What Can I Do For My Anxiety?

Everyone feels worried, anxious and nervous at times due to stressors we encounter. However, when these feelings begin to frequently impact how we feel, and interfere in how we live our lives, this may be an anxiety disorder. Fortunately, anxiety disorders are very treatable.

 

Some activities you can do that help with anxiety include exercise, relaxation techniques, yoga, and meditation. There are also supplements that can help, such as magnesium, maca, passionflower, kava, and St. John’s Wort. Alcohol, marijuana, other non-prescribed drugs, and nicotine may provide temporary relief, but studies show they tend to make anxiety worse in the long run, so we recommend avoiding them.

 

Another way to help yourself with anxiety is to see a therapist. By talking to a therapist, you can learn skills and strategies to reduce the impact of anxiety on your life. You can also uncover the underlying issues behind your anxiety, and work through them.

 

Medications can also help with anxiety. Antidepressants are considered first line medication for anxiety. Taken daily, they reduce your body and brain’s tendency to exaggerate and fixate on worries. Antidepressants may work in as little as 2 weeks, but most people will take them for 4-8 weeks before noticing maximum effects. If antidepressants are ineffective or cause intolerable side effects, other options for long term control of anxiety include propranolol, buspirone, or gabapentin.

 

For control of panic attacks and/or episodes of severe anxiety, hydroxyzine is recommended as first-line treatment. Propranolol and gabapentin can also be used as needed. Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, etc.) are a last resort, because these medications are sedating and addictive, and increase risk for falls, motor vehicle accidents, other injuries, and may be associated with an increased risk for dementia.

 

Other anxiety reduction techniques:

 

1. Do 20 minutes of deep breathing per day.

 

2. Schedule 20 minutes per day to worry, write down worries between scheduled times.

 

3. Practice relaxation techniques:

 

· Deep Breathing—Breathe in deeply through your nose for a count of 5, hold for a count of 2, and breathe out deeply through your mouth for a count of 7. Repeat several times, but stop if you begin to feel lightheaded. Gradually increase the number of repeats over time.

· Progressive Muscle Relaxation—Starting with the muscles in your head and face, gently contract your muscles for a few seconds, then relax. Repeat several times. Do the same thing for your other muscle groups, progressing to the neck, shoulders, back, chest, abdomen, upper arms, lower arms, fingers, thighs, calves, feet, and toes. Continue this cycle for up to 30 minutes and repeat as necessary.

· Mindfulness—This practice refers to intentionally focusing awareness on your physical sensations and processes such as your breathing and heart beat.

· Tech—Try using a smart-phone app such as Headspace, Calm, Simple Habit, Breethe, Relax Meditation, or Insight Timer.

 

 

Helpful books about Anxiety/Panic

 

Stop Overthinking, Master Your Emotions & Start Taking Action: The Ultimate Guide to Stop Unproductive Thoughts, Beat Negativity and Unlock Your Unlimited Potential by Taking Decisive Action

Brilliant Thinking

 

“Overthinking can be unlearned, in fact, successful people know how to quit overanalyzing and start acting instead. This is done through a specific detailed and proven process and a set of actions that we have put together in this book. The first step is understanding overthinking, the second is learning how to control and master your emotions, the third is learning how to set up the bases for growth, and finally discovering how to make it happen by taking actionable decisions and consistent decisive action. You can now replicate the results of the many who have already taken the leap.”

 

Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry

Catherine M. Pittman, PhD and Elizabeth M. Karle MLIS

 

“Do you ever wonder what is happening inside your brain when you feel anxious, panicked, and worried? In Rewire Your Anxious Brain, psychologist Catherine Pittman and author Elizabeth Karle offer a unique, evidence-based solution to overcoming anxiety based in cutting-edge neuroscience and research. In the book, you will learn how the amygdala and cortex (both important parts of the brain) are essential players in the neuropsychology of anxiety. The amygdala acts as a primal response, and oftentimes, when this part of the brain processes fear, you may not even understand why you are afraid. By comparison, the cortex is the center of “worry.” That is, obsessing, ruminating, and dwelling on things that may or may not happen. In the book, Pittman and Karle make it simple by offering specific examples of how to manage fear by tapping into both of these pathways in the brain. As you read, you’ll gain a greater understanding how anxiety is created in the brain, and as a result, you will feel empowered and motivated to overcome it. The brain is a powerful tool, and the more you work to change the way you respond to fear, the more resilient you will become. Using the practical self-assessments and proven-effective techniques in this book, you will learn to literally “rewire” the brain processes that lie at the root of your fears.”

 

 

The Anxiety Toolkit for Teens: A Simple And Hands-on Workbook With Powerful DBT And CBT Tools To Overcome Teen Stress And Anxiety And Improve Mental ... Teens: Skills for Life, Stress, and Anxiety)

Bella Clark 

 

“As a teenager, it's completely normal to feel anxious from time to time. But when anxiety starts to interfere with your daily life and well-being, it's important to get help. That's where this book comes in.

In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn proven techniques and strategies to manage your anxiety and improve your overall mental health. You'll discover the root causes of anxiety, and how to identify and challenge negative thought patterns. You'll also learn how to calm your body and mind through relaxation techniques and self-care practices.”

 

 

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook

Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D.

 

"A practical and comprehensive guide offering help to anyone who is struggling with panic attacks, agoraphobia, social fears, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, or other anxiety disorders. Step-by-step guidelines, questionnaires, and exercises will help you learn skills and make lifestyle changes necessary to achieve a full and lasting recovery. The workbook can be used to develop your own self-help program or as an adjunct to therapy. Definitive in scope, this workbook covers a broad range of topics and treatment approaches including some not found in other books on anxiety disorders."

 

Dying of Embarrassment: Help For Social Anxiety & Phobia

Theresa Flynn and Barbara G. Markway

 

"This book provides a step-by-step program to help social phobics including:

--Questionnaires to help you analyze your symptoms and plan your personalized program.

--Coping skills to empower you to get through your most feared social situation

--Powerful cognitive-behavioral techniques to help you conquer your social fears.

--Real life examples to enlighten, inspire, and encourage you.

--Clear guidelines to help you decide whether you need the assistance of a professional."

 

How to Control Your Anxiety Before It Controls You

Albert Ellis, Ph.D.

 

"by following the author's rules of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) set forth here, you can control your anxiety before it controls you. You can stop it in its tracks if you will admit this important fact: Things and people alone do not make you anxious. You do. Your unrealistic expectations produce your needless anxiety."

 

 

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook

Martha Davis, Matthew McKay, Ph.D., and

Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, LCSW

 

"this comprehensive workbook is the clearest, best-organized, and most readable book on stress management. From worry to chronic headaches to information overload…"

 

SOS Help For Emotions

Lynn Clark, Ph.D.

 

"This book can help you to:

--Know your emotions

--Manage your emotions

--Attain greater contentment

--Achieve your personal goals

--Understand cognitive behavior therapy"

 

The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Techniques for Overcoming Your Fears

Martin M. Antony and Richard P. Swinson

 

"If you have trouble with social anxiety, you will find this book to be an excellent resource. It provides an excellent road map to guide you through your efforts to overcome your anxiety and improve quality of your life. Based on cognitive-behavioral therapy and on the results of many scientific studies, the techniques described in this book will help you feel better when you are with other people or the center of their attention."