We live in anxious times. The number of people reporting experiencing anxiety is at an all time high and for many people that means a strict regiment of drugs like Ativan and Valium being prescribed. While the medication does offer relief, especially for acute panic attacks and other such episodes it is a difficult and trying life if you are constantly reaching for the bottle to relieve anxiety instead of getting at the illness’ roots and figuring out why you feel anxious or experience chronic anxiety in the first place. It’s not to say that the medications don’t work, and by no means should someone experiencing anxiety or GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) avoid professional medical help, but there are ways to manage the daily struggle of living with anxiety and some of it’s nastier sub-symptoms like panic attacks which can be frightening and potentially dangerous within certain circumstances. Therapist William Neek has documented some potential ways to cope with anxiety on a daily basis which could help someone suffering truly acquire peace of mind and a sub-set of skills and techniques to help them cope.
For one thing, reassurance can be extremely helpful in situations where anxiety is settling in. The power to out-think the anxiety might help calm things down because of past experience with similar panic attacks or days filled with potential anxiety. The ability to tell yourself that you have gotten through this before, and that this situation is very similar to other episodes can be very comforting and can lead to a more level headed mind-frame. Although for further relief it may be a good idea to get to the bottom of your anxious feelings and behaviors. One must think to themselves why am I feeling this way? What triggered this bout of anxiety? It may be difficult to find the answer, or it may be a subject you rather not think of, but seeking to understand the root cause of your anxiety is a very helpful way to achieve relief.
While the last bit of advice is helpful, what happens if you do manage to identify what’s troubling you? Well phase two of the operation comes into play. Dealing with it. If the problem is something you can fix then by all means take measures in order to do so, but the truth is not everything is fixable and you may end up only being partially able to deal with what you find, which is still a step in the right direction. Learning that some things are beyond your ability to remedy is a helpful mindset that may assist in resolving certain issues that produce anxious behavior.
According to Mr. Neek, and quite right he is, there aren’t a lot of things in life that are certain or permanent. The ability to tell yourself that the issues causing your anxiety are most likely temporary and that with time and patience things often pass or get resolved naturally. So during those particularly difficult episodes of powerful anxiety it is important to stay strong and remember that eventually things will change, and often for the better.