In a high-stress work environment, it is difficult not to experience anxiety attacks. You may have felt it before – a sense of worry and uneasiness that creeps up on you and manifests not just as an emotion, but also physically. While experiencing stress may be inevitable, there are several ways to deal with the problem.
Nip it in the bud
Even before you experience stress, try to condition yourself. Monitor your thoughts. Sometimes you worry way more than you should or blow a situation out of proportion. People with anxiety often obsess over worst-case scenarios. These thoughts are not facts, they have not happened yet. It’s okay to be ready for the worst that can happen, but know that it will not necessarily happen. Acknowledge your thoughts and try to evaluate your situation rationally. Learn to accept the things that you cannot control. It is possible to retrain your brain like this.
Talking about your stress and anxiety is one good way to clear your thoughts. Call a trusted friend or family member, or a therapist, to talk about how you feel. Talk to them about your fears and what’s bothering you. Saying them out loud will help put them in perspective. Even if the one you are talking to may not be able to solve all your problems, having them listen will lift some weight off your shoulders. If there is no one you can call, you could also try writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. It is also good to note that telling someone suffering from anxiety attacks to stop thinking of those thoughts or that they are just overthinking is outright irresponsible.
Daily Meditation
Make it a habit to start your day in Silence. Take your time and just sit on your bed, take a few deep breaths, and do meditation. Meditation enhances calmness and inner peace which helps reduce stress and anxiety. Meditate daily and before going into stressful environments such as your workplace.
The Tell-tale Heart
It is important to recognize the symptoms of an anxiety attack. It can be different for each person or a combination of a few. For some, it is a heightened heart rate. For others, excessive sweating, or shortness of breath. It may also be an unexplainable feeling of worry. If you are the one experiencing an anxiety attack, you can easily identify it and prepare countermeasures while it still hasn’t progressed yet.
The physical effects of anxiety trigger our fight-or-flight response. It is meant to alert us of perceived threats. This goes back all the way to the survival of prehistoric man. These days, our threats are no longer about wild animals that might attack, but the brain and body still react in the same way. Noticing these will help you handle your anxiety as soon as you feel the signs coming on.
Combating Anxiety
The moment you notice the symptoms of an anxiety attack, there are things you can do to help yourself handle it.
1. Take a time out to breathe. Slow deep breaths, in and out will help you calm down, slow down your heart rate, and get oxygen into your brain so your mind and body can relax. This is the most important step – Breathe
2. Diverting your attention is another good way to get your mind off of your immediate thoughts. Get up and do something easy like taking a short walk or even just throwing away a piece of paper or taking a drink of water. Doing this helps cut your train of thought and helps you regain a sense of control. Try to take your mind off of things and do something you enjoy, lying down in bed or taking a shower aren’t good ideas since these help us to think more about our current thoughts which in turn aggravates your anxiety attack.
Long term Solutions
After experiencing an anxiety attack, try to evaluate and improve both your mental and physical well-being to lessen your stress in the future. Eating a well-balanced meal, getting enough sleep, and exercising daily will have a long-term effect on combating stress. Put extra effort into work-life balance. Spending time to unwind with family and friends, pursuing a hobby that you are passionate about, or just taking time to rest is just as valuable and productive as the hours you put into work.
If you find it persistent, then it is advisable to seek professional help. There are many different types of help and alternative solutions to learn new mental skills to deal with stress or anxiety. Identifying what triggers them is the first step. Some of these triggers are because of past events, or negative beliefs. One solution could be to remove your blocks and beliefs with CreatrixⓇ.
CreatrixⓇ is a program for women made by women, where it helps them clear blocks, beliefs, and negative patterns which are triggers such as:
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- Fears
- Anxiety
- Fear of Failure
- Low Self-Esteem
- Financial Issues
- Resentment
As women, we all have past patterns that we unconsciously play out in our everyday lives. When we unblock these, they stay there. But with CreatrixⓇ, we remove these and replace them with positive ones.
It’s fast, quick, easy, long-lasting, and fun.
To learn more, visit our CreatrixⓇ page.