Anxiety has the ability to quickly turn a seemingly perfect day into a chaotic whirlwind. What starts as a productive morning, complete with a checked to-do list and leisurely brunch, can suddenly transform into a stressful, downward spiral. Before you know it, you’ve stumbled through an important presentation, your workload is piling up, and you begin to feel so stressed and overwhelmed that you can’t bring yourself to return your parents’ calls. Many of us can relate to this scenario. According to a study conducted in 2022 by Jahangirnagar University, anxiety disorder is more common than one might expect, affecting an average of six percent of Bangladesh’s population. However, the shame and stigma surrounding mental health, especially in sociocultural contexts like ours, often discourage discussions about anxiety and prevent individuals from recognising symptoms or seeking appropriate help.
Experiencing anxiety to some extent is a normal human response to stress or uncertainty. If it becomes excessive, persistent, and interferes with your day-to-day life, it could be due to an anxiety disorder. When that happens, it is important to immediately seek help from a professional to receive a diagnosis and treatment plan. In addition, there are self-help techniques you can use to better manage your anxiety.
Understanding Your Anxiety
The first step towards effectively managing your anxiety and improving your overall well-being is understanding it and identifying what triggers it. By recognising patterns, you can pinpoint specific situations or stimuli that trigger your anxiety and develop strategies to either avoid or manage those triggers. Understanding the root cause of your anxiety empowers you to develop long-term coping strategies, improve your communication, and know when to seek help.
Interrupting Your Thought Process
Challenging negative thoughts is possible by identifying and questioning anxious thoughts to reframe your perspective. Engage in activities that bring you joy to divert your focus from anxiety. Play with your pets, put on an outfit that makes you feel good, and make an effort to meet that friend for coffee. Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress. By the end of the night, you will be glad that you went out instead of cancelling plans. Another way to interrupt your thought process is by keeping a journal. Journaling can relieve stress by helping you work through feelings of anxiety. By writing down your worries, you can break the habit of dwelling on them, challenge your thoughts, and come up with solutions. There are different types of journaling, such as freewriting, expressive writing, thought diary, worry flow, or using journaling prompts.
THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS EFFECTIVELY MANAGING YOUR ANXIETY AND IMPROVING YOUR OVERALL WELL-BEING IS UNDERSTANDING IT AND IDENTIFYING WHAT TRIGGERS IT. BY RECOGNISING PATTERNS, YOU CAN PINPOINT SPECIFIC SITUATIONS OR STIMULI THAT TRIGGER YOUR ANXIETY AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO EITHER AVOID OR MANAGE THOSE TRIGGERS.
Grounding Exercises
Grounding techniques can be a powerful tool to help you feel more centred and calm in moments of need. You can interrupt the cycle of overwhelming worry and panic by focusing on your surroundings and physical sensations. Engaging your senses in this way distracts your mind from anxious thoughts. To ground yourself, try the 5-4-3-2-1 method, which involves identifying five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste in your mouth. Another option is the RAIN method, developed by meditation teacher Tara Brach. The acronym RAIN stands for Recognise, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture. The process begins by recognising what is happening. The next step is to allow the experience to be present, just as it is. Then, be curious and investigate with care and interest. Finally, nurture the experience with kindness and compassion.
Slow and Focused Breathing
Mindfulness is a technique that helps break the cycle of worrying about the past or future by focusing on the present moment. It can be achieved through two popular breathing medications: Square breathing and Diaphragmatic breathing. Square breathing involves a four-count inhalation, four-count holding, four-count exhalation, and four-count holding. Diaphragmatic breathing, on the other hand, emphasises deep belly breathing rather than just chest breathing. Regular meditation can lower cortisol levels, which are associated with stress.
Small Acts of Bravery
Avoiding situations that cause anxiety can actually make the fear stronger, but facing anxiety-inducing situations in a controlled way can help break this cycle. Confronting your fears can surprisingly reduce anxiety. Repeated exposure can retrain your brain to see these situations as less dangerous. Successfully navigating these challenges can boost self-esteem and resilience.
Remember that progress takes time. Start with small steps that you can handle and gradually increase the difficulty. And don’t forget to appreciate your accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem.