Claves para controlar la ansiedad

When we have uncontrolled anxiety that downsizes us, paralyzes us and worries can, we must learn to handle it.

The first thing to do is to maintain a series of healthy habits, starting with maintaining a regularity in them: meal times, sleep, physical exercise, etc.

With regard to food , it is important to maintain an adequate schedule and follow a healthy and balanced diet where vegetables and fresh food prevail; Should be varied and not very heavy, to favor the control of many gastric symptoms that appear in anxiety (gas, constipation, stomach discomfort, etc.).

It is also important to do moderate physical exercise to release the tension, which we like and help us to enjoy. The activity will provide us with a healthy tiredness that will allow us to have a restful sleep and will help us to control the negative and repetitive thoughts that anxiety brings.

Another important aspect is sleep , because in most cases anxiety leads to an associated insomnia problem. It is at the moment of the dream when more concerns appear. That is why we must take care of it by keeping a schedule as stable as possible. Getting used to bed to sleep and not to think. If once we go to sleep we see that we do not fall asleep with a greater increase of the anxiety and the concern that the anticipation causes us that the next day we will be tired and more nervous, it is better to rise and to carry out some tedious task until noting that the Eyelids fall, by which time we will return to bed.

Regarding leisure activities that are gratifying to us, it is important to keep them. Faced with an anxiety problem we felt the need to isolate ourselves, to stay at home, alone, lying down, with the necessity of doing nothing. In the short term we feel some anxiety release, however, in the medium and long term we feel bad about ourselves and it increases the feeling and belief that we can not overcome the situation.

We must avoid those foods that are exciting (coffee, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks) that trigger our nerves. In the same way, we have to understand that although in the short term tobacco seems to eliminate anxiety, it actually favors its appearance.

Activities to control anxiety

In order that others do not notice us or why we anticipate that we are going to go wrong, usually when we have anxiety we stop doing activities that we are gratifying: going out with friends, going to the movies, reading, listening to music, etc.. This is a mistake with consequences in our state of mind and an increase of the belief that we are really very bad and we can not with our situation. All this will lead us to enter a vicious circle increasingly complicated and difficult to break.

We must, therefore, do what is now a great effort and take back those activities that have always been rewarding, that make us feel calm with the firm purpose of enjoying it (going to the movies, excursions, visiting a museum, Exhibition, stay with friends ...) always taking into account our tastes and preferences.

Throughout the day, it is important to introduce some of these activities that help us to break with the routine and disconnect from the obligations and concerns. For this to be possible we will carry out a good planning of our daily activity, not being demanding with ourselves, posing realistic objectives that do not suppose us an acceleration of our daily rhythm, without haste, without having the sensation of not arriving and prioritizing among The different tasks.

Controlling anxiety with the support of family and friends

It is very important to help and support our families and friends so we can express our feelings and talk about what concerns us, because doing so will help us release tension and feel that we have the support of others. We will also get other points of view and alternative solutions, as well as dedramatize the situation.

Participating and enjoying in conversations with others or in informal meetings will help us to neglect our negative thoughts, our physical symptoms and help us feel calmer than to be carried away by the need for isolation that anxiety entails.

Relaxation exercises to control anxiety

It is highly recommended and necessary to perform a daily relaxation technique that allows us to differentiate this state of relaxation from the state of anxiety.

There are many methods to learn to relax and we must choose the one that most helps us. It is very advisable to go to yoga classes where we are taught to take a deep breath that allows us to relax in a very short time and combine it with visualization techniques in which we will bring to our mind an image that infuses us with tranquility, or an image of our life , A color, a scene.

It is also very positive meditation that will help us to reformulate our negative thoughts into more positive ones.

Within cognitive-behavioral psychological therapy we will learn techniques of distraction, detection of automatic thoughts that maintain anxiety, stop negative thoughts and cognitive restructuring to change our basic thinking schemes and generate more adaptive ones that help us to cope with anxiety.

For more information consult a psychologist .