Learn why. Check out our picks for the best anxiety products and gift ideas, from books to herbal supplements. People who have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, worry uncontrollably about common situations. GAD is different from normal anxiousness. What are the benefits of running for anxiety? Well, there are many. Here's how going for a jog can clear your head. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Mental Health. Medically reviewed by Jacquelyn Johnson, PsyD. Try mindfulness meditation.
Practice deep breathing. Explore guided imagery. Do a body scan. Talk with others. Keep a worry journal. Get moving. Could it be anxiety? Physical symptoms of worry. When to seek help. The bottom line. Read this next. Are You Worried or Anxious? Medically reviewed by Timothy J.
Legg, Ph. For the latest and most effective treatment approaches for anxiety disorders, including cognitive behavioral therapies, psychotherapy, and medications, buy the Harvard Special Health Report Coping with Anxiety and Stress Disorders. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.
Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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Is a common pain reliever safe during pregnancy? Worries, doubts, and anxieties are a normal part of life. Constant worrying, negative thinking, and always expecting the worst can take a toll on your emotional and physical health. It can sap your emotional strength, leave you feeling restless and jumpy, cause insomnia, headaches, stomach problems, and muscle tension, and make it difficult to concentrate at work or school.
You may take your negative feelings out on the people closest to you, self-medicate with alcohol or drugs , or try to distract yourself by zoning out in front of screens. Chronic worrying can also be a major symptom of Generalized Anxiety Disorder GAD , a common anxiety disorder that involves tension, nervousness, and a general feeling of unease that colors your whole life.
Chronic worrying is a mental habit that can be broken. You can train your brain to stay calm and look at life from a more balanced, less fearful perspective. Constant worrying can take a heavy toll. It can keep you up at night and make you tense and edgy during the day.
And even though you hate feeling like a nervous wreck, it can still be so difficult to stop. For most chronic worriers, the anxious thoughts are fueled by the beliefs—both negative and positive—that you hold about worrying:. Negative beliefs about worry. While negative beliefs, or worrying about worrying, adds to your anxiety and keeps worry going, positive beliefs about worrying can be just as damaging. Positive beliefs about worry. You may believe that your worrying helps you avoid bad things, prevents problems, prepares you for the worst, or leads to solutions.
Once you realize that worrying is the problem, not the solution, you can regain control of your worried mind. This is where the strategy of postponing worrying can help. Rather than trying to stop or get rid of an anxious thought, give yourself permission to have it, but put off dwelling on it until later. If you suffer from chronic anxiety and worry, chances are you look at the world in ways that make it seem more threatening than it really is. For example, you may overestimate the possibility that things will turn out badly, jump immediately to worst-case scenarios, or treat every anxious thought as if it were fact.
These types of thoughts, known as cognitive distortions, include:. But worrying and problem solving are two very different things. Problem solving involves evaluating a situation, coming up with concrete steps for dealing with it, and then putting the plan into action. Worrying, on the other hand, rarely leads to solutions. Productive, solvable worries are those you can take action on right away. Unproductive, unsolvable worries are those for which there is no corresponding action.
If the worry is solvable, start brainstorming. Make a list of all the possible solutions you can think of. Try not to get too hung up on finding the perfect solution. Focus on the things you have the power to change, rather than the circumstances or realities beyond your control. If the worry is not solvable, accept the uncertainty. Worrying is often a way we try to predict what the future has in store-a way to prevent unpleasant surprises and control the outcome.
Focusing on worst-case scenarios will only keep you from enjoying the good things you have in the present. To stop worrying, tackle your need for certainty and immediate answers. If you worry excessively, it can seem like negative thoughts are running through your head on endless repeat. But there are steps you can take right now to interrupt all those anxious thoughts and give yourself a time out from relentless worrying.
Get up and get moving. Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment because it releases endorphins which relieve tension and stress, boost energy, and enhance your sense of well-being. Even more importantly, by really focusing on how your body feels as you move, you can interrupt the constant flow of worries running through your head. Pay attention to the sensation of your feet hitting the ground as you walk, run, or dance, for example, or the rhythm of your breathing, or the feeling of the sun or wind on your skin.
Take a yoga or tai chi class. By focusing your mind on your movements and breathing, practicing yoga or tai chi keeps your attention on the present, helping to clear your mind and lead to a relaxed state. By being fully engaged in the present moment, you can interrupt the endless loop of negative thoughts and worries.
Simply find a quiet, comfortable place and choose one of the many free or inexpensive smartphone apps that can guide you through the meditation process. Practice progressive muscle relaxation.
This can help you break the endless loop of worrying by focusing your mind on your body instead of your thoughts. By alternately tensing and then releasing different muscle groups in your body, you release muscle tension in your body.
And as your body relaxes, your mind will follow. Try deep breathing. When you worry, you become anxious and breathe faster, often leading to further anxiety.
But by practicing deep breathing exercises , you can calm your mind and quiet negative thoughts. While the above relaxation techniques can provide some immediate respite from worry and anxiety, practicing them regularly can also change your brain. Research has shown that regular meditation , for example, can boost activity on the left side of the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for feelings of serenity and joy.
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