Last update: February 03, 2017
Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world today, accompanied by stress and depression.
Following the large number of people affected by this disorder, several studies have been carried out to be able to fight and overcome anxiety in an effective and lasting way.
We invite you to take a deep breath and give yourself a moment of calm to read about how to win the battle against anxiety. With the methods and advice that we provide below, you can learn how to keep it under control.
To do this, it is essential to remember that we can choose the thoughts and emotions that can help us enhance the tools at our disposal, saving us from this ailment. Keeping this in mind will help us not to become a slave to our own emotions and to learn to manage them in a positive way, for our benefit.
All human beings have the necessary skills to be able to choose, make decisions and be active people towards life, without letting themselves be carried away or conditioned by the context in which they find themselves.
What are the 5 most effective ways to fight and overcome anxiety?
- Exercise. Exercise allows us to free our minds and clear our ideas, thus focusing only on physical aspects such as breathing and the sensations generated by the activity we are carrying out.
Jasper AJ Smith, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, says that physical activity helps us unplug from all the worries or neurotic thoughts that are the source and core of anxiety.
If we practice physical activity every day, we can reduce anxiety by 50%, making it one of the most effective and healthy ways to overcome the problem.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy to understand anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the schools of thought in psychotherapy that allows us to have a specific and clear idea of ​​all the characteristics and consequences of anxiety.
If we decide to start this therapy and enjoy all the benefits it can provide, it will take at least one hour per week for 3 or 4 consecutive months. During the sessions, we will learn the importance of our thinking and how this affects our mood and our actions.
- Overcoming anxiety with meditation. Thanks to the study carried out by the researcher of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Fadel Zeidan, it was possible to verify that anxiety works on our body by deactivating the areas of the brain that are responsible for generating and managing thought. For this reason, one of the main characteristics of anxiety is that you lose control very quickly and easily.
Zeidan proposes meditation as a method to unplug and keep our emotional control balanced.
- Take care of your sleep hygiene. Numerous studies and researches have stated that insomnia and sleep disturbances are one of the main causes of anxiety. If we do not enjoy good sleep quality and the time it takes to sleep, the areas of the brain responsible for producing and managing anxiety are altered.
It is common to understand if a person is suffering from insomnia due to their high degree of anxiety. To avoid this situation, it is advisable to sleep 8 hours in a row at well established times. Avoiding foods that do not promote peaceful sleep, such as sugar, saturated fat, and caffeine, is also recommended.
Sleep and rest are important and fundamental elements to overcome and fight anxiety.
- Doing yoga facilitates relaxation. Meditation and relaxation facilitate and improve our mood. One of the most recommended activities in this regard is yoga, from which it is possible to obtain numerous benefits.
Yoga allows you to reduce anxiety levels, as it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which allows you to adequately manage relaxation and its effects on the body and mind. To enjoy its benefits and work on anxiety, experts recommend 3 weekly sessions for 12 weeks.
