Psychological therapies are much more effective anxiety cures than medications

It is normal for people to experience anxiety in life at some point in time. It helps us cope with very stressful situations. But, when anxiety becomes too much to bear and turns into irrational fears of everyday circumstances, it becomes a debilitating anxiety disorder. Unlike short-lived, mild anxiety caused by a stressful event, anxiety disorders can last for months and may worsen if not immediately and properly treated. 

The best way to cure your anxiety is to understand your anxiety condition. Anxiety is a troubled state of mind. Anxiety results from fearful thinking of future events or situations. It is a condition that is not accidental, unknown, or uncontrollable. Anxiety conditions occur for specific reasons, and its persistence has an underlying foundation. Education is an important way to reach your anxiety cure. Here are some helpful tips to removing anxiety from your life, which will aid in taking control over your own emotions again:

Relaxation techniques– a person feeling anxious most of the time has trouble relaxing. However, learning how to release muscle tension is one important anxiety cure. Relaxation techniques include regular muscle relaxation, meditation, abdominal breathing, massage, and isometric relaxation exercise.

Proper breathing techniques– the physical symptoms of anxiety may be triggered by hyperventilation or rapid breathing, which raises oxygen levels and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. A person with anxiety should know how to breathe from their diaphragm, and not from their chest to prevent hyperventilation. This technique can help you calm down while feeling anxious. 

Cognitive Therapy– this technique focuses on altering patterns of thinking and beliefs that are associated with and trigger anxiety. The basis of cognitive therapy is that ideas can trigger thoughts, which then trigger feelings, then results manifest through action. Cognitive therapy strategies should include rational self-talk, training on attention, reality testing, cognitive challenging, and cognitive restructuring. This means monitoring your self-talk, challenging fears and beliefs, and checking out the negative thoughts and actions in terms of their reality.

Behavior therapy– the major component of behavior therapy is exposure. Exposure therapy involves deliberately confronting your fears in order to desensitize yourself. Exposure lets you redefine the danger or fear aspect of the situation or trigger. 

Medication- it is important to see medication as a short-term measure, not a solution to anxiety disorder. Studies show that psychological therapies are much more effective than drugs in managing anxiety disorder in the long run. Brief courses of tranquilizers or antidepressants may be prescribed by your doctor to help you deal with the symptoms, but they should not be relied on as the final or lifelong solution.

Dietary adjustments– inadequate intake of vitamin B and calcium can worsen anxiety symptoms. Nicotine, caffeine, and stimulant drugs should be avoided for they trigger your adrenal glands to release adrenaline- one of the main stress chemicals.

Exercise – burns up stress chemicals and promotes relaxation. Plan to do some physical activities at least 3 to 4 times a week and vary your activities to avoid boredom. Sex is definitely the number one recommended stress exercise for me! It triggers your body to release hormones and neurotransmitters such as oxytocin and dopamine. 

There may be no specific anxiety cure for each individual, but the level of recovery depends on the participation and willingness of the person with the anxiety condition. The sooner a person can get treatment, the bigger their chance of getting better and getting back to normal mental health, whatever the hell that is.