Millions of women face some kind of anxiety disorder, experiencing symptoms of worry or panic when they reasonably shouldn’t and complicating their lives. It’s estimated that as many as 40 million people in the United States alone, more than 18 percent of the population, currently have an anxiety disorder.
This isn’t a permanent sentence, however. It’s rare for someone to completely eliminate the anxiety that arises in their lives, but with practice and attention, it’s very possible to control your anxiety—so it no longer gets in the way of your life.
The Many Faces of Anxiety
First, it’s important to realize that there are many different types of anxiety disorders, and not all of them have the same root causes or the same collection of symptoms. Different people can experience very different manifestations of anxiety, and there’s no one catch-all solution that works for all of them simultaneously.
Strategies for Managing Anxiety
That being said, there are some strategies that work well for many types of anxiety. It’s important to try many of these strategies, experimenting to evaluate their effectiveness for you, personally:
- Therapy. Your first stop should probably be therapy. A psychotherapist will be able to help you understand your anxiety symptoms, and possibly diagnose the specific type of anxiety disorder you have. Through cognitive behavioral therapy and other approaches, you can learn techniques to manage your anxiety when it arises, and hopefully, reduce the prevalence of your symptoms.
- Medication. Anti-anxiety medication is often prescribed to people who experience anxiety to such a degree that it prevents them from having a normal life. There are many types of medication available, most of which rely on altering your brain chemistry in some way to reduce the appearance of symptoms.
- Cannabis. Evidence suggests that cannabis is highly useful in reducing anxiety symptoms, as well as multiple other medical purposes. If marijuana is approved for medical purposes in your area, you may be prescribed it as a form of treatment.
- Exposure. Exposure therapy is all about gently introducing you to the stimuli that make you most anxious. For example, if your anxiety is tied to a specific scenario, like socializing with others, exposure therapy will guide you in gradually facing higher-stress events until you acclimate to the conditions.
- Deep breathing. Deep breathing is one of the best strategies for managing your anxiety when you experience it in a specific moment. When you feel anxious, focus on your breath and spend several seconds with each inhale and each exhale. This will likely distract you from whatever you’re worried about, give you time to process your thoughts, and ensure you’re properly oxygenated.
- Meditation. Meditation is also a useful strategy, especially when you practice it regularly. With regular mindfulness meditation sessions, you’ll get used to letting even your most nagging and invasive thoughts go. You’ll spend less time speculating about the future, and more time focusing on the present, which will reduce your anxiety significantly.
- Acceptance. Anxiety often grows worse when you fixate on it. You’re worried about being worried, which creates a feedback loop that makes everything worse. Instead, it’s better to accept what you’re experiencing, acknowledging and coming to terms with your own anxieties. When you accept your feelings completely, they tend to fade away faster.
- Regular sleep and exercise. Your lifestyle factors have a significant effect on your anxiety, so make sure you tend to them. It’s important to try and get a full night’s sleep, every night, on a consistent sleep schedule. It’s also important to exercise regularly, which can reduce your feelings of anxiety in the moment as well as improving your capacity for handling anxiety long-term.
- Substance control. Certain types of substances can have a negative effect on your anxiety levels. Consuming too much caffeine, for example, can increase your anxiety symptoms. The same is true of consuming too much alcohol. Consider temporarily eliminating these substances from your regular diet to see if your anxiety is reduced, or at least reduce the quantity of your intake.
- Social support. Anxiety is much easier to manage when you have a supportive circle of people to help you, and who understand your condition. Talk to your partner, your friends, and your family members about what you’re experiencing, and don’t be afraid of asking for additional help when you need it most.
Anxiety isn’t a problem you can “fix.” Instead, it’s all about finding the right assortment of strategies so you can manage your anxiety effectively and live a normal life. Don’t be discouraged if your first few efforts don’t yield the results you want; many of them take time to develop, and some simply won’t work well for you. Keep trying until you have solutions that do work reliably.