Tips to Reduce The Anxiety of People Who Suffer from GAD

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is associated with excessive and constant concern about a variety of topics. GAD sufferers have a hard time controlling their anxiety.

Many individuals with GAD do not really know how to end the anxiety loop and believe that is beyond their power. They also believe that they can not control their anxiety and that their anxiety controls them. This can lead to several issues, one of which is stress.  When anxiety is acute and stress levels are high, some people will find it difficult to carry out even the most basic daily tasks. 

Additionally, many people with GAD will avoid situations due to their anxiety, which will cause them to miss out on opportunities.

So, how can they alleviate or reduce their anxiety so as to not miss out on anything?

Take Deep Breaths

When you start to feel that your anxiety and stress is taking over and may be clouding your judgement, start to take slow deep breaths. Our breathing becomes quick and shallow when we are stressed. Slow and deep breathing reduces anxiety by triggering the relaxing response from the body, which lowers our blood pressure and heart rate. It’s a fantastic strategy that works since you won’t feel anxious when breathing deeply.

Accept That You Can Not Control Everything

Accept that you won;t have complete control of everything that happens in your life. There are certain things that just happen and you should learn how to accept it without having to stress over it so much. What you can control is how you’ll feel in the situation. Choose to stay calm and think “is it really as bad as you think it is or am I just overthinking it?”

Drink Some Tea

Chamomile contains a chemical called Matricaria recutita, which binds to the same brain receptors as medications like Valium and is used as a relaxant. The flavonoid apigenin may potentially play a role in chamomile’s sedative properties. In one research, it was found that individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who received chamomile supplements for 8 weeks experienced a substantial reduction in anxiety symptoms when compared to the patients who used a placebo.

Be Distracted

Try running using a fidget toy, playing games on your phone, taking a walk, putting your hands under cold water, or coloring or drawing on a piece of paper just so that you can divert your focus away from painful thoughts or emotions. Distractions work because the mind can’t be in two places at the same time, and transferring focus to another activity will break a chain of racing ideas.

Learn What Triggers Your Anxieties

Lastly, you should try to find out and learn what triggers your anxiety and stress. The root of your anxiety. Is it other people? Presenting in big crowds? Opportunities? Whatever that may be, by learning these triggers, it will help you to prepare yourself so that you can try and reduce your anxiety. This is because some of a lot of individuals’ triggers are inevitable, so the best course of action is to prepare yourself which you can only do if you know your own triggers.

Bottomline

Anxiety, especially those who experience GAD can be extremely hard. So, learning how to alleviate and reduce your anxiety will help you to stay calm and be more relaxed in situations that can cause your anxiety attack to flare up.