In the face of a strong or permanent problem of anxiety, it is necessary to go to a doctor since he is the one who must evaluate the symptoms, diagnose the social anxiety disorder and determine the best way to treat it. However, there are some tips that can be applied when dealing with situations that generate anxiety:
- Understand the anxiety and do not run away. The symptoms are very annoying and sometimes can become incapacitating, but it is necessary to know that anxiety does not cause heart attacks or asphyxia. In addition, avoiding the situations that trigger it is a defense mechanism that will not help to treat the disorder. It is necessary to understand what is happening and to learn to face it with the techniques that health professionals will teach you.
- Do not focus on the problem. Try not to go around the same and try to think of something different from what worries you and causes you anxiety. Do something that deviates your attention: sport is the best ally, since it also helps produce endorphins, a hormone that frees the brain and helps us feel good.
- Change your way of thinking Try to get out of the loop of negative and catastrophic thoughts: be aware of them and work on being more positive, realistic and looking for different answers to the same questions. Surely the situation you see seems very bad, but is it really?
- Learn to relax. The abdominal breathing, i.e. diaphragmatic breathing a slow, deliberate manner, is a simple technique that helps control anxiety. Practice it frequently when you have an episode of anxiety.
- Lead a healthy life Drinking alcohol and smoking make anxiety worse, while resting well, eating a healthy diet and doing physical exercise decrease it.
In a vital environment increasingly demanding, changing and that leads to constant challenges, anxiety is a very common disorder. But the most important thing of all is that it has a solution. In fact, much of the treatment goes through oneself, to understand one’s own feelings and thoughts, so with a lot of work and professional help, anxiety can be overcome.
