by S.A.Robb

Created on: July 20, 2010

Anxiety is one of the most common problems people suffer from.  It is debilitating, overwhelming, and at times absolutely frightening.  Anyone who has ever had an anxiety attack knows these things.  However, many people choose to suffer in silence, being too embarrassed to talk about it. 

The feelings that anxiety can produce range from breathing problems, sweaty palms, rapid breathing, racing thoughts, irrational thought processes, the need to flee or escape, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, light headedness, and or nausea to name a few.  People do not suffer from all of these symptoms, nor is this all of them. 

As a result many people learn to deal with anxiety on their own.  Some are successful, others are not.  Dealing with anxiety is complex, difficult, and challenging at best.  The most successful ways to deal with anxiety are going to vary from person to person. 

One of the top methods of dealing with anxiety is breathing.  Deep breaths in which you feel your stomach move.  This can be tested by placing your hand on your stomach to make sure it is rising.  This is due to the fact that people with anxiety tend to breathe shallow, from the top of their lungs.  This gives them less oxygen, thus increasing the symptoms of dizziness or light headedness. 

This deep breathing technique can be done several times a day, and especially during times of anxiety.  Start with taking a deep breath and holding it in for several seconds.  Do this five to ten times.  There is no need to do it fast, in fact the slower and more controlled the better.  This helps you get more oxygen, and also helps distract you from the anxious feelings.

Another way to deal with anxiety is to distract yourself when it starts.  This can be done any number of ways, but it is most effective if you choose something that you can fully involve yourself in.  This can be a book, magazine, movie, TV show, making a list of things to do, cleaning, walking, exercising, or just forcing yourself to relax and daydream. 

Find the thing that you enjoy doing and when those feelings of anxiety arise, start doing that activity.  If you like gardening go and weed, if you like movies put on your favorite one.  If you are in a situation where you are out in public, carry a book or magazine you like.  You can also take a look around and focus on the things around you.  While you do this, if you combine the breathing mentioned above, the anxiety should pass in a while.

Lastly if you find that your anxiety is something that occurs often or has severely limited your life in some way it might be time to talk to a therapist or your doctor.  Cognitive behaviour therapy is a short term effective treatment for dealing with anxiety.

Learn more about this author, S.A.Robb.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.