People throughout the world experience issues with mental health at any given time. These can manifest in multiple visceral reactions, which can include anxiety, irritability, weight loss, fatigue, lack of appetite, and many more. The physical manifestations of subconscious or conscious issues can add to the existing pressure and stress the person is experiencing. In a way, treating these issues first can help decrease that pressure and allow the individual to think more clearly and get to the root of his/her issues.
As someone who has dealt with anxiety for many years, I’ve come across techniques that can help alleviate the restless and constant physical manifestations. One technique that has helped me with anxiety is feeling the anxiety and not running away from it. When you feel your heart racing and you can’t breathe, just sit with yourself and feel it and let it pass. When you are sitting and feeling all of those racing emotions, take long deep breaths and focus on your breathing. As you take a deep breath, hold the breath for a few seconds and let it go, releasing it out of your whole body. As you release your breath, let your shoulders drop. Holding your hand over your racing heart as you take long, deep breaths can help you feel more at ease. After practicing this technique, you will be able to monitor and have control of your internal state. Your internal state will no longer have control of you.
This is just one example of a temporary fix for anxiety. There are many other useful techniques that can help, but the best technique is to understand why you feel the way you feel and change the limiting beliefs and fears. Through changing your beliefs about yourself and your situation, you can change your internal and external world. Dealing with these issues does require an immense amount of introspection and conscious thinking, but it can be done. You can change how you feel for the better permanently.
By Jaspreet Kaur
SAMHIN volunteer
Medical Student, NYITCOM Old Westbury, NY
We would love to hear your comments on this post.
Received this on social media? Subscribe to SAMHIN Blog to be notified when the next SAMHIN blog is published.
I think these are all brilliant techniques to cope with anxiety. I especially liked the part it says we should feel the anxiety and let it take it’s course without inhibiting it. A great article!
Thank you! We appreciate it!
Thank you for this informative post, Jaspreet! I am going to practice your technique the next time I feel stressed and anxious.
Please let us know how it has helped you!
As a member of the South Asian community I am so relieved to see we are taking initiatives to openly discuss mental health issues. This is a really important narrative and I think Jaspreet does an excellent job of relating to the reader as well as creating a safe place with her words. Can’t wait to hear more from her and to also practice meditating to help with my mental struggle.
Thank you Sasha, we definitely have a long way to go, but it is so important that we are starting these conversations now! Hope to hear from you again.
Thank you for your insight and words of encouragement. Anxiety manages to creep up on us all and I look forward to using these tactics to overcome it next time (:
Loved this article! It was very informative and helpful. I will definitely try to use these strategies in the future!
Love this article! Will definitely try out these techniques!
Thank you Prachi! Let us know how these techniques help you!