Shelby Wallace
Graphic Designer
Anxiety is both a normal feeling in life and also a terrible mental disorder. It can either be helpful in small doses, like reminding you to study for your exam, or it can be disastrous like making you doubt everyone around you, as well as yourself.
Regardless of whether you get bouts of anxiety, or if you’re diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, there are some methods that may be able to help you calm down and take control of your anxiety.
The most important one, above anything else, is if anxiety is becoming a problem in your life where it is causing problems with your social life, work life, or personal life, then you need to reach out and get help.
While some amount of anxiety is normal, if you feel that it is overwhelming and too much, then you may suffer from an anxiety disorder and should consult a licensed professional.
Secondly, getting enough sleep is absolutely crucial. Whether you have to set an alarm, or take some sleep aid, the National Institutes of Health states that young adults need a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep to function properly. Ideally, they recommend getting 9-10 hours, sometimes even 11 hours if under a great deal of stress or health problems.
Next, eating right can really affect your overall well being. When your body is constantly run down on fatty acids and carbs, and lacking in everything else, it can end up not only causing physical health problems such as weight gain and diabetes, but can lead to anxiety and depression. I am a firm believer in if you take care of your body, your body will take care of you.
Although many people dread it, exercise is a huge way to clear your head and help you calm down. Not only does it benefit your physical body, but it can thus help your mental state as well. Your body and mind go hand and hand, this is why exercise can really help if you are feeling run down, tired, anxious, or stressed.
Friends are one of the many gifts we very rarely realize we have. They are another person that is willing to talk to us and listen to our problems; however, many people do not feel like their problems are important enough to bring up to someone else.
Having a strong support team, whether close friends or family, can help you immensely. Instead of bottling up your anxiety, try talking to someone you love about what’s going on. They may have a fresh perspective and may even have some tips on how to handle the cause of your anxiety.
Last but not least, take some time for yourself. While I don’t recommend throwing out responsibilities, if you are run down and anxious you may not be performing up to your full potential.
Take some time away to calm down; read a book, take a hot bath, maybe even visit a family member you haven’t seen. At the end of the day, it’s your body and mind and only you can truly make yourself feel better.
Anxiety is a hard feeling to deal with, but we all deal with it in our own way. But hopefully some of these tips and methods can ease your anxiety, and help you get on a path to a brighter, better, and healthier you.
