Anxiety is something that many suffer with, young and old. It is a feeling of almost constant unease and all-consuming nervousness. Anxiety is something I have suffered with for a very long time.
My anxiety varies day-to-day. It’s almost like my mind is waiting for something bad to happen. Anxiety can be experienced at any age, I’ve written about what sufferers of mental illness want you to know here.
Anxiety can be medicated, and in many case’s therapy is extremely helpful. There are also ways in which you can try to manage or at least reduce your anxieties on a day-to-day basis.
- Sleep – We all know that a lack of sleep make’s us irritable. For an anxiety sufferer, a lack of sleep can send their mind into overdrive. Ensuring that you get at least 6-8 hours sleep each night will leave your body, and your mind, feeling well rested.
- Eat – A few small meal’s during the course of the day or a few quick snack’s will keep your tummy topped up and your mind balanced.
- Step away – If you know what triggers your anxieties, make a conscious effort to avoid those triggers. If they are unavoidable, be sure to take some time out whilst in an anxious situation.
- Count – A technique that I have always found useful is counting to 10. If I am feeling particularly pent-up or my anxieties are in overdrive I find that closing my eyes and slowly counting gives my mind time to gather itself.
- Lower your caffeine/sugar intake – This is one I am trying really hard to work on at the moment. I somewhat rely on my morning coffee and sugary cereal bar to get me through the school run and I have a very unhealthy addiction to Mountain Dew. I am definitely aware of the effect it has on me though, it accelerates my thoughts and actions consequently causing my anxiety to go into over drive.
- Talk – Bottling up your thoughts and emotion’s is never a good idea. I compare it to shaking a bottle of fizzy drink, if you keep the lid on, it’ll explode. However, if you take the lid off slowly you avoid any bubbling over. It doesn’t matter how silly you think your anxieties may be, talking ALWAYS helps.
There is no quick fix for mental health issues and in my opinion, anxiety is one of the toughest. But by taking the measures above to reduce my anxiety I am slowly becoming a calmer person.
This blog post was originally published on justthethreeofus.co.uk and has been republished with the permission of the author, Chloe Wood.
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Chloe Wood is a 25 year old mother, blogger and vlogger with an insatiable love for coffee and mini rolls. She runs Just The Three Of Us, a parenting, lifestyle and health blog which documents the highs and lows of motherhood and mental health. Chloe and her family invite you to come and join the chaos.
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