Managing General Anxiety: Tips and Tricks

Between the global pandemic of COVID-19 and all of the other events happening in the United States, anxiety levels are as high as ever. Whether you are someone who struggles with anxiety on a daily basis or someone who has been dealing with an increased amount of anxiety due to the national and global events happening over the past few months, these anxiety management tips can help you get back on track and manage that anxiety so that you can keep moving forward.

As someone who has struggled with severe anxiety issues, I know that lows can be really low. It has taken a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for me and what needs to be done in order for me to live a happy life. While the strategies below have all helped me in some way, shape, or form, it's important to remember that everyone is different. Not every strategy will work for everyone and that's okay. My hope for this post is that you take away at least one strategy that works for you. Remember, YOU have the power to manage anxiety. It's all about acceptance, strength, and positivity.

In order to manage anxiety, I look at it as a two-piece puzzle: you have to manage the physical and mental aspects of your life.

Physical Health

I chose to put this part first because many people forget the strong connection between our physical and mental health. Whether you are someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder or not, your physical and mental health are connected. Your mental health can affect your body (physically) and your body (physically) can affect your mental health. This is why it's so important to take care of both aspects of your health.

1. I want to start with exercise. I'm sure we have all heard about how important it is to exercise so that we stay in shape and are less susceptible to many health issues. While this is true, exercising is also extremely important for our mental health. Exercise releases many positive endorphins within your brain and can contribute to a more positive attitude. Exercise also doesn't have to be a chore. For example, I love to dance. I grew up taking dance lessons and have always loved breaking it down on the dance floor whether that was at a Sweet 16, a wedding, or a family party. So, my main form of exercise doesn't look like other people's. Instead of going to the gym and using exercise machines, running, or lifting weights, I like to dance! Normally, I would go to zumba classes during the week and play "Just Dance" (yes, I just said I use "Just Dance" as a workout - they actually have an exercise mode that is quite difficult)!. Now that the gyms are closed and I am home-bound, I have been watching zumba videos on YouTube and turning my living room into a dance studio! Whatever form of exercise makes you happy, even if it's walking and talking with a friend, do it.

2. Drink a lot of water. I feel like this is always the answer to everything. Your stomach hurts? Drink water. You have a headache? Drink water. But, in the case of anxiety water is actually really helpful. Drinking enough water each day will help you avoid headaches, stomach aches, and other symptoms of dehydration. In turn, you will be giving your body what it needs to do its job and get through the day. When your body feels good, you will feel good too.

3. It was a no brainer that eating well was going to come right after this. I know eating well can be hard. However, eating well doesn't mean only eating salad and never eating chocolate (believe me I would NOT do well with that). Eating well is giving your body the nutrients it needs to function. Eating well is eating in moderation. Too much of anything isn't good. Eating too much of certain foods can affect our moods and in turn, make us more anxious. For me, that's sugar. I am a sugar addict. I LOVE sugar more than you could imagine. However, I've noticed that when I eat a lot of sugar, I feel great for a short period of time and then I crash. Whether you "believe" in sugar rushes or not (there is a lot of controversy around this), sugar affects my mood big time. Because of this, I know that I have to be careful not to eat too many sugary foods, especially if I have a lot going on with school or work.

4. Get enough sleep. You will be surprised how easy it is to wake up in the morning when you consistently give your body enough rest. Resting is not only a time for your body to recover physically but also mentally.

Mental Health

Okay, now down to the juicy stuff. While physical health is SO important, like I said before, so is mental health. In addition to eating well, exercising and doing whatever else it is that your body needs, there are ways that we can take care of our mental health too.

1. First and foremost, do things that genuinely make you happy. I don't care what your parents think you should do or what your friends think you should do or the fact that your one aunt has always wanted you to go to medical school or be the CEO of a company. Do what makes YOU happy. This applies to everything. Yes, there are times that we have to do things that we don't want to. But for the most part, everything you do should ultimately make you happy. Get involved in things that bring you joy. If volunteering at the local animal shelter doesn't make you happy but knitting blankets for them does then do that. If working behind a desk makes you want to cry but working face-to-face with people brings you joy then do that. Even when it comes to working, do what makes you happy. You will in turn be a happier person and more successful (no matter how you define success). Doing what makes you happy also helps you have a more positive mindset and keeps you busy.

2. Practice breathing. I know this sounds crazy but practicing breathing is important. It's important for your body to have a few moments of complete relaxation and it's also important to practice so that if your anxiety is heightened, you are able to control your breathing and calm yourself down. Once of the most popular forms of breathing to practice, especially for those suffering from anxiety, is square breathing. In square breathing, you imagine a square and each side of the square lasts for four seconds. First, you breathe in for four seconds, then you hold your breath for four seconds. Following this, you breathe out for four seconds and then hold again for four seconds. The best part about this is it's so easy to remember because a square has four sides and each side lasts for four seconds in this exercise. I usually practice doing this about seven to eight times. When I'm freaking out, I start practicing square breathing with my eyes closed and am able to relax.

3. Find things that make you laugh. Just like exercise, laughing releases positive endorphins in your brain and can contribute to your overall mood. There is some truth in the old saying "laughter is the best medicine." Whether that's finding a funny TV show, book, or video series, find something that works for you and make sure you have time to laugh a few times each week. For me, my "laughter" outlet is watching Sebastian Maniscalco. While he may push the limit a few times, his jokes about his old Italian upbringing remind me of my own family and bring me nothing but laughter to the point where I am crying.

4. Keep track of what triggers your anxiety! This is a big one for those who suffer from anxiety. Some triggers are related to fears and others aren't but whatever they are, keep track of them. Either write them down on your notes in your phone or on a post it and keep it somewhere you'll remember. When you know what your triggers are, you will be able to better mentally prepare yourself when needed. You will also have an explanation for why you are feeling so anxiety or having an anxiety attack.

5. Talk about how you're feeling or write about it, even if you're feeling fine. This is HUGE. Whether you talk to a therapist or have a trusted friend to talk with, verbalizing how you feel is extremely helpful for your mental health. This helps you to unload burdens from your mind and help avoid little things building up inside. No matter how silly your worries may feel, they are all valid. There are also many times when we don't want to talk and that's okay. Writing things down also helps to transfer things from your mind onto paper. This is also really helpful for figuring out what triggers you. Self-reflection is key!

6. Last, but not least, is radical acceptance. This is still something that I am working on every day and it is something that has immensely helped my anxiety. Radical acceptance is all about accepting things as they are with every ounce of your soul. This can be accepting something about the outside world that you can't control or a thought in your head. This is not something that you can just start doing. It takes a lot of time, meditation and practice. What radical acceptance has most helped me with is my thoughts. Oftentimes, I would have thoughts in my head that I felt I couldn't control and would try to fight them. The reality is, in my opinion, you can't always control your thoughts ... and that's OKAY. Radical acceptance, in this case, is about saying to yourself, "hey, so I am thinking something that I don't like but that's okay; I am accepting that this is a thought in my mind and am going to continue moving forward and not fight and let this thought get the best of me." The more I began to accept things like this, the less and less they would appear or bother me. I could talk about radical acceptance practices all day. I recommend looking it up and seeing what other mindfulness activities you can do to embrace this type of acceptance.

Moral of the story: anxiety SUCKS. However, it doesn't have to control you. While every aspect of your life can be affected by anxiety, every aspect of your life can also contribute to you feeling good.

So, in the midst of all of this craziness going on in the world, make sure to take care of your mental health first. You will do wonders for the world if you do your best to manage your anxiety and fill yourself with positivity.