Many people suffer from anxiety and are unsure how to deal with this illness.
Feeling nervous and tense can be seen as a normality sometimes, but people who have to deal with anxiety feel this severely and it can go to another level, often resulting in panic attacks.
Anxiety can stem from many things, from being nervous when starting a new job, or feeling worried about an exam. In worst case scenarios, it can result in people who suffer from anxiety struggling to leave their house, due to fear.
Although anxiety is a psychological disease, people can still deal with physical implications as well. Some of these include nausea, a fast irregular heartbeat, feeling dizzy and raised blood pressure.
According to YoungMinds.co.uk, over 300,000 people in the UK suffer from anxiety.
In a poll run by the BBC, one-fifth of those who suffer from anxiety are young people. 18 per cent of those report high levels of anxiety and almost 16 per cent have medium levels of anxiety.
Many people in the public eye deal with anxiety and have been very open about suffering from it.
Famous YouTube personality, Zoe Sugg (Zoella), has spoken about having anxiety in a number of her videos.
One video she uploaded called Dealing with Panic Attacks & Anxiety has received over 3.5 million views, where she explains how she deals with the illness.
Zoella’s video has made a substantial impact on people who suffer with anxiety, especially young people. She has also appeared on the breakfast show, This Morning, in 2014, talking about how she copes with social anxiety.
When dealing with anxiety, there are a number of ways to help calm it down including self-care procedures, these can include:
- Talking to someone you trust
- Breathing exercises
- Listening to music
- Keeping a diary
- Physical exercise
- Eating a healthy diet
- Joining a support group
Other medical treatments can involve anti-depressants, but speaking to a doctor is always the best thing to do.
For more information on dealing with anxiety you can visit Mind.org.uk.
Journalism student, Mina Monae, deals with anxiety first hand – here is her account of the issue:
Whether dealing with stress, depression or anxiety, there are always ways of breaking out of that zone and getting help.
There are always going to be people that may not understand the feelings you are having, but you could help them gain knowledge on anxiety by researching into it, just so they understand where you’re coming from and how you feel.
For me, I found ways of coping with my anxiety with a few techniques. Sometimes it’s hard to believe they work because of all the thoughts going on in your head all at once, but I have noticed a difference in myself.
Even though people may not always notice it, there are so many things that make me anxious, which causes me to panic and get overwhelmed. One thing that definitely helps is breathing exercises. In the heat of the moment you may think it’s stupid, but I literally put my hands on my knees and breath while thinking happy thoughts.
Opening up to yourself is oddly relaxing and therapeutic, I have even calmed myself to sleep once. Prayer, yoga and meditation are a few things that help clear my mind of all negativity.
Whether it’s laying down, closing your eyes and clearing your mind of all thoughts, literally do anything that could help you calm yourself down and overcome your anxiety in that moment of time.
New environments and places can make my anxiety go up a bit, but being around people I love with positive energy always helps calm me down.
The weather can also play on my mood, for example, when it’s sunny I feel like I’m glowing, but bad weather can make me feel gloomy, however, when I’m inside and it’s raining the sound of the raindrops on the roof and windows really help me to relax; so keep that in mind.
Keeping active has definitely been one of my most successful coping techniques. Going to the gym definitely releases endorphins and you can feel the change in your attitude and everything you do – that is something that I would definitely recommend trying.
When my anxiety is at an all-time high I get in that ‘don’t talk to me, I want to be left alone’ mood, I find listening to calming music always helps, whether it’s my favourite artist or calming sounds of the rainforest that I find on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f77SKdyn-1Y
Anything or anyone that is contributing to making you feel sad or be in a bad place definitely needs to be removed from your life as I’ve noticed bad energy feeds on your vibe.
Sometimes it feels like no one can help you, but staying up-beat and finding someone to talk to, whether it’s a therapist, family member or a loved one, can always help and take you away from that dark place that you’re in.
You can always win, don’t let it take over and attack you, try letting go and not caring about what people think of you because being happy with yourself is all you need.
Never forget to focus on you always have ‘me time’ sometimes it’s necessary to turn off your phone and focus on yourself, it literally can be the key to happiness.
Feature image credit Practical Cures via Flickr CC