How to Overcome Anxiety

Anxiety or restlessness can be the result of psychological and physiological factors. It’s normal to feel anxious or restless, but some people have little control over these emotions. Anxiety disorders are diagnosable and require treatment with medication or therapy, but there are simpler steps you can take to relieve anxiety.

Table of Contents

Deal with instant suspense

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Deep breath. If there’s an important event coming up, you’re sure to get nervous as that time draws closer and closer. You can’t get rid of this feeling completely, but there are steps you can take to get your anxiety under control. Deep breathing reduces heart rate and blood pressure. Sit with your back straight and inhale deeply through your nose, placing your hand on your stomach to feel the air entering your lungs.

After holding your breath for a few seconds, slowly exhale through your nose. Repeat this breathing pattern until you feel your heart rate slow and relax. Try to get rid of all thoughts and just focus on your breath. ^{[1] X Research Source}
To maintain a regular breathing rhythm you should count from one to five when you inhale and count again from one to five when you exhale. ^{[2] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

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Practice and prepare. If you’re going to give a presentation or job interview, practice will help familiarize you with the impending event. Ask a close friend to listen to you speak or ask familiar interview questions. This is also useful if you are about to meet someone to talk about something embarrassing.

Tired of seeing your roommate soaking dirty dishes in the sink? Discreetly practice expressing your frustration before talking to them.
Practicing for out-of-the-ordinary events like parties can be a bit difficult. However, if you practice making jokes or telling funny stories, your mind will be more comfortable to deal with possible situations.

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Think deeply about your fear. If you’re nervous before a job interview or presentation, try thinking, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Maybe the interview ended badly, but it’s not the end of the world. It’s normal to worry about an important life event, but remember that there are plenty of other opportunities out there, even if they don’t seem to exist at the moment. ^{[3] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

With a fuller appreciation of these events, you can find the confidence to present yourself more perfectly.

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Take time to visualize. If you feel your anxiety building up, spend a few minutes visualizing something peaceful and soothing. Close your eyes and imagine a situation that makes you feel safe, such as a picture of the sea with calm waves, a funny cat, or a happy childhood memory. ^{[4] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

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Listening to music. Listening to slow and soothing music or listening to the sounds of nature can also help you relax, lower your heart rate, and feel more reassured. Listening to music with a fast beat and comfortable singing along also helps relieve stress. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Incorporate relaxation techniques into your life

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Practice deep breathing regularly. Deep breathing exercises used to calm down during times of stress can also be incorporated into everyday life. You also have time to relax while taking deep breaths. Sit up straight and inhale air to fill your lungs through your nose and mouth. Count to five while inhaling, and don’t be reluctant if you can’t count to five the first time.

Exhale slowly to let the air out of the lungs in a slow and controlled manner. While exhaling you also count to five.
Repeat this process until you start to feel calmer and more relaxed.
Relax breathing exercises for 3-5 minutes each time and do it 2-3 times a day, or whenever you feel stressed and nervous. ^{[6] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

Coping with anxiety

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Not perfectionist. Often people feel anxious or restless because they are expected of others or pressure themselves to do well. However, not every day goes smoothly, you will have times of failure and disappointment. Learning to deal with anxiety is the way to become stronger and more independent. ^{[11] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

It is important for you to understand that life is often complicated and difficult, sometimes you have to accept and find ways to limit those difficulties.

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Coping with feelings of restlessness. Try to figure out what makes you restless. Are you worried about work, love life or money? Worried about etiquette at a company party? Once you find the source of your jitters, you begin to find ways to change your perspective. Instead of thinking, “My job is not what I expected,” you should think, “This job is an opportunity for me to pursue other, more attractive things.” ^{[12] X Research Source}

If the restlessness is related to a particular place, go there and confront it directly. If you feel afraid to step into the elevator, the next day you continue to use that elevator. ^{[13] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

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Use rational thinking against irrational thinking. Whenever something makes you restless, write down when and why you feel that way. Then reflect on these feelings and begin to counter them with rational thought. ^{[14] X Research Sources} In addition, you can choose to confide in others to relieve yourself, similar to journaling. Instead of dwelling on worrying thoughts all the time, you get them out of your head by writing in a journal.

Let the journal do the work of “remembering” your worries, and allow your mind to do other things. ^{[15] X Research Source}
Journaling is also a good way to keep track of the things that make you restless. You will have a much more optimistic perspective when you think back to something that used to be very stressful but now has passed smoothly. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Shame yourself. There are cases where the feeling of anxiety stems from a fear of shame. If this is the case, try to intentionally embarrass yourself to get used to that feeling. For example, you try to give a lemon to a stranger for no reason. ^{[17] X Research Source} This means that the more embarrassing situations you put yourself in, the faster your fear and anxiety will subside. ^{[18] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

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Become someone else. Make yourself a different person with a fake name and bio, then use this new person in situations that are strange or with little consequence. This gives you a chance to get acquainted with things like socializing and flirting with women. Of course you should never use the new person in situations like job interviews or dating, where ambiguity between two people can have serious consequences! ^{[19] X Research Source}

Think of this as a fun way to get used to situations that often cause you stress, and don’t take it too seriously.

Take care of yourself

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Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can significantly reduce anxiety, relax the mind and create conditions for muscles to burn excess energy. Exercise also has the added benefit of improving sleep and boosting confidence. ^{[20] X Research Sources}

Just taking a short walk can help ease your anxiety. The spirit will be more refreshing if you find a place to walk with fresh air.

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Sleep a lot. Many people nowadays suffer from lack of sleep and make their mood more stressful or suffer from other serious illnesses. When you are mentally exhausted, it is very difficult to distinguish between rational anxiety and irrational worry. ^{[21] X Research Source} The average adult should sleep 7-9 hours a night. Set a regular bedtime and take it seriously. ^{[22] X Research Source}

To have a good night’s sleep, you should do relaxation exercises before bedtime. Deep breathing, stretching, and dynamic relaxation, tension and relaxation are all beneficial for sleep.

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Eat a healthy balanced diet. A healthy diet provides all the minerals and nutrients needed to stay active and healthy. A poor diet causes blood sugar levels to fluctuate and can lead to jittery-like feelings. Regular exercise and healthy eating will reduce this risk. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

Eat lots of complex carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, and pasta. Reduce your consumption of simple carbohydrates like cookies, chocolate, chips, carbonated drinks and beer. ^{[24] X Research Sources}

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Limit caffeine consumption. Coffee has its benefits, but the caffeine in coffee (not to mention other drinks like sodas and energy drinks) is a stimulant that leads to restlessness. For the first few days you should write down your caffeine intake in a notebook and then start a plan to reduce this caffeine intake over the course of a few weeks. ^{[25] X Research Sources}

If you have trouble sleeping, you should stop consuming caffeine both afternoon and evening.
Try decaffeinated tea and coffee, then consider substituting them into your daily coffee or tea routine.

Know when to go to the doctor

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Assess anxiety. The tips above can help you relax and deal with your day-to-day fears, but you should seek help from your doctor if your anxiety is chronic and severe, or when you find it almost impossible to get over it. This situation. There are many health conditions that can potentially cause anxiety, such as generalized anxiety disorder and depression. ^{[26] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

The characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder is that the person feels very restless for no apparent reason. ^{[27] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}
If your anxiety is really affecting your day-to-day life, you should see a doctor.
Contact your doctor, friend or loved one right away if you have thoughts of self-harm or suicide. ^{[28] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

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Be honest with your doctor. When talking to your doctor, it’s important to be upfront and honest. It’s really hard to talk about your feelings, but you have to try to be as clear as possible and leave out no details. They are willing to help you but need to have enough information to make an accurate diagnosis, and develop a treatment plan for you.

Think about what you want to say before going to the clinic. If you’ve tracked your moods and things that have made you overly anxious in the past, share this information with your doctor.

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Do not be afraid of the results of the diagnosis. If your doctor says you are suffering from generalized anxiety disorder or clinical depression, you should not conclude that you are unlucky because you have an illness like no other. It is estimated that in the UK 1 in 25 people suffers from generalized anxiety disorder. ^{[29] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source} You should ask your doctor to explain your diagnosis.

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Learn more about treatment options. There are several ways to overcome anxiety, including psychological treatment and medication. Your doctor will most likely advise you to exercise regularly, eat healthily, quit smoking, and reduce alcohol and caffeine consumption. ^{[30] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

Treatment can begin with a period of self-care under the supervision of a doctor. Patients do it alone or in groups.
One of the methods of psychological treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, which aims to change the way you react to situations in your life. ^{[31] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}

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Understand what medications your doctor may prescribe. If the initial phase of treatment is not successful, your doctor will prescribe medication to treat anxiety. You must thoroughly research all prescribed medications, including potential side effects and initial treatment duration. There are many medicines that are prescribed based on a patient’s specific symptoms, ^{[32] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to a source} where the basic drugs are:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). This is an antidepressant that increases the amount of serotonin in the brain. An SSRI is usually the first drug they will prescribe for you. ^{[33] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}
Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). If SSRIs don’t treat anxiety, your doctor may prescribe SNRIs, which are also antidepressants, which increase serotonin and noradrenaline levels in the brain.
Pregabalin drug. The drug pregabalin may be the next choice if both an SSRI and an SNRI are ineffective. An anticonvulsant commonly used by people with conditions such as epilepsy, it has been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety.
Benzodiazepines. This is a group of sedatives and has very effective anti-anxiety effects, but can only be taken for a short time. Doctors often prescribe short-term benzodiazepines when anxiety is severe. ^{[34] X Trusted Source National Health Service (UK) Go to Source}
As with all medications, you must follow the directions for use and stay in regular contact with your doctor.

Advice

All relaxation techniques take time to practice. You have to be persistent if you don’t see immediate results. ^{[35] X Research Source}

Warning

If anxiety or restlessness is severe, you should seek professional help.

Steps