Anxiety can affect people in a variety of different ways. For some, it has the physical symptoms of a racing heart, shallow breathing, and pressure in the chest. For others, it can take the form of intrusive thoughts and worries that won’t go away. The Diagnostic Manual for mental health providers lists the following criteria:
- Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least six months, about several events or activities.
- The person finds it difficult to control the worry.
- Anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past six months):
- Restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge
- Being easily fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
- Irritability
- Muscle Tension
- Sleep Disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep or restless unsatisfying sleep)
The manual further explains anxiety in its different forms and discusses the distress it can bring in essential areas of life.
As with any mental health issue, anxiety impacts the whole person; spirit, soul, and body. To gain freedom from anxiety, the root issues must be addressed to avoid temporary relief and provide long-term success. Even though individuals can be experiencing different symptoms, there are helpful tools that have been proven to reduce and help alleviate the problem.
Tools for Overcoming Anxiety
- Inner Healing through Emotional Realignment treatment, tapping, EMDR, etc.
- Meditation
- Aromatherapy
- Exercise
- Deep breathing
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Balanced Nutrition
- Rest and Health Sleep Habits
- Taking thoughts captive: adaptive, truth-filled thinking
- Connecting in healthy relationships
These are just a few tools that can help you recover a life of inner healing. As you apply these different concepts, you will find yourself breaking free from the fear that has held you captive and becoming the healed person that you desire to be.
If you would like to learn how love can promote healing for your anxiety, read our blog post, Understanding Fear and its Impact on your Life.
