It has happened to all of us at some point: we have a job interview, the defense of our thesis or a date with a potential love interest. We feel a pit in our stomach, we tremble, our hands sweat, we blush, our heart races a mile a minute. These are all completely normal physiological reactions, which put us on alert and prepare us for something that our brain tells us is important.
Now, can you imagine living in that state of nervousness, every day, every minute of your existence? Living, eating, sleeping worried, with well-founded or unfounded fears, and that prevents you from interacting normally with your family, your friends or at work, or even leaving your house? That is what is known as a generalized anxiety disorder and although you may not believe it, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), more than 40 million Americans suffer from it, and it is more prevalent in women. We are practically talking about an epidemic and the most common mental disorder in the world.
Because of the seriousness of the condition, my first advice is to seek specialized help, whether from a psychologist, psychiatrist or cognitive behavioral therapist. But there are other things you can do to at least begin the road to full recovery from anxiety.
Better than fighting, accept: Sometimes anxiety feels like a fight against your own body and mind. You want to defeat them in order to calm down, but that fight only increases the severity and frequency of the episodes. The best thing to do is to accept it and think that it will go away just as it appeared; in the very act of acceptance there is relaxation.
Facing your fears to overcome them: Within the context of anxiety, there is a tendency to magnify fears to such an extent that they seem insurmountable. For example, for a person with social anxiety, a simple meeting of friends can become an absolutely intolerable event. Gradually exposing themselves to that fear will help them realize that it was unfounded in the first place.
Cultivate good thinking and attention habits: I recommend mindfulness because it helps you immediately recognize the symptoms of anxiety and become aware of it. Another thing that works is to think about what the real probability is of that catastrophic scenario you have in your mind happening; if you look at it objectively you will realize that it is usually very low.
Finally, I recommend trying some herbal teas with anxiolytic properties such as chamomile, valerian, linden and passion fruit juice.