While anxiety and panic can certainly be frightening and disturbing it is important to understand there are numerous things you can do to help yourself and improve your situation through anxiety self help tips. Learning to manage the symptoms of your anxiety on your own is an important first step in the recovery process.

First, it is important to understand there the relationship between your anxiety and the symptoms you experience. Although these symptoms can certainly feel as though they are coming out of the blue they are simply your body’s response to a threat. Now, that threat could be quite real or it could only be perceived. Either way, your body is typically going to respond in the same manners. This is often known as the fight or flight response. It is your body’s way of preparing itself to either stay and fight whatever threat you are feeling or run from it. Some of the most common symptoms experienced in such a situation include the following:

Nausea

Trembling, shaking or sweating

Tingling in the fingers or toes

A fear that you are dying or going crazy

Feeling nervous

Feeling extremely stressed

Experiencing a sense of paralyzing fear

Hot flashes

Sudden chills

Choking sensation

Chest pains

Difficulty breathing

Feeling as though you can’t get enough air

Racing heartbeat

Feeling dizzy, lightheaded

Experiencing a feeling of dread

While these symptoms can certainly be intense and frightening it is important to understand there are anxiety self help steps you can take and begin practicing today that will bring about some relief. Not all of the steps will completely eradicate your symptoms immediately but they may be able to reduce the severity of your symptoms, which is certainly a good starting point.

First, consider learning some deep breathing exercises. This is an excellent self help tool. Deep breathing exercises can be used to help with symptoms such as difficulty breathing, racing heartbeat and many other symptoms. The key to making this tool work is to practice daily and particularly at times when you are not feeling stressed. Then, when you do begin to feel anxiety coming on, you can pull upon that resource to help you.

Developing an anxiety self help kit can also prove to be beneficial and can be used at home as well as on the go. Items that should be in the kit include essence oils, such as lavender, frankincense and marjoram; all of which can have a calming effect on the mind and body. It’s also a good idea to write down the names and numbers of people that you trust and know you can call when you feel an attack coming on. In addition, include a CD of some relaxing music to help soothe your mind. Finally, don’t forget to make a list of some of the most common fears you may experience during an attack. Of course, this will vary from one person to the next, but try to counter those fears with realistic thoughts. Then, when you are feeling stressed or anxious you can read over the list and remind yourself that these feelings are only temporary or perceived and they will go away.

Taking the time to develop and practice anxiety self help tips can help bring you one step closer to recovery.