tool for combating anxiety. Typically, patients with anxiety disorders feel stimulated, so alcohol, which is a depressant, can really help you to calm down. However, the disadvantage to this is that alcohol also can make you become intoxicated and anxiety is sometimes found in conjunction with depression, which alcohol will only cause to get worse. Therefore, this is usually not a good option, unless your doctor recommends it.

Techniques like hypnosis, virtual reality use, acupuncture, and meditation can also help patients deal with anxiety. While these alternative treatment options do not help everyone, they may be able to help you. Be sure to ask your doctor about all treatment options available so that you can make the best choices for your body.