We all get nervous sometimes. Sometimes it happens when we have to speak in public or when we have to talk to someone about a difficult subject. Sometimes we get nervous before a big test or project at work. Other times, nervousness comes when we fly or before a long trip. Regardless of what makes each of us nervous, everyone gets nervous sometimes.

So what is the difference between this and anxiety? They are similar in that they sometimes elicit physical changes, distressing thoughts and changes in behavior. Strong anxiety can cause changes in us that disrupt our lives in harmful ways. If you struggle with anxiety that changes your routine, keeps you from doing things that you need to or want to do, and leads to strong physical reactions, it is likely that you need to do something to relieve the anxiety.

The good news is that there are effective ways to minimize anxiety.
Some of the symptoms of strong anxiety that you might experience are: shortness of breath, racing heart, dizziness, nausea, tightness in chest, sweatiness, shaking, fear of dying or losing control, and repeatedly worrying about the same thing over and over.

In order to help decrease anxiety, it helps to know that it is an automatic response built into our system. It exists to protect us from danger. The “fight or flight” theory explains how we naturally react to fear. Our natural instinct when we feel fear is either to fight it or run from it. Anxiety is only helpful when it is alerting us to danger. For people with anxiety, the problem occurs because their alert system turns on when there is no danger around them. Anxiety by itself cannot hurt.

There are three aspects of anxiety: physical, cognitive (thoughts), and behavioral. Each can play a role in either increasing or managing anxiety. Physical symptoms have a reason for occurring. In preparing for protecting you, your heart beats fast. If your heart races and blood flow quickens, you know that your body is getting ready for a crisis. This explains a racing heart and tingling or numbness. Your breathing becomes faster as respiration changes to prepare for crisis. This leads to feelings of shortness of breath or pain in your chest. Your sweat glands can also go into overdrive and you may get sweaty palms and underarms.

You may also feel a surge of adrenaline when you are anxious. When you are anxious, the chemical adrenaline causes a series of physical reactions that, in an emergency helps with the “fight” response. For example, if there is a fire, adrenaline helps you do what you need to do to escape danger. When it is released when there is no danger, panic can occur, with many physical symptoms occurring.

The cognitive part includes all of your thoughts related to anxiety. Often these thoughts occur before you get anxious. They may involve a fear of not being able to handle a situation. “What if” questions can accompany anxiety such as, “What if I do not get to work on time?” Worry about having panic attacks or fearing the worst, even when it is unlikely to occur, can increase the physical symptoms that lead to anxiety.

Anxiety becomes a problem especially when it causes negative changes in your behavior. You may begin to stay at home more for fear of having panic attacks. You may withdraw from others because you are afraid of doing something embarrassing. You may become more dependent on family members or friends or it may become difficult to concentrate or complete tasks.

The good news is that anxiety can often be treated successfully, depending on its severity. Treatment focuses on each area of symptoms, including physical, cognitive and behavior. Physical reactions to stress can be minimized by utilizing relaxation and by learning to slow your breathing in order to impact your anxiety on a physical level. Thoughts that increase and trigger anxiety are identified and modified so they can be replaced with positive, anxiety decreasing thoughts. By confronting places and situations that create anxiety for you, you can learn to be less anxious and increase confidence in those situations. Treatment also helps you understand where the anxiety comes from in order to prevent it in the future.

Quick Anxiety Reducing Ideas