5 Tips for When You’re Feeling Anxious

Do you find yourself feeling anxious on a regular basis, or in certain situations? If so, you may have one of many different types of anxiety. Learn more about symptoms of anxiety and various anxiety disorders in this article, as well as helpful relaxation techniques and tips to overcome anxiety.

Types of Anxiety

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Julia is a thirty-two-year-old mom of two who has a difficult time relaxing because she feels the need to constantly be cleaning and re-organizing her home and picking up after her vivacious toddlers. She feels stuck because she loves and feels the need to have a clean home, but she is beginning to realize that she cannot keep up with everything that she feels needs to be done every single day.

She cannot stand when the pillows are not picture-perfect on the couch. She never lets the dirty dishes sit in the sink for more than a few minutes. She cannot stand when someone spills crumbs on the floor as soon as she finishes vacuuming and mopping. She will not go to sleep until all the laundry is precisely folded and put away.

Julia is feeling physically and emotionally drained. She feels unable to just let some tasks go for a day or two. She wants to feel relaxed when she sits on the floor to play with her children rather than obsessing over the mess that is being made. It has been emotionally and physically taxing, causing her much sleeplessness due to the inability to pause and reset.

Julia may be struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder, an often overlooked and inwardly paralyzing form of anxiety. Julia is not alone in her need to have control over something. Perhaps you, also, are struggling with a desire to control something because your entire childhood was spent being emotionally abused and you were never able to make your own decisions.

If this is you, know you are not alone and there is no shame in seeking help. Perhaps, someone you love also struggles with a similar obsession and is silently waiting for relief from the constant striving for perfection or a desire for control.

Social Anxiety

Imagine entering a room and instantly feeling overwhelmed by the volume of people sitting there. Imagine your mind rushing to a million different scenarios. Is the person you are in contact with going to lash out? Are you safe? Is there something on your face? What if you do not say the right thing?

Social Anxiety can make everyday tasks like running to the grocery store or taking a child to the doctor seem like a daunting task. Social Anxiety can be paralyzing for some as they fear social situations like making phone calls and dealing with a constant fear of being judged.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety is one of the most common forms of anxiety and one that includes excessive worry over every little detail. It can include being anxious from dawn until dusk and reading into the endless possibilities of things that can go wrong in a day. Anxiety can be a thief when it comes to taking time to appreciate and be thankful for what is in front of you. It makes it feel like a constant battlefield in the mind.

For someone who deals with excessive worry, their thoughts might look like this as they perform everyday tasks:

Driving a car: What if someone hits my car?

Meeting a new friend for coffee: What if we do not connect and it is awkward? Maybe I should cancel.

Going on a date with their spouse: What if something happens to my kids? Maybe we should just stay home.

Making a phone call: What if I say the wrong thing? Why is my heart beating so fast?

Going to church: Are they judging me because we are ten minutes late? Should we still go in if we are late?

Generalized Anxiety can bring about anxious feelings to every aspect of one’s day and thoughts of the future. Anxiety, in all its many forms, can cause someone numerous physical problems – including insomnia, fatigue, racing heart, headaches, panic attacks, hot/cold spells, shaking/nervousness, along with various other physical symptoms.

Anxiety can also be debilitating emotionally and mentally, making one so fearful or depressed that they risk losing their job and cannot go about their day-to-day activities like they normally would. The stress response is the mind and body’s reaction to a real or perceived threat of danger. It is crucial to seek help so that your day is not held captive by the fear of the unknown.

Tips to Help You When You’re Feeling Anxious

Here are a few tips to consider if you’re feeling anxious and symptoms of anxiety are creeping in and stealing your joy today:

Try some relaxation exercises

Relaxation exercises are helpful to encourage your mind and body to return to a more relaxed state. Anxiety can often leave you feeling on edge, nervous, and unaware of how it is affecting you.

Deep breathing exercises and yoga are two relaxation exercises that you can do anywhere, and they do not require any special equipment. Nature walks, art, and dancing are also great activities to engage in to refresh your mind and body.

Figure out what’s triggering you

Often people struggle with anxiety and are unaware of what is really affecting them. It could be a subconscious form of anxiety and could take months or even years to realize that all the physical symptoms are because of something much deeper like unresolved trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or unhealthy coping patterns.

Take care of your physical health

To take care of yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally, it is important to maintain a healthy diet, exercise, drink copious amounts of water, and ensure that you are getting enough sleep. Sometimes the body has a way of telling you to slow down and take care of yourself.

Take care of your spiritual and emotional health

Meditate on Scripture, pray constantly, participate in a Bible study, write in a journal, connect with your friends and family, and make sure that you are taking ample time to feed your spiritual and emotional health. These are huge steppingstones toward coping with anxiety. Philippians 4:6 reminds us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Find and accept a strong support system

It is important to accept that helping hand when you are feeling down. Offer to help someone else who may be struggling with anxiety or sit together and talk openly about your struggles. It is important to have close friends and family members in whom you can confide and to whom you can open up about whatever you may be facing.

Karen Salmansohn said, “Anxiety happens when you think you have to figure out everything all at once. Breathe. You’re strong. You got this. Take it day by day.”

Anxiety can be a slippery slope if allowed to linger unresolved. Anxiety will not disappear overnight for anyone, but it is important to educate yourself and those you love about the possible negative effects it can have on your spiritual, emotional, and physical health. Take it day by day, hour by hour.

“As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you.” – Charles Stanley

It is important to know that you are not a bad Christian because you struggle with anxiety. God is right beside you in your struggles, holding your hand through the good and the bad. He is walking in front of you, leading you to something better. God can use these emotional storms in your life for something good. Maybe it will be to help someone else who has struggled for years but feels alone in their fight.

If someone tells you they are feeling anxious or struggling with anxiety, it is important to validate their feelings rather than tell them they are being silly or overthinking. Sometimes someone with anxiety just needs to be heard, validated, and have someone they can count on. They need to be reassured, accepted, shown compassion, and know they can ask for help.

Anxiety has a different face for every person with various symptoms and feelings. A counselor is available to warmly welcome you into a judgment-free zone where you can begin your steps toward healing if you are dealing with past trauma or to help you identify specific triggers that are holding you prisoner. Counselors are also knowledgeable about effective coping skills that will specifically help you to make the day-to-day struggles more bearable.

Please know that you are not alone in the fight with any form of anxiety and you are stronger than you know.