Understanding what anxiety feels like?

Anxiety is an emotion that you feel when you are worried, tense, or frightened. It is a normal response of your body when you are under pressure or facing any challenging situation. Not everyone has the same experience with anxiety. For some people, anxiety is excessive feelings of worry or tension. And for others, it feels like everything is slipping out of their hands or they are losing control over things.

Well, it is obvious to feel anxious at times in life. Because life is not all about happy moments, sometimes you have to go through stressful situations as well. In challenging or stressful situations, a small amount of stress encourages you to handle the situation smartly. Anxiety is normal when it is occasional and under control.

The problem starts when you go through a lot of stress every day. Due to this, every little thing starts affecting you and you start feeling anxious about that. This results in chronic anxiety or maybe anxiety disorder. Chronic anxiety is very disturbing and difficult to handle. It affects your life in every way whether it is your daily life, personal or professional life, or your health.

This article will be all about the effects of anxiety on your daily life. Along with that, you will also learn some lifestyle hacks and other methods to fix anxiety.

Effects of anxiety on your daily life

Anxiety has different physical, emotional, or psychological symptoms varying in severity. If left untreated, anxiety affects your career, hobbies, social life, and self-esteem. For some people, anxiety hits so hard that they even avoid stepping out of their homes. You start avoiding the places and situations that may cause anxiety.

Physical symptoms

·         rapid and irregular heart rate

·         sweating in hands and feet

·         trembling and shaking

·         dizziness, fatigue, and muscle tension

·         chest pain, headache

·         nausea and stomach pain

Emotional or psychological symptoms

·         persistent feelings of fear, worry, tension

·         irritability, restlessness

·         difficulty concentrating due to a lack of alertness

·         if you don’t manage these symptoms on time, they may lead to depression, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts.

Relationship issues: Chronic anxiety affects your relationship with your partner, family, and friends. Moreover, your life also gets affected as you start avoiding social events and public gatherings. You start maintaining distance from people and avoid communicating with them as well. Because of the fear of judgment or rejection. Due to this behavior of yours, several misunderstandings and conflicts may arise in your relationships.

Affects performance: Anxiety can interfere with your ability to perform well at school, college, or the workplace. Because anxiety disturbs your focus and alertness. Along with that it also impairs your ability to make decisions and complete the assigned tasks efficiently.

Disturbed sleep cycle: Sleep is the most affected thing whenever you get anxious. Due to stress and anxiety, you struggle a lot with falling asleep or staying asleep. Due to disturbed sleep, you feel irritated and find it difficult to function well throughout the day.

Low self-esteem: Anxiety lowers your self-confidence and self-esteem if it lasts long. You start doubting yourself and your abilities. Constant feelings of self-doubt and negative thoughts make you feel worthless.

Coping strategies for the effects of anxiety

In general, people don’t take anxiety seriously, but it is not something that you should ignore. As it affects your ability to function well in your daily life, coping with anxiety has become crucial. A variety of methods are there to cope with anxiety which we will discuss here:

Regular practice of exercise and yoga helps a lot in managing anxiety. Moreover, activities like going for a walk, dancing, swimming, or listening to music also work great for addressing anxiety. All these activities distract your mind from negative thoughts of anxiety and make you feel better.

Activities like meditation, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation throw away the negative thoughts from your mind. They relax your mind, reduce anxiety, and lift your mood.

Healthy lifestyle habits like eating healthy food and getting a sound sleep are also important to keep your mind stress-free. Along with these, you should limit smoking and the use of alcohol and caffeine to manage anxiety effectively.

Identify the things, places, or situations that trigger your anxiety. Set boundaries and minimize your exposure to these stressors.

Give time to your hobbies, spend time with family, friends, loved ones, and in nature. All these things will boost your mood and reduce anxiety. Aromatherapy and massage are also effective in coping with anxiety.

If you not getting much benefit from these methods, seek medical help. Consult a doctor about your issues and he/she will examine your situation. The doctor will make a treatment plan according to your issues. You need to follow the plan strictly to manage anxiety and live a better life.