If you’re currently living with anxiety, then you already know how frequently it can get in the way of you living your best life. It doesn’t necessarily have to be severe to do so, either. Even mild or occasional anxiety can cause troubling physical, mental, and emotional symptoms that can make you feel like you’re living in a cage. Fear of experiencing further anxiety can keep you from living life to the fullest, as well.
However, it’s important to realize that anxiety of any severity level doesn’t have to be something you simply learn to live with. With the right stress management techniques, medications, medical assistance, and more in your corner, you can learn to control your anxiety so it doesn’t control you. Here’s a closer look at the benefits.
You’ll Sleep A Lot Better
The consequences of not getting enough good quality sleep are well-documented. Not only are you not at your best during your waking hours, but your risk of getting sick or developing conditions like cancer or heart disease go way up if the problem is a chronic one.
Chronic anxiety can disrupt your sleep in a variety of ways. Many people with anxiety struggle to fall asleep in the first place, or they may wake up multiple times during the night. Anxiety can also cause vivid dreams or nightmares that further affect the quality of your sleep, even if you’re technically getting enough.
Addressing your anxiety can mean actually going to sleep at night, sleeping peacefully all the way through, and waking up in the morning refreshed. Your focus will improve, and so will your health. You’ll be better able to cope with anxiety and stress going forward, as well.
Your Self-Esteem Will Improve
It’s not just the physical and mental effects of anxiety that make it such a burden to deal with. It’s also the way it makes you feel about yourself. People who suffer from anxiety, especially the chronic kind that can go on for years, also suffer from feelings of worthlessness or crippling self-doubt. They can wrongly start to feel like they’re lazy, incompetent, or somehow worth less than others.
The decision to treat and manage your anxiety may be one of the most empowering ones you ever make. You’ll start to realize that you’re in control of your life, not your anxiety. Your confidence will grow, especially over time. You’ll gradually become more comfortable taking calculated risks, tackling challenges head-on, and trusting yourself to make good decisions, as well.
And it doesn’t exactly hurt that getting your anxiety in check can also make you look better. Anxiety can cause or exacerbate weight gain, acne breakouts, and premature aging – all things that can affect how comfortable a person might feel in their own skin. But taking it off the table can help reverse those effects.
Your Relationships Will Get Better
Chronic anxiety has a way of taking a wrecking ball to everything a person loves about their life. It can hinder or halt career progress. It can negatively affect your health, eventually leading to all sorts of undesirable consequences. It can even get in the way of having healthy, happy, mutually fulfilling relationships.
To begin with, stress tends to be contagious. If you’re in a frequent (if not constant) state of worry, panic, or stress, it can hard on your friends and family – especially if they badly want to help you, but don’t know how. Anxiety can also skew the way you view your close relationships or process another person’s supposed intentions. Fear of rejection, abandonment, and other negative consequences can make a person with anxiety hesitant to pursue close relationships with others in the first place, as well.
It’s Easier To Turn Things Around Than You Think
Although anxiety has a way of making you feel like it will always be with you, it’s important to understand that’s not the case. You can turn things around over time, and the whole process starts with just one decision to make a change.
If you’re not sure where to start, reach out for help from a friend, relative, or trusted mentor. Visit a platform like UnwindingAnxiety.com for tips on how to start rewiring your thinking one step at a time. Make an appointment with a therapist to talk about options. There’s help out there that can really make a difference, so reach out today!
*collaborative post