Feelings of anxiety can strike in all kinds of situations. Whether you’re stepping onto a roller coaster or standing in front of your colleagues to give a presentation, the symptoms are always unpleasant. With some behavioral health tips, you can help calm the racing heart, sweaty palms, and worrisome thoughts zipping through your mind.

3 Behavioral Health Tips for Coping With Anxiety

1. Breathe & Count

When you get anxious, your body tenses up. If you feel anxiety creeping in, focus on inhaling slowly through your nose and exhaling out through your mouth, releasing tension in your muscles as you do. Counting to ten repeatedly at the same time can help regulate your breathing. This is also a good way to focus your mind elsewhere, away from anxious thoughts.

2. Take a Timeout

Find an activity that soothes you that you can turn to as a mini “timeout” when anxiety creeps in. Maybe it’s methodically making a calming cup of herbal tea, or knocking out a ten-minute yoga session. If you’re on the go or in public, it can be something as simple as listening to a certain song on your headphones or repeating a calming mantra.

3. Embrace a Preventative Lifestyle

In general, it’s important to take care of your body to help cope with anxiety; physical health impacts mental health. Set a limit on alcohol and caffeine, which can exacerbate anxiety and trigger panic. Get enough sleep and eat a well-balanced diet. Exercise is also essential to helping shake those jitters.

If you still find yourself unable to quell symptoms of anxiety or have been suffering from symptoms of anxiousness for months on end, you may have an anxiety disorder. In this case, a behavioral health expert can help. Consult a specialist as soon as possible.

If you need mental health support in Fishersville, VA, look to Comprehensive Behavioral Health. This clinic offers help with a range of issues, from depression to obsessive-compulsive disorder, grief, and more. You can find out more about their services online. To discuss your needs directly, you can give them a call at (540) 688-2646. Any contact is handled discretely.