Might As Well Give It A Shot: 6 Things You Can Try To Reduce Anxiety That Won't Work
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Loading... - Gwen Hebert
- 11 Apr 2022
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Your heart feels like it’s pounding through your chest. Your stomach fills with acid. Your brain fixates on worst case scenarios. If you’ve ever experienced anxiety symptoms like these, you know you’d do almost anything to end them, even if it’s not effective in any way, shape, or form. Here are 6 things you can try to reduce anxiety that won’t work.
1. Take a deep breath
Here’s a classic anxiety reduction technique you might as well give the ol’ college try even though it won’t work. Odds are you were probably already breathing when you began experiencing anxiety, so it’s unclear exactly how even more air (the thing which, if you really think about it, gives your brain the ability to create your anxiety in the first place) is going to help. And it won’t. But that shouldn’t stop you from closing your eyes, taking a nice deep breath, and feeling exactly the same as you did before.
2. Limit your caffeine intake
Finding yourself hiding in the bathroom at work due to panic attacks? Consider limiting your caffeine intake. Yes, you’ll have to endure weeks of miserable withdrawal symptoms, and, yes, one of those symptoms is persistent, unbearable anxiety, but the good news is that the anxiety will be overshadowed by the incredible exhaustion and crippling migraines you experience while pitifully struggling to break free from your years of caffeine dependency. Be sure to give it a try if you’d like to feel more awful than you ever have in your life and incredibly anxious to boot.
3. Slowly count to 10
Feeling like you have control over your anxiety is critical to managing it. One grounding exercise that clearly isn’t going to do shit to help you feel like you have control is slowly counting from 1 to 10. You’ll look stupid doing it, and you won’t feel any less anxious afterwards, but, hey, it’s a thing you can try. And at least it’s free. Read More…
