If you really have to point fingers and blame something for your panic attacks and general anxiety disorder, it will have to be your own mind. The world around you does not change, and there will always be things that you can’t control. However, you can control the way your mind reacts to these things. If you can regulate the way you think about things, then you can calm your anxiety and be one step closer to fixing your problem.

Improve Mental Health

Improving your mental health means not cluttering it up with thoughts that only lead you to fear more things. Some say that this is like you’re acting stupid. But I would rather call it ‘not overthinking’. Overthinking could make you more prone to the imaginary threats that have festered inside your head for a long time. If you’re worried about acting stupid, don’t. It is often said that anxiety problems rarely happen to naturally stupid people. You’re smart, which is why the threats you imagine seem more real to you.

Because you know you’re intelligent, you can improve your mental health. Eat food that can contribute to a better chemical balance inside your body. Drink water regularly so that your body temperature stays the same. A high body temperature could mean you’re always feverish. The same goes when your body gets too cold. Physical health is always related with mental health.

Don’t drink alcohol, because this only gives you a false sense of comfort. When the booze wears off, you still have a problem, not to mention a major hangover. The most alarming thing about using alcohol to forget your problems is that your mental health suffers. Many long-time alcohol drinkers don’t realize that they aren’t making sense anymore even in normal conversation. But believe me, others can tell that they are not as smart as they used to be.

Build Your Immunity to Stress

Self soothing and watching your mental health can make a big difference in your recovery. Stress will always be around you, whether in your workplace or in your home. But this does not mean that you can simply let stress affect you. If you can push away stress at arm’s length, your mind can function better. When stress gets to you, try taking a deep breath and telling yourself “It’s ok”. Affirmations and self-calming techniques really help in this scenario.

Therapy

Self-help methods are great, and most of the time they are enough. But if you’re still hurting and a bit panicked that you’ve had a relapse despite your efforts to learn how to calm anxiety, it may be time for another session with your psychologist. Describe how you’ve been doing and focus on the times when you’re truly relaxed. Help your psychologist figure out what could be causing all the stress.

Never think that you’re having a relapse just because the anxiety came back after some time. Learning how to calm anxiety is an ongoing process. Fortunately for us, there are more tools like Linden now that let us do that.

People learn how to calm anxiety on their own as soon as they understand that they have a problem. Sometimes it starts with reading a story about a survivor of anxiety disorders. If you need something like that, here’s one for you.

I learned how to survive an anxiety disorder that seemed to damage all aspects of my life. I lived with paranoia, which affected my relationships and my family life. I was always concerned that I would faint while out shopping just because I don’t know which things could trigger my anxiety. I thought I was going crazy, which drove me up the wall even more. I couldn’t relax.

That’s when I understood that I needed to find out how to calm anxiety. If I stay calm long enough to understand what’s happening, everything flows like normal. I can go out and have fun with friends occasionally. I can also communicate better with my partner.

Here are seven things I did to calm anxiety.

Self-soothing Methods – Reading self-help books really did the trick. Feel-good movies are also good for relaxation. What didn’t help was lying down while reading. The act of staying in bed was depressing, so I read and drank hot cocoa in the kitchen. I took on gardening, which always worked for me. Some people use baking, while others use cleaning and organizing to soothe themselves.

Guilt-free Recreation – Besides movies and literature that boosted my morale, I went for walks around the park, greeting friendly joggers and dog walkers along the way. I brought a camera and shot photos of anything I liked. I didn’t feel guilty doing what I did, I just felt like I was at peace with myself and with the world.

Music – Is music relaxing? It depends on what kind of music you listen to. I like the kind that brought on images of woodlands and forests. Of course, I’m an Enya fan and I could listen to Beethoven all day.

Fragrance Oils – I’ll never looked at lavender the same way again! It’s not just a color, it’s a fragrance oil that does wonders to the mind. I calmed down a lot whenever the smell of lavender filled the room. Regardless of what I’m doing, I always smile when I smell the scent.

Healthy Food – Anxiety can be chemical in nature, which means we can use healthy food to counter the symptoms. I found out that drinking stimulants like caffeine can really increase all the worrying. Fruits and veggies are great because they can be eaten raw.

Exercise – Exercise worked a lot. While I’m sweating it out in the gym, I did not have any other worry other than getting the exercise I need and staying hydrated. Shopping for comfort did not work for me, as I felt guilty about the bills right after. So, exercise (the real kind) was what I went for.

Social interaction – There’s something calming about listening to friends recount their experiences over a big cup of decaf. The chatter soothes me, as does the fact that I know I’m with people I trust.