If you’re feeling anxious, you’re not alone. Anxiety disorders are the most widespread mental illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults every year. The key to battling anxiety is learning as much about its symptoms, triggers, and treatment options as possible, including using ketamine infusion therapy.
WHAT IS ANXIETY?
Everyone feels anxious occasionally. For instance, you can worry when faced with an issue at work, before taking an exam, or before signing for a mortgage.
“Occasional anxiety is OK. But anxiety disorders are different. They’re a group of mental illnesses that cause constant and overwhelming anxiety and fear. Excessive anxiety can make you avoid work, school, family get-togethers, and other social situations that might trigger or worsen your symptoms,” according to WebMD experts.
HOW TO MANAGE ANXIETY
If you’re experiencing fear or panic, or have physical symptoms like dizziness, temporary chest pains, or shortness of breath, you could be having an anxiety attack. Here are our 25 top ways to manage anxiety.
- Try deep breathing routines. Hyperventilation is a widespread symptom of anxiety, but the inverse approach can act as a counterbalance. Inhale deeply through your mouth, hold it briefly, then expel it through your nose. Repeat if needed.
- Ask your doctor or therapist about using ketamine, which was approved in 2019 to treat depression.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Neither are very healthy over the long run, and either in the short term could give you painful withdrawals later.
- Depending on how severe the anxiety, try to write down as many details as possible of the episode.
- Talk to someone trustworthy, even if it means having a conversation with yourself. Another option if depression sets in, if you’re lonely, feel like the ceiling is caving in, or the pressure is too much, is to talk to someone.
- Identify anxiety triggers and reduce them. If you have anxiety thanks to a cluttered house, then attempt to clean it up gradually.
- Exercise or take up a calming hobby. Walking is a great way to lower anxiety, but others are good, too, including looking at family pictures, reading, or watching a movie.
- Create a chant for yourself and memorize it. Even if you just repeat to yourself “I can survive this experience” – that’s awesome. Repeat it aloud as needed and believe in yourself.
- Filter out disruptions and focus on the “now” when you feel anxiety closing in.
- Progressive relaxation can help if you sense anxiety coming on. Maybe tense a muscle, then relax it. If that’s successful, try another muscle.
- Stomp your feet on the ground where the anxiety happened as that can help level your breathing.
- Maintain a sense of smell and taste by reacquainting yourself with the sweetness of chocolate or mints, or the feeling of sand on your toes.
- If you experience an anxiety attack, you can get comfort in walking shoeless, concentrating on lovely sounds, or covering yourself in the security of a weighted blanket.
- Try green tea or lemon balm.
- Turn on an essential oil diffuser or burn a scented candle.
- Cut back on sweets and food and beverages containing high fructose corn syrup and other artificial sweeteners.
- Start a diary and record your feelings and thoughts.
- Chew gum.
- Spend time with loved ones.
- Find something that’s humorous.
- Say “No” when required to assume too much responsibility.
- Stop procrastinating.
- Yoga can help.
- Try intimacy with your partner.
- Listen to an inspirational podcast.
FOODS TO FIGHT ANXIETY
Diet and nutrition get overlooked as a strategy to lower anxiety symptoms. Meals with vegetables, whole grains, and fruits are known to combat anxiety. Add these nutritious and tasty foods to daily meals to manage anxiety:
- Magnesium-rich foods (leafy greens, seeds, legumes, nuts, and whole grains).
- Oysters, beef, cashews, liver, egg yolks (foods rich in zinc).
- Foods bursting with omega-3 fatty acids (wild Alaskan salmon, catfish, trout, shrimp).
- Probiotic-rich foods can also lower anxiety symptoms (sauerkraut, kefir, and pickles).
- Asparagus also may have anti-anxiety properties.
- Vitamin-B foods like almonds and avocado.
- More research by the National Institutes of Health promoted a diet heavy in antioxidants, including fruits, berries, nuts, beans, vegetables, and spices.
- Symptoms of anxiety can also be managed with psychotherapy and drugs like ketamine. Ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, is now administered “off-label” to treat mental disorders via infusion therapy, nasal spray, and wearable devices.
If you or a loved one have questions about the clinical use of ketamine we can help. Contact us today to learn more about how ketamine can help treat the symptoms of anxiety.