Tools For Coping With Anxiety

QUESTION: What are the tools for coping with anxiety?

ANSWER:

Are the tools for coping with anxiety working for you? How do you cope with exhaustion, sleep problems, tension headaches, constant worry, lowered immune function, irritability, angry outbursts, and the lack of concentration brought on by anxiety?

Here are some tools you might want to add to your toolbox of life. It is almost impossible to gain perspective on your situation if you are sleep deprived and experience exhaustion as a result. A tool you could use would be relaxation and deep breathing techniques. At least thirty minutes before bedtime, find a quiet place to be by yourself and listen to music that relaxes you while breathing slowly and deeply. Eating a light snack at this time that includes calcium also aids in relaxation and preparation for sleep.

Another tool for coping with anxiety that helps with lowered immune function, irritability, angry outbursts, and lack of concentration is the correct balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in your diet. Are you eating in proportion and on a regular basis? I find that eating three meals and two snacks in balanced proportion for proteins, carbohydrates, and fats each day keeps anxiety at bay. This prevents the unexpected rise and fall in blood sugar levels that can aggravate irritability. This irritability, left unchecked, can fuel angry outbursts. When you give your body the fuel it needs, you are more likely to have a healthy immune function, barring other health or disease factors.

Could you use a specialized tool for constant worry associated with anxiety? One person who struggles with anxiety gives this helpful advice: "I recommend saturating yourself with the Word of God that speaks to all the cares and anxieties that we face. In Psalm 139:23 David asks, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." He says these assuring words in Psalm 55: 22: "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." The Apostle Peter echoes David's thoughts of trust found in Psalm 37:5 with these words, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). The deepest trust is found in a personal relationship with God as you surrender all that you are to all that He is.