Anxiety is a perfectly natural reaction to stressful situations – it alerts us to dangers and allows us to rise and meet life’s many challenges. Without anxiety and fear, human survival would be unlikely (or tragically funny). Work performance evaluations, losing one’s job, divorce, waiting up for a child late getting home, illness, Mexican standoffs, interrogations conducted by Chuck Norris – all of these situations call for our worry, our anxiety. But this normally empowering primal response to problems can become a problem unto itself, as is the case with generalized anxiety disorder (chronic anxiety) and acute anxiety.
Feeling intense anxiety without cause (acute anxiety) or feeling generally anxious most or all of the time (generalized anxiety disorder) is neither helpful nor healthy. This unhealthy kind of anxiety can cause a variety of symptoms: fatigue, constant worry and unease, irritability, depression, muscle tension, insomnia, stomach ache, tightness in the chest, sweating, headaches, diarrhea…Overcoming these anxiety disorders requires treatment and resolve. In the doctor’s office, medication and psychotherapy are the two most often prescribed avenues to healing. There are also many effective lifestyle changes and alternative therapies for anxiety. Though I’ve researched well, I am no doctor, nor is this article a replacement for a visit to see one. Rather, it is an opportunity for you to see what your options are for combating anxiety.
Get Rid of Anxiety
Cognitive-behavioral therapy may be the best way to get rid of anxiety. Some people avoid therapy because they view it as a treatment for wilted, weak people and the foamy-mouthed insane. But therapy, specifically “cognitive behavioral therapy”, is arguably the most effective anxiety treatment available. In cognitive behavioral therapy, patients learn to identify anxiety triggers and distorted thoughts, employ coping strategies, and change patterns in thinking. Put simply, the idea behind CBT is that if we are what we think, we need to control and master how we think.
Get plenty of exercise. When your mind is crawling with restless scorpions, working out feels like the last thing you want to do. Behind therapy and medication, however, exercise is the most commonly prescribed anxiety treatment. Vigorous physical activity causes the body to release mood-enhancing chemicals and endorphins, while suppressing others that can worsen anxiety. Exercise provides an excellent distraction from life’s difficulties. It can lead to an improved self image, a more engaged social life, and greater overall health. What constitutes enough exercise? Most doctors recommend 30-40 minutes daily of any activity that raises your heart rate.