8 Tips for Chronic Anxiety

Chronic anxiety affects millions of Americans annually. If you struggle with chronic anxiety, you know that the physical and mental symptoms can be devastating.

Common symptoms of chronic anxiety include:

• Feeling irritable or on edge all the time
• Feeling fatigued
• Unable to concentrate or focus
• Excessive sweating
• Rapid heart rate or palpitations
• Excessive worry and fear
• Intense feelings of dread
• Nausea
• Sleep problems
• Chest tightness
• Panic attacks
• Lightheadedness or dizziness
• Upset stomach
• Unexplainable aches and pains, including headaches
• High blood pressure

You can overcome chronic anxiety with the help of a mental health professional, relaxation and mindset techniques, lifestyle tweaks, and ultimately through greater dependence upon the Lord for His help in your time(s) of need.

Help for Chronic Anxiety

Overhauling your life and ingrained habits can be overwhelming. Instead, narrow down the changes you need to make or techniques you want to add to manage your chronic anxiety. Then, work on one for a few weeks before adding another to your routine.

Specific tips require daily practice, such as identifying and reframing negative thought patterns and the 5-4-3-2-1 method for grounding and stopping panic attacks. Speak to a counselor to learn more about the following tips and techniques for chronic anxiety.

Counseling

Counseling offers clients a safe place to confide in a counselor to identify negative thought patterns and beliefs while learning coping mechanisms. Counseling addresses the root causes and the cognitive triangle. The cognitive triangle displays the cycle of thoughts leading to emotions and resulting in behaviors. The cycle can also work backward: behaviors can cause emotions and result in negative thoughts or beliefs.

The techniques a counselor chooses are based on the individual’s condition, the severity of the condition, and what methods would best serve the client. A counselor may choose talk therapy, group therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or Dialectical Behavior Therapy, to name a few.

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques can help soothe tense muscles, lower blood pressure, and decrease heart rate. Examples of common relaxation techniques include deep breathing exercises and Progressive Muscle Relaxation. You can try several deep breathing exercises and find most of them online.

To get started, practice a deep breathing exercise of 4-4-4. Breathe in through your nose for the count of four, hold the breath for the count of four, then exhale slowly through the mouth for a count of four. Repeat as necessary.

For Progressive Muscle Relaxation, start by lying supine on the floor or in a bed. Close your eyes and focus on each body part as you tense the muscles for several seconds, then release. For example, starting with your feet, focus on tensing the muscles in your feet and toes for five seconds, then release.

Wait about ten seconds before moving to your calf muscles. Continue the practice until you reach your face. Repeat in areas where you still feel tension. This exercise helps you identify tense muscles and ease the tension.

5-4-3-2-1 Method

Anxiety causes shallow breathing and a sensation of floating or being lightheaded or dizzy. The practice of grounding brings you back into the present. The 5-4-3-2-1 Method is a way to ground yourself into your surroundings and gain control of anxiety and panic attacks.

When you feel anxious, become mindful of your surroundings. Be willing to use your five senses and touch items. Feel their textures, and name them aloud if you can. For this method to work, choose items based on the following:

• Name five things you can see
• Name and feel four things you can touch
• Name three things you can hear
• Name two things you can smell
• Name one thing you can taste

Note the order of the exercise and practice the 5-4-3-2-1 Method daily until you can do it easily.

Goal Setting

Goal setting may not seem like an effective way to deal with chronic anxiety, but the practice of setting goals and organizing tasks to reach those goals leads to feeling in control of situations. Your anxiety will lessen when you feel you have a sense of control.

Write down your top ten goals. Include goals in important areas of your life, such as faith, family, relationships, health, finances, career, and hobbies. Now, choose one or two goals that can make the others happen or are of greater importance to you. Next, write down the steps to accomplish these goals. What must you do monthly, weekly, and daily to see this happen? Make sure to include one or two tasks daily to see progress.

Identifying Negative Thought Patterns

As mentioned in the Counseling section above, negative thoughts can lead to emotions and behaviors that may not be beneficial for your well-being. Negative behaviors can also lead to negative thoughts and emotions, such as feeling sad, disappointed, or rejected. To break the cycle, a Christian counselor can help you identify your negative thought patterns and learn to reframe them in ways that are true, honoring to the Lord, and increase your overall wellness.

For example, if you struggle with body image and anxiety, you may think, “I hate my legs. They are so big and bulky.” Take this negative thought and reframe it so you feel empowered instead of upset and sad about your legs. Perhaps you could change your thoughts by stating, “My legs are strong and carry me everywhere I need to go.”

Eating Healthier

What we put into our bodies affects how we perform physically and mentally. Some ingredients and additives, such as the sweetener aspartame and flavorings like MSG, can worsen anxiety symptoms. These food additives have also been linked to cancers.

Cut back on packaged and frozen foods, also known as “Frankenfoods.” Instead, choose healthier food ingredients, like lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Choose foods that are considered whole with as little processing as possible. You can still treat yourself to the occasional Pop Tart or slice of chocolate cake; just be sure to consume these as treats and not part of your everyday meals.

Exercise

Exercise is a quick way to ease tension, decrease anxiety symptoms, regulate emotions, decrease heart rate, reduce blood pressure and cortisol levels, and boost mood and confidence. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, regular exercise, like a brisk walk several days a week, may be as effective, if not more so, than medication for anxiety.

Always speak to your doctor before starting a fitness regimen. Once you receive the doctor’s approval, start slowly. To start, try a brisk walk around the neighborhood. As you become stronger and build your cardiorespiratory endurance, try different activities for well-rounded fitness, such as strength training and flexibility training. You can find home workouts online or hire a personal trainer for a session or two.

Alcohol and Caffeine Reduction

It may seem like everyone starts their day with a cup of coffee. Many people consume two or three cups in the morning and then drink caffeinated drinks throughout the rest of the day. Caffeine can make you more alert and able to focus. Still, too much caffeine can overstimulate the nervous system, making it impossible to concentrate and worsening anxiety symptoms for people with anxiety or panic disorders.

Stopping caffeine cold turkey could lead to withdrawal headaches. Instead, cut back gently. If you typically drink three cups of coffee in the morning and a caffeinated beverage in the afternoon, try replacing one coffee with a glass of water for one week.

The following week, either replace another coffee or the afternoon caffeinated drink with more water. Try flavored water or choose decaffeinated coffee or teas. Just remember decaffeinated coffee still contains a small amount of caffeine, typically around 2mg.

Choosing Christian Counseling for Chronic Anxiety

Christian counseling is an effective way to overcome chronic anxiety symptoms. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, your counselor may advise talk therapy, group therapy, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Christian counseling combines psychological methods with a focus on conforming to the image of Christ to help clients free themselves from the bondage of anxiety and live the life God has purposed for them.

It is never too late. Contact our office today to get started.