Trying to cope with stress and other worries when you suffer from an anxiety disorder can be a real nightmare.
Medication can help alleviate many of the symptoms, but self-help is just as important.
Using different relaxation methods and mind control techniques help open the door for a healthy mind free of stress and everyday worries.
There are a variety of ways to use self-help to help manage anxiety.
Many of the current methods rely on our five senses: taste, smell, touch, hearing and vision.
For example, listening to soothing music or natural sounds such as waves breaking against the shore or birds singing can help alleviate panic attack symptoms.
Another self-help method that uses the senses can be cooking a delicious meal for yourself.
Or treat yourself to a nice hot cup of tea or hot chocolate.
Using the sense of taste and focusing on what you are eating is an unusual but helpful self-help method that can significantly reduce the intensity and frequency of normal panic attacks.
To really cope with an anxiety disorder, you should have an increased perception of self-awareness to really pinpoint what creates your anxiety.
Detachment is another helpful self-help method if you can judge your condition as objectively as possible.
This will help you make more rational decisions and prevent the anxiety from defining who you are.
Last but not least, it's important to replace negative thoughts with positive thinking.
When you feel really down and that there is nothing to be happy about, learn to appreciate the small things in life.
For example, the beauty of the sky and the relaxing sound of the wind.
This might sound cheesy but it really does help! Without positive thinking, fear and stress will continue in a vicious cycle seemingly without an end in sight.