Living with anxiety can be a major struggle. Whether you feel anxious over social situations or feel an anxiety disorder all the time, this feeling can negatively impact your daily activities.
While there are simple fixes to cope with anxiety in the short term, developing sustainable practices or making environmental changes to lower anxiety is better in the long run. We’ll cover therapeutic ways to help lower your symptoms of anxiousness so that you can regain control of your life.
1. Animal Companionship
Pets don’t just fight off symptoms of loneliness. Animals, especially cats and dogs, can help to reduce anxiety and stress and alleviate other mental health conditions.
That’s because animals fulfill basic human needs such as touch and affection. Petting, hugging, or stroking a loving pet can rapidly calm your worries and ease mental tension.
While pets can help, you may want to consider a service dog if you’re suffering from severe anxiety. These animal companions are suited to provide support and comfort during emotional and physical distress.
Once you get your service dog, you can register them at the Service Dog Registration of America. Registration will give you official papers you can show when you take your assistance animal in public. It helps to avoid awkward interactions or conflicts that can exacerbate anxiety for some people.
2. Aromatherapy
Essential oils from plants, fruits, and flowers can relieve anxiety and promote relaxation. While it sounds far-fetched, there’s been extensive research performed on the various essential oils and their profound effects.
For example, a 2017 study found that lavender oil can reduce anxiety symptoms before cosmetic and surgical procedures. Other effective treatments included stays at an intensive care unit.
Aromatherapy works by tapping into the human sense of smell, which triggers physiological changes in the body. The molecules travel into your lungs and are quickly absorbed in your bloodstream, which thereby circulates throughout the body.
3. Talk Therapy
Gone are the days when talk therapy was frowned upon. Nowadays, nearly everyone has a therapist or some form of one. Talk therapy is where the patient speaks with a licensed therapist about their experiences. They’ll discuss their psychiatric conditions and past traumas to evaluate, diagnose or find solutions.
There are many approaches to psychotherapy, so it may be beneficial to learn which one is right for your needs. For example, behavioral therapy can help you to remove or correct self-loathing or self-destructive behaviors with healthier ones.
On the other hand, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) goes deep into a person’s core beliefs and how they affect their thought patterns. These thoughts, in turn, will influence their behavioral patterns. CBT aims to discover those self-limiting beliefs and fix those recurring negative thought patterns.
Wrapping It Up
It’s important to seek help from a therapist, emotional support animal, friends, or family when feeling anxious. Recognizing your anxiousness and the patterns leading up to it will allow you to move forward.
While these aren’t the only ways to address anxiety, they are natural methods to return to whenever you excessively worry.