According to the Encyclopedia of Children’s Health, Anxiety is defined as “a condition of persistent and uncontrollable nervousness, stress, and worry that is triggered by anticipation of future events, memories of past events, or ruminations over day-to-day events, both trivial and major, with disproportionate fears of catastrophic consequences.” Anxiety is an umbrella term for multiple Anxiety illnesses: Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder (or known as Social Phobia), Specific Phobias, and lastly, Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Panic Disorder – Typically involves a feeling of terror at random, unexpected times. Panic Disorders also involve panic attacks.
Social Anxiety Disorder – This is when you become overwhelmed, self-conscious and extremely nervous about everyday social situations to the point where it interrupts your daily routine.
Specific Phobias – When you have an extreme fear for a specific object or situation. This fear interrupts your daily routine and causes you to avoid things.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder – This is when you feel an extreme and unrealistic worry with no real reason to be worried (or very little reason).
After reading those definitions do you think you have an Anxiety Disorder? Or, do you already know that you have an Anxiety Disorder? If you said yes to either of those questions here are a few coping skills to help dissolve your anxiety:
-
Breathing Techniques = Breathing techniques are really helpful because they make you focus on one specific thing. If you need help follow the picture above by breathing in when prompted and breathing out when prompted.
- Journaling = Journaling is really good because it gets your thoughts out. If you do not want to physically write your concerns out in a book you can always use the website called The Thoughts Room. The Thoughts Room is a website where you can anonymously write your concerns or rants and people will comment back with helpful ideas and motivation tips.
- Grounding Techniques = A grounding technique is used to help a person stay in the present (reconnect with reality). Healthy Place has the top 21 grounding techniques for Anxiety here. My favorite grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 Game. Here’s how it works: Look around yourself and find 5 things you see around you. Find 4 things you can touch. Find 3 things you hear. Find 2 things you smell. Find 1 thing you can taste.
- Stress Ball = Stress balls are helpful for some people because it helps them focus on one thing. If you do not have a physical stress ball you can always play the Stress Ball Game online.
- Do Something you Enjoy = This could include exercising, listening to music, watching movies/tv, talking or hanging out with friends or family, pet a fluffy animal, and make to-do lists (cross things off when you accomplish them).
*Remember, it’s perfectly normal to feel anxious or stressed out. When this becomes an issue is if your anxiety or stress interferes with your everyday life. If you find your anxiety or stress interfering with your life and keeping you from doing things you used to enjoy then you need to seek further help to manage your anxiety and stress.
Test your level of stress here.
MU Counseling Center: 3rd floor in Lyle Hall. 717-871-7821
*All pictures courtesy of Pinterest and Giphy