- Anxiety self help

Anxiety Self Help

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Living with chronic anxiety is stressful and damaging to physical health. Many people avoid getting treatment for anxiety because they fear they will be judged as weak or as mentally ill, or because they are afraid of the cost. Luckily, much can be accomplished through self-help. Not every case of anxiety requires professional therapy or prescription medication.

Here are some common self-help methods for dealing with anxiety. Often, integrating even one of these (or some combination of several) into a person’s daily routine can dramatically alleviate anxiety without professional intervention:

• Exercise. Recent studies have show that as little as 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day can alleviate the symptoms of mild to moderate depression and/or chronic anxiety as well as prescription medication. You can break this up into smaller periods and get the same benefit: For example, two brisk fifteen minute walks each day instead of one longer period of exercise works just as well.

• Better diet. Sugar and caffeine can wreak havoc with a person’s sense of calm. When too much of either (or both) are ingested, it causes blood sugar to spike for a brief period and then plunge dramatically, causing jitters, nervousness, fatigue, depression, and a vague sense of unease. Try cutting out both sugar and caffeine and focusing on fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, nuts, and whole grains.

• Meditation. Many Americans think that meditation has to go on for a hour or more to have any beneficial effect, but the reality is that even five or ten minutes in the morning and before bed can dramatically increase feelings of calm and happiness. It doesn’t even matter what kind of meditation is practiced. The key is to sit quietly and practice on a regular basis.

• Self-hypnosis. Many great self-hypnosis MP3 recordings can be downloaded online in minutes, then used regularly alleviate everything from panic attacks to specific phobias. For a list of some good ones, visit hypnotist Richard MacKenzie’s website.

• Online self-help programs. For between $67 and $150 you can download a number of really good self-help packages for beating panic attacks, phobias, chronic anxiety, insomnia, and other anxiety-associated problems. Most of these packages come with ongoing support and are completely confidential. Check out the Panic Away program, the Linden Method, or the Easy Calm method.

• Thought stopping. When you find yourself having a negative or anxious thought, stop immediately and replace it with a positive statement. So, for example, if you find yourself fretting, “I’ll never be able to pay the electric bill on time,” stop immediately, and say instead, “I pay my bills easily and on time every month. Bills are not a problem for me.” Thoughts directly impact feelings. Negative thoughts can become a habit, and habits can be broken with a little effort.

Finally, examine your lifestyle and ask yourself if you are overcommitted and simply expecting too much from yourself. Look at your life and identify what is stressing you out the most. Can you change it? If so, consider doing that. If not, try these self-help techniques and see if you can’t at least manage your stress or whittle your anxiety down to a tolerable level on your own.

If you find that no matter what you do you are still suffering, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder around, and treatment is usually short, focused, and effective. Don’t suffer with anxiety any longer than you have to—Help is available, you just need to find the kind of help that is right for you.