When we feel worried and anxious:

• Our heart might be pounding for no reason.
• We might be having trouble focusing.
• We might be feeling fatigued.

When we are feeling stressed or anxious, disregarding our other needs may seem like the easiest way out. However, it is quite important to be aware of our needs and take some time for ourselves.

To this end, acknowledging that we are experiencing anxiety is the first healthy step towards learning how to cope with this emotion. Living with anxiety can be overwhelming, but there are other steps that can help dealing with it.

If you are experiencing anxiety very severely, you may consider seeking psychological support.

Excessive anxiety is a mental health problem. It can be treated. Seeking help and support from a professional when needed can make life a lot easier in a faster way.

When we feel excessively stressed and worried; 

• We can try to relax our body, our muscles. Breathing regularly help you calm down. Breathing exercises, which we can learn from a professional, will also be helpful.
• We can daydream to ease our mind and relax. For this purpose, we can play and listen to soothing music that we enjoy, and imagine ourselves in a place where we feel safe.
• Doing regular workout will help us strengthen our body, learn to cope with pain and fatigue, become stronger and have fun.
• Eating on time, having enough sleep and organizing our daily routine are of significant importance.
• It is necessary to take some time for ourselves to regain our energy. Getting a good night’s sleep is a very good start.
• We can try to simplify our life to be able to adapt to stressful situations and keep away from avoidable causes of stress.
• It is crucial to try not to get carried away by worry. If we realize that we are starting to feel worried, we can focus on being in the present moment to get up, change rooms, focus on the objects around us, watch the scenery outside, count down from twenty and isolate our mind from bad thoughts to return to where we are physically at that moment.
• Finally, we can develop a set of methods to use when we feel anxious at a particular time. For instance, methods such as calling a friend right away, doing some physical exercise, or doing breathing exercises might prove to be helpful.

On an emotional level;  

• In order to be able to get emotional support, we can spend time with people who we trust and love, confide in them and share our feelings.
• If we feel that the issue we are worrying about is also a necessary and important issue for us, we can look for the positive aspects it has and make an effort to change and improve our perspective about the issue.
• There might be times when we think that everything is going bad. In such times, instead of trying to find the actual bad thing and change it, it will be helpful to also notice the things that are not so bad or are even actually good in our life.
• Our faith, religion or philosophy of life can be important sources through which we can seek relief and find emotional support. Saying prayers or engaging in other activities (for example, meditation) to find support and relief can also help.

On a cognitive level;

• In cases of excessive anxiety, we always think that the worst will happen and therefore, we focus on the worst. So, apart from the first and worst scenario that comes to mind, are there any other possibilities? For example, you need to see a doctor, but you constantly postpone it because you worry that you will be diagnosed with a bad disease. Is that really the only possibility? Is there really no chance that the doctor will run a simple test and say, “take this medicine and you will make a full recovery”?
• We can make a list of all possible consequences we can think of concerning the issue we fear. We can list all the positive and negative consequences and work on that list.
• In order to feel less anxious, we can plan out what needs to be done. For example, who will babysit your child on the day of your doctor appointment? As the first step, you can think about persons who can babysit your child that day.
• We can think of all possible obstacles that can emerge as well as of the solutions to overcome them. For instance, having your bag ready the night before will make your job easier that day.
• It is important to mentally break the tasks down into time slots and to do them step by step
• We can split chores and responsibilities and distribute the household chores among the ones we live with. For example, young children can carry the bread tray to the table and can assume their own responsibilities appropriate for their age. Boys can also learn how to make their own beds.
• For emotional support, we can seek help from those around us. Make a list of friends and family members who you feel comfortable talking to, and share your feelings with them if you are worried. Eventually, you may realize that you are not alone after all.

On a physical level;

Doing workout is quite beneficial both physically and mentally. Even if there is no time or opportunity to do workout regularly, going for a walk outside regularly is an exercise suitable for all age groups. Strengthening the body accordingly will help us feel better and healthier.