10 keys to cope with anxiety

Tips to not let anxiety take control of our body.

Anxiety is a powerful physiological and emotional response that appears when we feel we are facing a threat. that appears when we feel that we are facing a threat. It is therefore normal that we feel it in certain more or less stressful situations. On the other hand, we say that the anxiety is pathological when this one appears without justified cause.

The limit between the normal anxiety and the pathological one

A nonpathological anxiety, besides normal is even beneficial. The Law of Yerkes-Dobson (1908), describes the relationship between anxiety and performance. According to this law, a certain level of anxiety increases performanceand therefore the possibilities of success in any action that we try, whether it is an exam, a job, etc. When we exceed that anxiety limit, performance begins to drop, because our attention and concentration capacity decreases, and therefore the recovery of information.

When anxiety appears suddenly and for no apparent reason, that is when we start to worry and feel fear that the symptoms will recur. When this happens we run the risk of becoming overly alarmed and constantly anticipating its onset, which over time will cause us to become overly worried.This will eventually make our state of alertness so high that anxiety will inevitably become a part of our lives.

When we go to therapy we do so without understanding what is happening to us, and with an enormous fear of not recovering our lives, thoughts like "I have gone crazy", "I will never be the same person again" and similar occupy our mind at all times. This generates a state of helplessness and impotence.the feeling of "not being in control of our reactions".

In Avance Psicólogos we are aware of the repercussion that this has on the life and environment of the person who suffers from anxiety, so in therapy we consider essential that that the person understands what anxiety is, so that he/she can begin to confront it, being aware that it is an being aware that it is an alarm response that is indicating that there is something to review in our lives, which can be tremendously beneficial in our personal development in the medium term.

Treatment in psychotherapy

At the present time, the treatment of anxiety from cognitive-behavioral psychology and Third Generation therapies is giving more than proven results. is giving more than proven results.

Through progressive exposure to the stimulus that generates the alert and the development of coping skills and unlearning of anxiety, with techniques developed over years of research in psychology, in addition to the commitment and acceptance of anxiety as a fundamental part of recovery, a recovery of quality of life can occur.

These techniques come to be learned during therapy, so that the person with anxiety can use them in their daily life, regaining a sense of control over their body and emotional state..

Humanistic orientations of psychology, such as Ellis' Rational Emotive Therapy, Rogers' Client-Centered Therapy and Perls' Gestalt Therapy, are used in Avance Psychologists during therapy in parallel, with the clear objective of complementing and deepening the emotional variables that are behind anxiety.

Symptoms of anxiety-type problems

The symptoms that should make us consider that our anxiety is disproportionate and that we have to start working on it, are manifested at different levels. They are the following.

Cognitive symptoms

The fear of anxiety provokes constant thoughts of anticipation that maintain the levels of alertness. that maintain the levels of alertness. There are also thoughts of fear of failure or fear of suffering.

In addition, we have a greater tendency to think in a distorted and negative way, and to present catastrophic thoughts, which generates a feeling of anguish and discomfort that results in decreased attention and concentration abilities.

Physical symptoms

In our body, anxiety manifests itself with symptoms such as tachycardia, sweating, tremors, sensation that it is difficult to breathe, muscular tension, etc.tingling or tightening of the skin, tension in the stomach, pressure in the chest, insomnia, eating disturbances, etc.

Behavioral symptoms

When anxiety generates the feeling of helplessness and of no control over our body and behavior, the self-esteem and the state of spirit can be seriously damaged as a feeling of helplessness and lack of control over our lives appears.

Negative and maladjusted thoughts and avoidance behaviors for fear that anxiety will appear, reaffirm the feeling of helplessness and no control, so that our self-esteem can be seriously damaged, leading us to to continue avoiding elements of our environment and maintaining this vicious circle. and maintaining this vicious circle. Some of the avoidances that over time can damage self-esteem, since they involve a loss of autonomy, are: avoiding social relationships, avoiding going out in the street, taking means of transport, etc.

There is also a tendency to tendency to check pretending that anxiety does not appear, which can lead to compulsive behaviors such as frequent visits to the doctor, visiting internet pages to check symptoms, establishing rather superstitious rules or rituals, with the idea that in this way we control its appearance. This leads to a huge loss of energy and actually maintains and increases anxiety.

Keys to cope with anxiety

These are some guidelines to follow to combat anxiety.

1. Review the possible causes

Try to determine what events are unfolding in your current moment, which may be generating this state of alertness. If there is no reason, review what may have happened in recent times and what you have not paid enough attention to; it may be that you are avoiding facing something, making a decision, not having resolved a grief or major loss, or you are keeping something in your life that you need to change..

2. Adjust your thinking

What is your way of interpreting what happens to you? Unadjusted or too negative thoughts may be influencing your body to overreact and maintain a high level of stress at the end of the day.

3. Adjust your expectations

Are your expectations adjusted? If you are too demanding of yourself and others you can get into a dissatisfaction loop with constant frustrations. Check that your expectations are adjusted and set small objectives with realistic and progressive goals.

4. Train assertiveness

How are you communicating with others? If you find it difficult to say no, ask for favors, delegate or be assertive it is very likely that you are burdening yourself with too many things that you cannot cope with alone..

5. Secure time for yourself

Do you have enough space for your personal life? If you lack moments of leisure, solitude, or your social life has been reduced, it is possible that the anxiety alarm is trying to make you think about this in order to change it and recover spaces for personal development.

6. Check your self-esteem

Are you undervaluing yourself or do you feel that your self-esteem is low? If so, it is more than possible that you feel overwhelmed by the events of your day to day life, believing that you can't cope with them believing that you can't cope or that you don't have enough abilities or skills to cope in your environment and in your relationship with others.

7. Face in a progressive way that which you fear

Since you feel anxiety, are you avoiding going out, meeting friends and family, taking the car or other means of transportation?

When you avoid, your body learns to interpret that these spaces are potentially dangerous, so they can become increasingly dangerous.Therefore, your symptoms may increase each time. Try to expose yourself gradually to these situations and try not to leave the place where you are if the symptoms begin to appear, so that the body can check that they are not dangerous.

8. Don't check

Do you constantly look for information about your symptoms, or are you starting to have manias so that the anxiety does not appear? If so, think that this reinforces the idea that there is a potential danger, so that your body will keep alarm bells ringing.

Checking the gas faucet too many times, washing your hands for fear of catching diseases, constant visits to the doctor, etc., are all checks that keep your anxiety going.

9. Exercise

Have you forgotten your body? Remember that moderate exercise has a positive response on anxiety symptoms and improves mood. and improves mood.

Increased levels of noradrenaline and serotonin, two neurotransmitters directly related to mood and decreased alertness, occur when we exercise periodically, while the stress hormone, cortisol, decreases, and the feel-good hormones, endorphins, increase in our body.

10. Take care of your diet

How do you eat? On the anxiety is influenced by what we eat and how we eat..

A healthy diet, without excess of carbohydrates, fats and sugars helps indirectly to reduce the symptoms of anxiety. It has also been found a relationship between the lack of alpha-linoleic acid and the appearance of anxiety crises, as well as a deficit of magnesium may be related to an increase in the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

We cannot forget also how we eat; respecting schedules, eating sitting down, avoiding glucose peaks eating several meals a day with moderate amounts, chewing well and slowly and having a varied diet, will help us to absorb all the nutrients and have a good digestion.

Consider psychotherapy

Sometimes, when we want to start working on anxiety, it is sufficiently deep-rooted that it is difficult to deal with it without the support of therapy. Although psychotropic drugs do their job and reduce the symptom, being very useful in cases where anxiety is very installed, the psychotherapy deepens in the root of the anxiety and orients with the idea of taking advantage of its appearance, as an opportunity of self-knowledge and improvement in our lives.

Bibliographical references:

• Burns, David. (2010). Feeling good. Editorial Paidos Ibérica.
• Ellis, Albert. (2013). How to control anxiety before it controls you. Editorial Paidos Ibérica.
• Goleman, Daniel. (2012). The brain and emotional intelligence: new discoveries. Ediciones B.