We live in the age of anxiety. And don’t think that anxiety is something only adults suffer from. Teenagers (13 - 18 years) and young adults (18 – 35 years) have become progressively more anxious over the last few decades. They are shockingly the most anxious age range in our society.
If this is not enough to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, here are some more shocking statistics from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America.
· Anxiety disorders affect 25.1% of children between 13 and 18 years old
· Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness
· 40 million adults or 18,1% of the US population is affected by anxiety
· Women are twice as likely to be affected as men
· According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 13 people globally suffers from anxiety
While anxiety is a typical reaction to danger, when it interferes with your daily activities—you’ve likely crossed the line from normal anxietywe into the terrain of an anxiety disorder.
Our bodies’ automatic fight-or-flight response is triggered when we face a stressful situation, we feel threatened or are under pressure. In moderation, this motivates us to action and acts as a performance enhancer. But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, it becomes alarming.
Anxiety is not a single disorder, but rather a group of related conditions, which implies that symptoms may vary from person to person. Some might suffer from random intense anxiety attacks, while others might have a disabling fear of heights. One individual may live in a constant state of tension, while another gets panicky at the thought of a social event. Whichever way you experience it, if it is an intense fear or worry, out of proportion to the situation at hand, it is probably not a normal or healthy emotion.
So whether you are constantly fearful, have a full on panic attack or just can’t seem to kick the nervous butterflies, here are the:
ABC’s of dealing with anxiety:
A Acceptance
Don’t be overtaken by fear or anxiety. Anxious thoughts have a tendency to consume. The more you try to make sense of, or try to control them, the more they feed into anxiety. Instead of trying to stop or control your anxiousness, experiment with accepting that this is what you are feeling now. Acceptance doesn’t negate the feeling, but it does stop giving it energy. “Right size” what you are feeling – it is not something to dread. Although it is unnerving, anxiety is not a permanent, terminal condition.
Tell yourself “this is going to pass, I will figuratively ride this wave to the shore”, and then ride it.
B Breathe
Breathing is an excellent way to calm yourself. Concentrate on taking deep breaths. Inhale through your nose, hold for 3 seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth. If at all possible, lie down, close your eyes and on every exhale focus on relaxing a part of your body, starting from your feet up to your head. Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness.
There are a lot of great breathing apps available to assist.
C Cognition
Stay with what is actually happening, rather than what might happen. Use your cognitive abilities center your thoughts. Count backwards from 100 in three’s. Focus on your senses: what do I see that makes me happy? What can I smell? Eat a piece of gum or play with something that’s soft to touch. Move from the feeling part of your brain, to the thinking part.
D Dealing with the feeling
Nervousness or anxious thoughts drain our focus and creativity, as they take up a lot of head space. Instead of giving in to a general feeling of anxiety, try to label your emotions. You can better manage the emotion, if you are able to differentiate which negative emotion you are feeling. Do you feel flustered, fearful, overwhelmed, despondent, exasperated? Knowing what you are feeling, also helps in identifying the cause of the feeling. There will be no healing unless we start dealing with the feeling.
E Exercise, eat & eye-shut
Garbage in, garbage out. The food that we eat, our lifestyle and certain dietary triggers, like colourants, can stimulate or prompt anxiety. Eat a healthy balanced diet, stay away from sugary foods and take care of your gut. Drink lots of water. Cut down on your caffeine and alcohol intake. You already know that exercise stimulates the body in producing serotonin and endorphins that help with depression, but it also takes your mind off worries. This way you can get away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety.
Insomnia feeds anxiety and anxiety keeps us up at night. Fortunately, feeling rested has been proved to combat anxiety. Feeling less anxious leads to sounder sleep. By restoring good quality sleep, the cycle is broken. Invest in getting the amount of good, quality sleep that you need.
F Fuel
What are you fuelling yourself with? For some reason we suffer from FOMO as soon as we are not updated 24/7. Social media, news and all the events around the world influence our mood and our mental health, as we were not created to deal with the whole world’s challenges and problems. Learn to limit your exposure to certain media, activities, feeds, people and thoughts.
Learn to be quiet, to ground yourself and to take time out of the constant bombardment of information. Quiet time relaxes your mind and body and gives you peace.
While these are great tools in dealing with anxiety, you were not designed to live in fear. You were created to thrive! Having a sound, peaceful mind is in your reach. Stop telling yourself that it is “normal” to be tormented by anxiety or distress.
Anxiety is treatable: you do not need to suffer in silence. Take that first step and get the help you need.
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