Coping with High Anxiety

While many of us experience some degree of anxiety on a regular basis, we do from time to time find ourselves dealing with periods of high anxiety. High anxiety, or as it is sometimes called excessive anxiety, can be debilitating if we do not deal with it properly. Here are a few tips on how to deal with those periods when the anxiety level seems to be temporarily more excessive than usual.

For a number of people, simple breathing exercises can help alleviate some of the stress of high anxiety. One very common breathing exercise involves inhaling for a count of ten, then holding for a count of ten, followed with exhaling for a count of ten. The idea is to calm down your breathing and your heart rate by focusing on the task of counting as you inhale, hold, and exhale. Other breathing exercises have one focus on taking air into the lungs while others focus on the diaphragm. Try several different breathing exercises and see which ones seem to work for you.

In some cases, you may want to try some sort of a light medication or herbal supplement. There are a number of herbs that could be recommended by a licensed herbalist or homeopathic physician. Typically, the effects take longer to appear than with traditional medicine, but you may find the effect more pleasant.

Some people recommend hypnosis as a means of dealing with high anxiety. The idea is that the hypnotist can help uncover from your subconscious mind what is really causing your angst during your day to day living and plant a post hypnotic suggestion that will help to diffuse some of the anxiety. While there are those that swear by this method, others have found it to be a waste of their time. However, you may want to give it a try before you think in terms of prescription medicines.

It is important to remember that if your high anxiety persists over an extended period of time, such as six months, you should seek medical help immediately. Therapy and perhaps a regimen of some sort of medication may ultimately be the answer.