Don’t Let Stress Take Over: 5 Healthy Ways to Cope with Anxiety

Anxiety can come on suddenly, like when you experience a panic attack, or it can slowly permeate your life and cause you to stress excessively about everything from relationships and work deadlines to the state of the world.

You might also find yourself ruminating about something you said weeks ago, or just feel paralyzed about completing a task.

Anxiety can manifest in a multitude of ways, and it affects many. About 19.1% — or nearly one-fifth of Americans — have coped with an anxiety disorder in the last 12 months.

The compassionate team at Primary Care Walk-In Clinic believes that your mental and physical health are closely intertwined and wants to support you on your journey to good health in every way possible.

This includes helping you develop strategies you can incorporate into your daily life to manage anxiety in a healthy way.

Anxiety can impact your health in many ways

You may be surprised to learn that anxiety symptoms are quite diverse.

When anxiety takes over, you may experience:

Sweating
Trembling
Worry
Being unable to stop thinking about an anxiety trigger
Increase heart rate
Experiencing a feeling of helplessness or overwhelm
Feeling on edge and nervous
Irritability
Trouble sleeping
Problems focusing
Feelings of dread
Chest pain
Hyperventilation
Digestive problems

These many wide-ranging symptoms can upend your life, but the good news is that there are ways to approach your anxiety that help soothe it — and even better, they’re within reach.

Tips for easing anxiety that are doable — and effective

It’s possible to tame your anxiety with some smart DIY practices, which can not only reduce your anxiety but also feel empowering. Plus, these practices support your overall health.

1. Pay attention to your diet

What you eat truly affects how you feel. It’s thought that following a healthy diet is linked to reduced anxiety, which means focusing on plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, healthy fats such as avocados and olive oil, whole grains, and nuts and seeds.

Try to avoid ultra-processed foods — think baked goods, sodas, and packaged foods that are often high in fat, sugar, and salt.

It’s also important to start each day off with a good breakfast that contains protein.

2. Now look at what you’re drinking

Your anxiety can be helped by staying well-hydrated, and the best drink for that is water. It’s also good to limit or avoid alcohol, which is a depressant (the same goes for recreational drugs).

Coffee can amp up your anxiety as well, since it’s a stimulant, so limiting or avoiding caffeinated beverages is a good idea. Explore options like herbal teas.

3. Keep moving

Daily exercise has been shown to be a potent solution to anxiety, so focusing on getting consistent physical activity is crucial.

It doesn’t have to be drudgery, though, nor do you have to feel like you need to become a triathlete. Walking your dog, gardening, taking a spin on your bike, and even vigorous cleaning count.

4. Adopt a mindfulness technique

This might be meditation, yoga, or deep breathing, but getting into the habit of practicing something that quiets and calms you is a great way to combat anxiety symptoms.

5. Don’t isolate

Being alone with your thoughts is good, but only to a certain extent. Anxiety can be addressed by getting out of your bubble and seeing friends and family consistently.

Maintaining your social connections is a boon to your mental health and to battling anxiety.

Along with these tips, your Primary Care Walk-In Clinic provider can discuss mental health counseling — a vital complement to these self-care strategies. The combination of getting help from a mental health services provider and caring for yourself consistently can relieve your anxiety so you’re able to enjoy better health and live life more fully.

Please contact the Primary Care Walk-In Clinic location nearest you to schedule a consultation with Dr. Chopra, Dr. Maheshwari, or Dr. Jarvis. You can also book one online.