Anxiety Disorder: 8 Science-Backed Ways To Manage Panic Attacks, Generally Bad Days
Anxiety, whether in the form of generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, or just an anxious day, is rough to handle. Oftentimes, the advice anxious people are given to deal with their feelings of panic and worry seems distant, like the person giving the advice has never actually gone through it themselves. But AsapSCIENCE's Jess Carroll has — she's here to help.
For starters, avoid WebMD; there are a multitude of scary diseases and conditions are enough to worry a non-anxious person. Sure, its convenience is tempting, but spending hours looking up possible symptoms does more harm than good, Carroll said. She added that more often than not stomach problems are the result of anxiety, not an ulcer (but still go to your doctor if you think there's a problem).
Another tip is to H.A.L.T. Carroll said asking yourself if you're hungry, angry, lonely, or tired can lead to simple solutions, like helping yourself to a snack or meeting a friend for coffee. Figuring out the little ways to manage anxiety is ultimately what keeps it from getting worse. Even something as simple as a deep breathing exercise has the power to reduce anxiety and make the day just a little more bearable.
"For people with mental illness, normal stuff can sometimes feel hard, but it doesn't make you a failure or a weirdo," Carroll said. "It just means that you have an illness that you have to be constantly aware of. And sometimes it's painful, but mostly it makes you the most interesting person in the room."
Watch her video above for all eight ways to cope.