Feeling anxious and stressed isn’t a new phenomenon, but in today’s society it’s become much more accepted to talk about the feelings of anxiousness and stress that you experience, whereas a few generations ago, these emotions often remained hidden and were rarely properly addressed.
Anxiety can affect you in different ways. For some people, stress manifests itself in physical problems such as back and neck tension, or medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Other people find that because they’re feeling worried and anxious, they tend to be short-tempered with other people around them. Yet more can find that they feel fine during the day, but the things that are bothering them surface in their dreams and lead to stressful, broken nights. A classic anxiety dream is the one where you think your teeth have come loose or are crumbling in your mouth. When you open your eyes and realise that it’s only a bad dream, a sense of relief washes over you. According to this article on dreams at TheCircle, if you dream about teeth loss, it might be your subconscious telling you that you are feeling powerless or vulnerable.
Feelings of anxiety can occur at any stage in life, often at times of change – especially when it’s change that you did not want or ask for. Examples might include if you have just reached retirement, and have apprehensions about entering a new stage of life. Or perhaps you have financial concerns or are worried about someone that is close to you.
Dealing with anxiety
It’s good to be able to recognise these signs or symptoms of anxiety, as you can then learn to manage the feelings you’re facing and, more fundamentally, address the root causes behind your concerns. When you feel anxiety taking over, try some of the following techniques to help you calm down.
- Recognise the anxiety
It sounds almost too simple, but simply by being able to recognise anxiety for what it is, you can begin to help yourself find a sense of calm. If you’re feeling nervous, have an upset stomach or are finding it hard to breathe, acknowledge that you are anxious and that this is not a permanent state. Accepting feelings of anxiety can help activate your body’s relaxation responses.
- Use mind-soothing techniques
When we feel anxious, our body reacts. Our breathing becomes shallow and fast, adrenalin rushes around our bloodstream and our heart pounds. This is the fight or flight response, and is what our bodies need to get out of a life-threatening emergency. However, many of the threats we face today are only imagined, so the fight or flight response is not really helpful.
Deep breathing can help us restore a feeling of calm, and help to slow our heart rate. Learning some deep breathing techniques will mean you are equipped to bring yourself down from a heightened state of anxiety.
Similarly, you can use some positive phrases – you can say them out loud or in your head – to instil calm. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just saying to yourself ‘this feeling will pass’ or ‘I will get through this’ and ‘I have the ability to calm down’ is sometimes all you need to combat the alarm bells that are ringing in your head.
- Be physically active
Making sure you incorporate some exercise into your day will also help you to feel calmer. A regular exercise routine can improve the mood, increase energy levels and raise your self-esteem. This is because our brain releases mood-enhancing endorphins when we exercise. Getting enough exercise will also help improve the quality of your sleep.
- Get some more sleep
If you’re feeling anxious, you can end up having broken nights or find it hard to get to sleep. On the other hand, insomnia has been identified as a cause for anxiety, so problems around sleep and anxiety can be a bit of a vicious circle. One thing is certain though; getting enough sleep is beneficial, so try some different techniques for improving the quality and length of your average night’s sleep.
Of course, dealing with the symptoms of anxiety is only one stage of helping yourself to live with less worry. But if you can calm yourself down, you’ll be in a better position to deal with the issues that are causing you anxiety in the first place.…