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Fit For You Counseling

Felicia McC.

What is Anxiety?  How Do We Deal With It?

We often think of anxiety as fear, but anxiety is not fear.  Anxiety is an emotion that must be managed.  It is characterized by uncomfortable feelings of disturbance and confusion.  Anxiety can range from slight to severe.  Occasional anxiety, such as worrying about a project at work, school test or making an important decision is normal, but anxiety that last for long periods of time can interfere with everyday life. Relationships may be affected, a person may struggle with job task and simple everyday functions may become difficult to manage. 

Signs and Symptoms include:

• Being Restless or on Edge
• Lack of Concentration
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Constant Worry
• Shortness of Breath

Anxiety is the expectation of a future threat, that has not happened, but you have already worked yourself up as if it has.

The main way to deal with anxiety is psychotherapy (talk therapy).  Talk therapy can help you relieve stress and worry.  Talking about your difficulties can help you gain insight, manage irrational thoughts, and help you identify unconscious thoughts that influence your behavior.

In addition, there are several things you can do that may help relieve your anxiety.

• Exercising regularly, will lower your stress level and release endorphins that affect mood. Exercise has been found to improve sleep, build confidence and increase overall mental wellness.
• Meditation coupled with Deep Breathing has been known to reduce stress which can cause anxiety.
• Journaling, writing your thoughts down is a good way to release strain and worry.
• Listening to soft music, will calm your nerves and distract you from your worries.
• Laugh often, laughter will also release those feel good endorphins. Try watching a funny show or movie.

Lastly, take time to care for others, often when we put others first, we may find that our worries are not as big as we thought.  Helping others will help put our own thoughts into perspective. 

Keep Striving, Felicia Mc

Striving For A Balanced Life

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