If you’re someone who often feels anxious, it can be somewhat comforting to know you are not alone. In fact, recent reports from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America have stated that more than 40 million people in the United States over the age of 18 suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder. However, the same reports highlight that less than forty percent of these individuals will receive any kind of aid or treatment. Anxiety can do a lot more than make you a little nervous. People living with this condition may also suffer in physical, emotional, and spiritual ways.
Someone with anxiety might find that even the simple act of praying or meditating can lead to a panic attack, making it impossible to find a spiritual center. Consider these points and learn how to best manage what you experience.
Pinpoint Your Anxiety
Like many disorders that impact the mind, anxiety does not have a one-and-done solution. There is no simple way to put a bandage on a wound of a mental injury. This means one of the easiest ways to take the next step with your problem is by pinpointing where it seems to be coming from. This doesn’t mean you should diagnose yourself. Just be more mindful of when you start to feel anxious. Plenty of factors lead to anxiety disorders, ranging from genetics to life events. To find solutions, you need to focus on where it is coming from.
Get Professional Help for Anxiety
When your anxiety has no clear source or has gotten so bad that you cannot focus on even the simplest of actions, you absolutely want to seek professional help. Obviously, this is not always so easily accomplished. The statistic about how sixty percent of people with anxiety go untreated is largely due to the fact that mental health is not prioritized in the American healthcare system. Unless an individual makes a lot of money, he or she is unlikely to afford the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder.
Naturally, this fact alone can serve to increase anxiety. Since financial and health problems are leading contributors to sensations of anxiety, thinking about how you can’t afford to fix the problem might make your situation worse. Though it can seem like an uphill battle, there are plenty of free or inexpensive clinics that offer services to people in difficult economic positions. Explore all options to find a service that helps you express your problem and begin working on a real solution.
Get Away From Technology
Over the last decade, countless studies conducted around the world have revealed that modern reliance on technology has caused anxiety levels across the population to skyrocket. From the pressures created by social media platforms to the disrupted sleep schedules known to be caused from prolonged exposure to blue light from digital screens, there are a variety of factors involved with tech and anxiety. Though it might not be an outright cure, unplugging from the internet and your devices for a few days may actually help you feel a bit more composed and calm.
Focus on the Good
Even when it doesn’t have a clear cause, anxiety tends to come from negative stimuli. Another way to counteract this feeling is by focusing on the good things in your life whenever possible. Again, this is not a cure for the disorder. Rather, putting an emphasis on positive memories or accomplishments allows your brain to rewire itself in some subtle ways. You may find that the overall intensity of your anxiety is diminished somewhat when you put effort into promoting all that is positive in your world.
Anxiety can lead to a mess of complications for a person’s health and sense of wellness. Whether you want to improve your spiritual side, get your body in better shape, or sharpen your mind, you need to address how your anxiety is holding you back.