Anxiety is an emotional reaction and an adaptive response of the organism to signals perceived as dangerous. It allows the person to take the necessary measures to face a possible threat. When faced with certain circumstances or events in our lives, we can feel anxiety, and it is even considered necessary to cope with them. For example: due to a job interview, an exam, a move, in times of financial problems, etc. In this article, we are going to see how we can overcome anxiety ourselves.

When I can’t get over anxiety

However, when a certain intensity is exceeded, anxiety is no longer adaptive but becomes pathological. This means that the emotional response is exaggerated for the situation and lasts longer than normal, causing significant discomfort, with physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms such as tachycardia, hyperventilation, trembling, sweating, feelings of weakness, restlessness, or a feeling of being trapped, constant fatigue, difficulty concentrating or a feeling of going blank, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep problems (difficulty falling asleep or continuing to sleep, or restless and unsatisfactory sleep).

Types of Anxiety Disorders 

There are different types of anxiety disorders, each with its characteristics, however, all of them can cause difficulties for the person to carry out their daily activities, impacting the different areas of their life, both social, work, and/or family. These anxiety disorders include

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Panic disorder (panic attacks)
• Social phobia
• Specific phobia
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

5 Practical Tips to Overcome Anxiety 

These are tips that can help you reduce symptoms and control anxiety to overcome it. In any case, we always recommend going to a professional psychologist, since each person is different and must undergo complementary treatment.

1. Breathing exercises

When you are experiencing an anxiety attack, it is common to suffer from hyperventilation, this means breathing very quickly, which causes the body to receive excess oxygen, causing the sensation of suffocation and dizziness, which generates greater discomfort. Learning breathing techniques, doing relaxation exercises, or applying methods such as yoga or mindfulness can be of great help in learning to control breathing, helping to avoid anxiety situations, or to be able to control them as soon as they appear.

2. Physical activity

Doing sports or doing physical activity frequently is essential not only for our physical health but also for our mental health. While we do physical activity, our mind focuses on the activity, increases concentration, and clears our mind of ideas that can cause greater anxiety.

3. Activities that generate pleasure

Activities that help us relax and clear our minds are essential to calming anxiety episodes. Each of us may have different preferences, whether it’s going out with friends, reading, listening to music, watching series or movies, etc. Anything that gives us pleasure and a feeling of calm will be beneficial.

4. Set limits, for others and ourselves

On many occasions, we can feel overwhelmed by the stress caused by dealing with different situations or responsibilities in our lives, whether family, work, or personal. For this reason, it is essential to recognize our limits, set them for others, and take a break when we consider it necessary. This will help you overcome anxiety.

5. Therapeutic writing

It involves expressing your thoughts, emotions, events, etc., and writing them down as they come out, in a somewhat automatic way. This activity allows us to vent in moments of stress and emotional intensity. When we feel overwhelmed and don’t know how to speak, writing (even if it’s for ourselves) can help us express what we feel, and avoid keeping those negative feelings inside. It can also help us organize our thoughts and make decisions. Thought is practically instantaneous and sometimes chaotic, in this sense, writing can counteract the speed of thought, favoring reflection and better self-understanding.