Anxiety. A harmless seven-letter word. But its implications are far from it.
The thing with anxiety is, nobody really prepares you for it.
The symptoms are always there. You try to ignore it, you make excuses. “It’s just a setback. I’ll be up in no time”, you tell yourself fervently. And you keep on living. You keep on trying to avoid acknowledging it.
But it rears its ugly head back, again and again and, well, again. It doesn't let up. It's unrelenting. It doesn’t give you time. Does not give you time before it punches you in the gut. Again.
The funny thing is, you think you beat it, you have a series of good days. You feel happy, joy even.
And then one morning, you know it's back. Like a deadly eagle swooping in on an unsuspecting rabbit, it incapacitates you, leaving you immobilised against its powerful grip.
I have read far too many accounts of people saying how difficult it is to live with anxiety. How cruelly it dismantles your progress, leaving you back at square one, having to start all over again.
And I have to agree, albeit ruefully, that they are right. It makes you angry. It makes you annoyed, frustrated at yourself. But it won’t leave. As if it can sense your exasperation. But it lingers on until you are but a shell of yourself.
It paralyses you with fear, making you suffer in silence. Unable to really put it in words. Unable to communicate. Unable to fight it.
Till it finally leaves, leaving you in a mess.
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s an overwhelming feeling of fear or worry when our brain detects a threat to our well-being, activating our body’s fight-or-flight response.
Anxiety can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Some of the more common symptoms are -
Increased heart rate
Shallow breaths
Restlessness
Difficulty concentrating
Trouble sleeping
Irritability
Dry mouth
Muscle tension
When you feel anxious, your symptoms could differ vastly from the person seated next to you in your office. While you may feel like your stomach gave way, the other person could be feeling -
Itching
An urge to poop
Tightness in your jaw, clenching your jaw
Tunnel vision
Feeling light-headed or dizzy
Sweating
Disassociation
Nightmares
Ringing ears
Persistent hiccups
Your heart rate may quicken, and you may forget how to breathe. You may feel frozen, unable to snap out of it. Or you may simply feel the need to poop.
So what do you do? How do you let your body know you are fine?
Just like your symptoms, how each person copes with anxiety is also different from one another. So, we at Kofuku have put together a list of 10 things that you can do to try to manage your anxiety. Let’s take a look -
1. Breathe Slowly
If you are feeling anxious, you are more likely to breathe faster and shallower. Sometimes, the easiest and most important thing we can do to soothe ourselves is to focus on our breathing.
Inhale slowly. Count to three as you do it. Focus on each breath. Exhale slowly. Count to three as you do it.
Slow, deep breathing can help to calm the hurricane of racing thoughts in our head.
2. Stay In the Present
Your anxiety can make you feel that whatever has you worried is the only thing in the world. It can transport you to a terrible future that hasn’t happened yet. Try to bring yourself back to where you are. Ground yourself.
Try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique
Focus on five things around you that you can see. A pen, a bottle of water, a spot on the wall - anything.
Focus on four things around you that you can touch. Your watch, the coffee mug, the chair you are sitting on - anything.
Focus on three things you can hear. Someone speaking on their phone, the TV in the background - any external sound.
Focus on two things you can smell - Maybe it’s a charcoal pencil, a hand cream or leftover coffee in your mug.
Focus on one thing you can taste - What does the inside of your mouth taste like? Gum, coffee?
3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
When you are anxious, you may feel your body tense up. What progressive muscle relaxation technique does is it tries to relax the body by building awareness of tension and relaxation in the body.
What you need to do is -
Find a quiet place.
Slowly tense a muscle group. Let’s say you start with your shoulders.
Breathe in while you tense your shoulders
Hold the tension for a few seconds.
Slowly release the tension and breathe out as you do it.
Do this for a muscle group a couple of times before moving on to the next muscle group. What this practice essentially does is it builds awareness of tension in the body and also recognises when the body is completely relaxed.
It helps you differentiate between the two states and build a deep awareness of your body when it is tensed and when it is completely relaxed.
4. Get Moving
Move your body. There is simply no way around it. When you do activities that get your heart rate up like running, cycling, getting some exercise or even dancing, it can literally change your brain chemistry.
Your body releases feel-good chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that help to boost your mood and increase your feeling of well-being.
5. Limit Alcohol, Stop Smoking
Drinking excessive alcohol, whether as a means of coping or a bit too many night outs, can affect your mental health. There is research that shows a link between anxiety and alcohol consumption. Also, decreasing alcohol intake can improve anxiety or depression symptoms
Also, alcohol can disrupt your body’s ability to sleep and can diminish your sleep quality over time. A good night’s sleep is absolutely essential when managing anxiety.
When it comes to smoking, there’s enough research to show that smoking cigarettes and anxiety symptoms coexist. Nicotine, tobacco and other chemicals in cigarettes can alter pathways in the brain linked to anxiety.
6. Try to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Sorry, but consuming 10 cups of coffee is probably not helping your anxiety.
You may feel drained, and the prospect of cooking may seem too much. So you end up ordering fast food or even worse, just skip dinner altogether.
It's 1 am. You cannot sleep. You keep doom-scrolling through your phone, caught in a functional freeze.
I know it is not easy, but try talking to your friends. Eat good, home-cooked meals. Get some fresh air. Literally touch grass. It will only help.
Eating well, keeping active, spending some time in nature, and talking to friends or family can have a huge impact on managing anxiety and improving overall well-being.
7. Small Acts of Bravery
If there’s something that makes you anxious, try tackling it in small steps. For example, if public speaking freaks you out, start by giving a short presentation to a few friends.
Taking on small acts of bravery like this can help you build confidence and manage your anxiety when it comes to bigger challenges.
It might feel better to avoid things that trigger anxiety in the moment, but over time, it can actually make things worse. Facing those triggers, even in small ways, can make a big difference in the long run.
8. Know Your Anxiety
Try to keep notes of when you feel anxious. See if you can spot any triggers. Pay attention to what helps calm you down and what seems to make things worse. It can really give you some insight into how to manage it better.
9. Challenge your self-talk
Challenge the way you talk to yourself. How you think really affects how you feel. To shift your mindset, try finding more positive ways to view situations that make you anxious.
Also, check the facts—are your thoughts really true? Anxiety tends to make us blow things out of proportion, making us think the situation is way more dangerous than it is or that we’re not capable of handling it.
10. Be Kind to Yourself
Practicing self-compassion can really help ease your anxiety. Remember, we all deserve to be cared for—and that includes taking care of ourselves.
People who don’t experience anxiety can never fully grasp what it’s like. But you know. You, my reader, know all too well. You have felt it thousands of times. That creeping sense of discomfort, as familiar to you as an old friend.
You know the way your heartbeat echoes in your ears. The sweat trickling down your back. Your hands growing numb, you feet turning to jelly. You have forgotten to breathe. You feel dizzy.
That small, looming fear expands, taking over your mind. It’s the only thing that matters now. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t see past it. It’s here.
And it’s not going to show you any mercy.
But wait, it’s just your thoughts. It’s not real. Focus on your breathing. Take a moment. Pause. Bring yourself to the present. It’s not so bad. You are okay. You will be okay.
Q. How can I manage my anxiety in the moment?
A. Try deep breathing exercises, grounding techniques (like focusing on the present moment), or progressive muscle relaxation to calm your mind and body. Sometimes, just taking a break and stepping away from a stressful situation can help too.
Q. Is it normal to feel anxious sometimes?
A. Yes, anxiety is a natural response to stress or uncertainty. Everyone feels anxious from time to time, but when it starts interfering with daily life, it may be helpful to look into strategies for managing it.
Q. How do I know if my anxiety is something more serious?
A. If your anxiety feels overwhelming, constant, or starts to affect your ability to work, sleep, or maintain relationships, it could be helpful to talk to a therapist or counselor who can guide you in managing it.
Q. What are some long-term ways to reduce anxiety?
A. Regular exercise, getting enough sleep, practicing mindfulness or meditation, and talking to a therapist can all help lower anxiety levels over time. Developing healthy coping mechanisms and challenging negative thought patterns also plays a big role.
Q. Can avoiding situations that make me anxious help?
A. While avoiding anxiety-provoking situations may feel like a quick fix, it often makes anxiety worse in the long run. Facing your fears in small, manageable ways can help you build confidence and reduce anxiety over time.
