The odds are, you’ve experienced some form of anxiety in your life. It’s a fairly broad term for that feeling of unease, nervousness, or worry that you can feel both physically and mentally. Anxiety can cause us to perform poorly in various aspects of our lives, back out of social or professional commitments, and even lead us to serious depression. So, the question is, how do you deal with it? The answer is going to be different for each person, but there are a few common strategies that tend to frequently pay off.

1. Live a Healthier Lifestyle

It may be possible that one cause for your anxiety is the way you eat and take care of your body. Studies show that nutrition and exercise can actually have a significant impact on our anxiety levels. Certain substances, including caffeine, alcohol, and excess sugar, can lead to increased anxiety and panic attacks. If any of these are a constant part of your diet, consider cutting down on them for a bit, and see if it helps with your anxiety.

2. Talk to Someone

It sounds pretty basic, but sometimes simply having someone that you trust to talk to can make all the difference in the world. It can be a friend, significant other, family member, or even a therapist or counselor. Oftentimes, just talking through the issues that are causing you to feel anxious can go a long way towards helping the way your mind deals with them.

3. Identify Your Anxiety Triggers

If we aren’t sure what’s causing us to feel anxious, it makes it much harder to treat the problem. The next few times you feel that familiar sense of anxiety creeping up, make a point to stop and think about why you’re feeling that way. Consider whether you have anything coming up in your life that may be subconsciously causing you to worry, or even if anything out of the ordinary has taken place that day. Did you sleep poorly the previous night, or skip breakfast? Take the time to write down whatever context you can think of, and over time, you may be able to identify some patterns. Once you understand what’s causing it, the anxiety will be easier to deal with.

4. Control Your Breathing

Sometimes, during an anxiety attack, breathing normally becomes difficult. Usually, this only exacerbates the anxious feelings, and can lead to a full-blown panic attack. Next time you’re experiencing anxiety, try to be very deliberate about the way you’re breathing. Take slow, deep breaths, and keep your mind’s focus on the process of inhaling and exhaling. Breathing slowly and deeply like this actually sends a message to your brain that everything is okay and can help you calm down and come back to yourself.

5. Schedule a Time to Worry

It’s going to sound strange, but some doctors actually recommend that you set aside a 30-minute period each day to let yourself worry about things. By letting these feelings of stress and anxiety out intentionally, it actually lets you process them in a healthier way and makes it less likely that they will pop up to disturb other moments of your life.

Anxiety can be very disruptive and challenging, but it’s important to not let it derail your mental health. Just remember that those feelings of worry and panic are oftentimes not based on anything rational and can be overcome with focus and effort. Sometimes people use cannabis from these glass pipes to combat their anxiety naturally. If you feel that your anxiety has become too severe and problematic to deal with yourself, consider seeking the help of a professional.

John Summy