Everyone experiences anxiety and stress. It's normal to feel anxious before a job interview, when you find out that your daughter has been in a car accident or when you're running late for a business meeting. If you don't learn how to cope with anxiety in healthy ways, it can become overwhelming, and you may wind up seeking therapy and medication.
Exercise
The Mayo Clinic recommends daily exercise for anyone who struggles with anxiety. You can prevent overwhelming anxiety and stress by jogging, playing a sport, taking an exercise class or practicing yoga on a regular basis. If you feel that you don't have time to set aside 30 to 60 minutes each day to exercise, you can break it into smaller chunks of time. For example, you could walk your dog for 10 minutes before work, stash some weights under your desk and pull them out for 10 minutes during your lunch break and spend 10 minutes in the evening practicing yoga.
Write Down Your Worries
If you have trouble concentrating at work or falling asleep, write down the reasons that you're feeling anxious. Cross out the things that you cannot control. Those things aren't worth worrying about, because you can't do anything about them. Circle the things that you can control or fix. Pick one of those things and write out steps you can take to decrease your stress and fix the problem. For instance, if you're worrying about your car always breaking down, you could start setting aside a portion of your pay until you have money to repair your car or buy a new one. You could also pick up a part-time job until you have enough money to get a new car. Put your plan into action, and you'll feel empowered.
Get Support
Surround yourself with positive people and ask for help when you need it. When you're feeling anxious and stressed out, let your spouse or your best friend know. Ask them how they would handle the situation or if they can help you with it. If you don't have close friends or family members, you can get support from a therapist.
Sleep
When you're feeling overwhelmed, you need to make sleep a priority, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you get consistent sleep each night, you'll be better prepared to deal with anxiety and you'll increase your ability to concentrate. You should have a nighttime routine that you stick to and try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day. Your bedtime routine could be as simple as washing your face, brushing your teeth and reading for 20 minutes.
