How to Stop Experiencing Anxiety Symptoms Right Now
A Comprehensive Guide to Recognizing Your Symptoms and Learning Unique Ways to Manage Them
Learn all about Anxiety: what it is and how to manage it.
It’s probably late, you’re scrolling through Reddit threads or down a Google rabbit hole right now, trying to find something to confirm that you are in fact, falling apart. This is a safe space and we are here to tell you, that we get it and we’ve been there. Your emotions and experiences are valid.
Our goal is that by the time you finish reading this article, you may find that you do end up feeling a little bit better.
We’ve created an in-depth guide on how to stop experiencing a moment of anxiety. If you are looking for a place to start calming down, we delve into some common symptoms of anxiety, potential risk factors and highlight a variety of uncommon techniques that might trick your brain and body into a more relaxed state.
What is Anxiety?
We all need a reminder sometimes. Anxiety is an emotion characterized by worry and fear about everyday situations (American Psychological Association). Understanding how anxiety actually works is the first step to finding relief.
We all experience anxiety. It’s a natural human response. When this happens the body is releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This prepares the body to respond to a threat, increasing our heart rate, and redirecting blood flow to our muscles. It is a sign that our nervous system is working how it’s supposed to. However, when we find that our anxiety is more than just occasional stress, it may begin to negatively interfere with our daily lives.
Common Symptoms:
Your anxiety is a highly individualized experience and symptoms vary from person to person. Anxiety often co-occurs with other common challenges like depression, addiction, adjustment stressors, etc. Sometimes it feels like after all this build up, your anxiety can be triggered by even the small things like maybe that embarrassing moment you can’t stop repeating in your head or panic about what you have to do tomorrow. Anxiety may present itself in many forms. We may feel it physically, psychologically and it can change our behavior in interesting ways. (National Institute of Mental Health).
Some symptoms include:
Muscle tension, headaches, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, panic attacks. This can cause more emotional panic and leave you hyper-aware of the physical symptoms you are experiencing. This then may lead to more anxiety and the sensation of more physical symptoms. This feedback loop can be very tiring.
Excessive worry or obsession about potential negative outcomes that are out of your control. It is common to catastrophize and jump to conclusions when we are feeling anxious.
Restlessness and a feeling of being “on edge” which makes it difficult to focus on anything else.
Irritability, emotional distress, feelings of dread, fear and apprehension.
Sleep disturbances or insomnia, it’s hard to rest when you mind is racing.
Avoidant behavior or steering clear of situations that are believed to trigger anxiety. Our brains are powerful and teach us to avoid things that we perceive as uncomfortable. Sometimes our anxiety can distort the way we interpret situations.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s okay. There is nothing wrong with you, your body is doing what it is supposed to in the face of stress.
Causes and Risk Factors:
It is not your fault that you experience anxiety. Anxiety is just the way our bodies can respond to the chaotic world around us. Biological, psychological, and social factors all play a role in how anxiety can be expressed:
Genetics: A family history of anxiety or other mental illnesses can increase your potential to experience anxiety. In fact, up to 40% of those with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) have a relative who also has GAD (National Library of Medicine).
Life Experiences: Traumatic events, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), abuse, or a history of other emotional circumstances can trigger chronic anxiety. This makes sense and means that your body is appropriately responding to the conditions it is under.
Chronic Stress: Ongoing stress from work, relationships, financial issues and other areas of life can contribute to anxiety.
Individual Differences: Some people may just be more prone to anxiety and that’s okay too. Learning how to better manage these factors is possible.
Coping Strategies When Experiencing Anxiety:
It's not always easy to remember the things that make you feel better. Here are some tips on what to do when you begin to feel symptoms of anxiety arise:
Do a Quick Nervous System Reset: In moments of stress, your body's autonomic nervous system is activated, this is the “fight or flight” response. The Psychological Sigh stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system switching you back to a state of rest. It isn’t a new or trendy breathing technique, the Psychological sigh is a regulatory behavior that can be observed in mammals all over the globe. To perform the sigh:
Inhale deeply through your nose
Take a second inhale
Exhale slowly through your mouth
Do this twice and you may feel a wave of calm
Try the 3-3-3 Rule: When begin to feel panicked, to recenter to the present moment, try to look around and:
Name three things you see
Three sounds you hear
Three parts of your body
Try Cold Exposure: By placing ice on different parts of your body like your chest, you can stimulate the vagus nerve, a key component of your parasympathetic nervous system. Stimulating the vagus nerve can bring your body back to a state of calm.
Call a Loved One You Trust: Instead of falling down a forum rabbit hole, ask for a second opinion on the fears you are experiencing. More often than not, your trusted loved one will reassure you that your fears are not a cause for concern.
Come Up With a Game Plan: Sometimes when we are experiencing anxiety, it is hard to remember our self-soothing practices. Have a comforting song to listen to or an activity you enjoy like taking a quick walk that will help you when you begin to feel anxious. Create a list of tasks that you can quickly do that will shift your perspective.
Do a Brain Dump: Take a moment to write down all your spiraling thoughts. Use a journal, a piece of paper, or start in your notes app. Visualize each thought transferring from your mind to the paper or screen as if you’re dumping it out of your brain. By doing this, you symbolically let go of the thoughts that are weighing you down.
Address It: There’s no point in avoiding it, it’s okay to feel anxious. The anxiety will pass. Remembering that you are just experiencing sensations and that you are safe can be an effective coping skill.
Treatment Options:
It can be reassuring to remember people in the field of science and medicine dedicate their entire careers on finding out how people can heal and cope with their anxieties. Some highly effective and research-backed options include:
Therapy: Try integrative, evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Medication: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, antipsychotics, and other medications are all potential pharmaceutical strategies.
Lifestyle Adjustments: Exercise, meditation, and other stress management strategies have numerous benefits, especially for the management of anxious emotions. In the modern world, we are put in a lot of situations our body’s aren’t build to handle. It’s always a good idea to find activities that align with taking care of your basic needs.
Taking an Individualized Approach: One size doesn’t fit all, anxiety doesn’t work the same way for everyone, and neither should your therapy. Taking a holistic approach to anxiety management that feels right and is tailored to your unique needs is important for healing. Find a therapist that you trust and don’t be shy to “date around” until you find the right practitioner for you.
Resources and Support Toolkit:
Navigating anxiety is a journey and you don’t have to do it alone. Regardless of where you are at, honor your journey by reaching out and seeking support when you need it. There are more resources and communities of support than ever before to teach us the valuable ways we can learn about and manage anxiety.
Our therapy practice has personally curated a list of a few places to start:
An unconventional and silly fix, sensory fruit videos for babies are popular on the internet for a reason and we can’t stop watching them: Fruit Salad Dance Party
We love this talk from Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford’s School of Medicine. Dr. Huberman does a wonderful job of breaking down the biological mechanisms behind anxiety and strategies for coping.
The beloved Brené Brown, a professor at the University of Houston, has dedicated her career to studying courage, vulnerability, and shame. In her podcast, Brené talks about her journey with anxiety and finding a sense of calm.
A popular and effective anti-anxiety meditation. According to a study in Clinical Psychology Review, research suggests that online mindfulness-based interventions led to significant improvements in mental health, showcasing reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms, and enhancements in well-being and mindfulness.
The artist Sarah Scribbles makes hilarious and relatable art about anxiety that makes us feel like we’re not alone.
Find comfort that we all experience it, 58K members are on r/anxietymemes sharing posts that might make you feel seen and smile.
Ready to close all those tabs now that you feel a little bit better?
Get in touch with our therapists at Adhoc Therapy. We specialize in anxiety and have complimentary consultations. We provide sessions at our Los Altos, California location and remotely via Telehealth.
