We have all experienced it at some point: we have a job interview, the defense of our thesis, or a date with a romantic prospect. We feel a void in our stomach, we tremble, our hands sweat, we blush, our heart races a thousand miles a minute. All of these are completely normal physiological reactions that 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 founded or unfounded fears, and having that prevent you from functioning normally with your family, your friends, or at work, or even leaving your house? This is what is known as generalized anxiety disorder, and believe it or not, 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.
Due to the seriousness of the condition, my first advice is to seek specialized help, whether with a psychologist, psychiatrist, or cognitive behavioral therapist.But there are also other things that can be done to begin, at least, the path towards a 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 struggle only increases the severity and frequency of the episodes. The best thing is to accept it and think that in the same way it appeared, it will go away; in the very act of acceptance there is relaxation.
Facing your fears to overcome them: within the framework of anxiety, there is a tendency to magnify fears, so that they seem insurmountable. For example, for a person with social anxiety, a simple gathering of friends can become an absolutely intolerable event.Gradually exposing yourself to that fear will help you realize that it was unfounded in the first place.
Cultivating good habits of thought and attention: 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 actual probability is of that catastrophic scenario you have in your mind; 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.