What to Do When You Feel Anxious or Stressed
Do you suffer from anxiety? Are you easily triggered? Do you have frequent stress in your life? Whenever you are riddled with stress and anxiety on a routine basis, your mental health can suffer over time. Anxiety and stress can have negative impacts on your lifestyle, so you will want to curb these behaviors as soon as you recognize them. When you go to individual counseling in Orlando, you will learn many different strategies to cope with your anxiety or stress.
What is difference between stress and anxiety?
There’s a fine line between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses, but stress is typically caused by an external trigger. The trigger can be short-term, such as a work deadline or a fight with a loved one or long-term, such as being unable to work, discrimination, or chronic illness. People under stress experience mental and physical symptoms, such as irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to a nearly identical set of symptoms as stress: insomnia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscle tension, and irritability.
Following are five things you should do when you are feeling anxious or stressed.
- Exercise
- Get fresh air
- Eat Right
- Laugh
- Take deep breaths
Exercise
Getting some exercise when you are feeling anxious or stressed can help you feel less overwhelmed by your emotions. If you are feeling stressed, go for a quick jog or walk if you can. This will help to release endorphins into your brain, which will provide positive emotions to counteract the negative ones associated with stress. If possible, implement a regular exercise routine into your life so you can positively cope with stress.
Get Fresh Air
When you are feeling overwhelmed, it can be helpful to get outside. Giving yourself fresh air will allow you to breathe easier and enjoy a nice breeze. Fresh air also has a calming ability, so sit outside for a little while until your stress or anxiety is less severe. If it is not possible to get some fresh air, listen to calming music, such as ocean waves or soft tones, in order to find an inner calm to reduce anxiety and stressed.
Eat Right
Feeding your body the right nutrients can help to cope with stress and anxiety. By eating a well-balanced diet, you’ll fuel your body with nourishing antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Don’t skip meals because of your anxiety or stress, as this can compound those emotions and make them worse. Instead, focus on eating energy-rich foods to give you a boost throughout the day.
Laugh
When you can laugh at the world around you (and also at yourself), you are giving your body a rush of positive chemicals that can combat some of those negative ones. Don’t be afraid to laugh. Watch a comedy or quick video to give your mind a break from the stressful situation you are currently dealing with.
Take Deep Breaths
While coping with the overwhelming emotions of stress and anxiety, take a few deep breaths and count to 10. This short break will give you a minute to refocus your energy and feel more grounded. Deep breaths will also give your brain some positive energy, which will combat the negative emotions associated with stress and anxiety.
By doing these five things, you can prevent the buildup or negative effects of stress or anxiety on your body. In individual counseling in Orlando, you can learn how to specifically cope with your specific triggers, which will give you a much more tailored and successful approach. Contact us to schedule a meeting with one of our qualified counselors today.
