anxiety

7 Habits To Avoid When Dealing With Anxiety

7 Habits To Avoid When Dealing With Anxiety

7 Habits To Avoid When Dealing With Anxiety

At the rate things are going, one might be led to believe that the world we live in is becoming crazier by the day. With vaccine mandates, toxic politicians, never-ending problems, creeping inflation, etc. trying to escape stress is becoming a Herculean task.

If we allow stress to get the better of us and let feelings of fear creep into our minds and fester, we’ll end up become anxious and even paranoid. At its core, anxiety is a fear of misfortune, danger or impending worst-case scenarios. It’s just fear of what may happen in future.

The best way to avoid anxiety will be to ensure that you have good habits in your life which help to manage your stress and anxiety levels. Very often, what you do NOT do is just as important as what you actually do.

Below you’ll find 7 habits to avoid if you’re prone to anxiety and/or the odd panic attack. Cut them out of your life and you’ll find that your anxiety symptoms dissipate and disappear in no time at all.

Get Off Social Media

Avoid social media at all costs, if you’re constantly upset or fearful of the news and debates taking place on platforms like Facebook.

What was once supposed to be for fun and entertainment has become a breeding ground for vitriolic debates, overly sensitive people and generally bad news or fake news making the rounds.

Taking a 30–60-day break from social media will do wonders for your mind and soul and will help you to avoid that incapacitating anxiety attack.

Stop Hanging Out With Toxic People

Some people can find a problem for every solution. These toxic people will always leave you aggravated, fearful or feeling negative. The longer you stay around them, the more upset and anxious you’ll become.

While the self-help books will tell you to be the bigger person, sooner or later you need to ask yourself if always being the bigger person means that you’re hanging around with ‘small’ people.

Upgrade your social circle. Hang out with those who are positive and make you feel good. You’ll be less anxious and also much happier.

I know this can be difficult to do, especially if you have toxic family members, but you really do need to surround yourself with people who will build you up rather than bring you down.

Stop Watching The News

The media can be summarized into one word – agendas. That’s it. No longer is the news about informing people of current events.

These days, the news is used to make people fearful of pandemics, political issues, crime rates, and a myriad of other talking points designed to stir up fear and panic – to achieve ulterior motives.

It’s easy to be anxious if you’re watching the news all the time. This is one of the worst habits to have. Cut out the news and focus on being the best possible you that you can be.

You will find that many of the most successful people don’t watch the news. Yes, there will be those that tell you that you need to stay informed, but they appear to be unaware that they are getting a skewed vision of the world through the lens of that particular organisation, and they all have their own worldviews to promote.

Avoid Consuming Stimulants

Stimulants such as caffeine, sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, energy drinks, etc. may make you feel good temporarily, but they’re harmful to your health in the long run.

Reduce your consumption of them… and for habits like smoking, it’s best to eliminate them totally. The ingredients and substances in most stimulants have been shown to cause anxiety directly or indirectly.

The quick high simply isn’t worth the low you will be feeling for hours afterwards!

Sedentary Lifestyle

Leading a sedentary lifestyle makes people feel lethargic, depressed and weak. Our bodies were made to move – even if you think you don’t have the time or mood to exercise.

Spend 15-30 minutes a day exercising. Your body will release endorphins that make you feel happier. You can’t be anxious and happy at the same time. This is one of the biggest benefits of exercise.

Furthermore, your stamina will increase and so will your strength. You’ll be less tired all the time and you’ll feel much better about your life.

Not Getting Enough Sleep

Do NOT burn the candles at both ends all the time. Society has made it seem that material success and wealth are the be-all and end-all of life.

But if you’re in a constant state of anxiety because you’re sacrificing sleep just to work, not only will you be more tired, irritable and high-strung, but your productivity will suffer too.

Get 7-8 hours of sleep daily. Give your mind and body a rest. It’s one of the best things you can do to reduce anxiety.

Stop Comparing Yourself With Others

Comparing yourself with others will almost always make you feel worse about yourself. If you think someone else is better off than you, you’ll be dissatisfied with your own life and envious of them.

If you think you’re better than others, generally, you’ll be feeling insecure deep down inside, and your thoughts are a reflection of you not feeling good enough.

Either way, it’s not a good prognosis.

The goal is to always compare yourself with the previous you… and strive to do better. Always aim to beat your personal bests, but don’t beat yourself up to do it. Make measurable progress in reasonable time.

You’ll find happiness when you’re not comparing yourself with others. Don’t run if no one is chasing you.

In Conclusion

Apply the pointers in this article and your anxiety levels will drop. You may also wish to spend time meditating, finding ways to destress (E.g. gratitude journaling, watching comedies, praying, etc.) and try to stay optimistic.

Find what works for you and do it consistently. Always remember that life is to be lived… and not controlled. Surf the waves of life taking each wave as it comes rather than trying to control the tides.

The latter will only lead to anxiety. Let it go.

“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.”

– Kahlil Gibran

Managing stress requires self discipline and if you want to know more about harnessing the power of self discipline, check out the featured resource below for a free detailed report; download, read it and take action 🙂

self-discipline
Continue Reading