What are some good techniques for dealing with general anxiety?

If it gets to the point that it can ‘ruin a day’ you might want to discuss it with your doctor. However, sometimes just listening to music, taking a bath and letting yourself worry for an hour and getting on about your day can help. I’ve had panic attacks for about ten years. Anxiety is fine, it can’t hurt, and unless the thing you’re worrying about is going to occur in the next thirty days, relax. You have time to make a game plan.

three ideas:
Slow deep breaths. Ten of them. Very slow very deep relaxing breaths.

Exercise regularly. Brisk walks daily help diminish stress well.

Give the thing you are stressing about a place on your calendar. Say fifteen minutes. During that time devote your attention to that one issue. The rest of the time, when it comes to mind, remind yourself that you have set a date and time for that issue and now is not that time. With practice, and these three techniques, you should feel much less anxious. Blessings.

Ativan. Anti-anxiety medication that works wonders. Zoloft. Anti-depressant. Give medication a try, you don’t have to walk around a basket case. Meds, along with therapy, have proven most successful when one suffers anxiety.

Other than that, try thinking about life a little differently. When you find yourself getting anxious about something, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Then ask yourself, “How often, in reality, does the worst happen?” This is where you work through the anxiety because you are a rational human equipped with problem solving skills who is able to deal with various situations. Also, there is no benefit in stressing about things that have already happened. You have to become confident that in every situation you are giving your best and move on. Life’s too precious to spend so much time freaking out.

I’m not one to rush to meds as a solution, but I have to second gimmedat’s suggestion of seeking medical help because you said that you’re worried without knowing what you’re worried about. Does anxiety run in your family? If you don’t know, you might want to find out; it often does.

I agree with the above responses, and want to suggest meditation and yoga.

It sounds like you might have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Medication and a cognitive behavioral therapy should help. With a good therapy, you shouldn’t need the medication for too long.

I would try and see what sparked the “general anxiety.” If you can locate that one event, you might be able to try and see why it was troubling. Whatever is causing your anxiety, it might well stem from some problem you have but are not fully confronting. The best time to deal with these things is when you begin to seek help. I am less interested in modifying the symptoms than I am in confronting head-on the problem. But that can be very challenging, since you developed the anxiety to keep your mind away from the real concern. So this requires serious mental energy, and can be done easier, I would think, with a therapist. But, if are willing to try (I would think writing a lot, not shying away from ‘scary’ ideas, etc), maybe you can figure this out yourself.

Medication can make all the difference. If it weren’t for Ativan I wouldn’t have been able to deal with any of the the real causes of my anxiety, much less identify them. BDT therapy has helped a lot too! Give yourself a chance. Good luck!

damn man. yeah i know what you mean for this. that one book i lent you (how to quit being an extra in other peoples movies and become a star of your own) is really helpful in thinking about things and whatnot. i dont know if you ever got a chance to check it out but read a chapter it might help.

Trying to put things in perspective sometimes helps. I know thats a general answer that kind of needs explanation of its own but find what makes you happy.

I still get this feeling when I go to try to sleep sometimes where I just get unmanagable anxiety but just imagine the good things in life man. i know its hard sometimes but listen man you know how to get a hold of me if you ever need me.

take care of yourself bro

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I really appreciate the help. Sometimes its hard to talk to the people close to you about certain things and it help to talk to people who will not judge me. Thanks again to everyone. Looking forward to trying some of the advice.

I recommend “The Imp of the Mind,” by Dr. Lee Baer.
The book gives an overview of the treatment of obsessive negative thoughts and how to reduce or cope with them. Negative thinking tends to respond well to psychotherapy and homework exercises that you can do on your own. You have more control than you might imagine.

http://www.amazon.com/Imp-Mind-Exploring-Epidemic-Obsessive/dp/B0000VV2JC/ref=pd_sim_b_3

I am some anxiety issues as well. This might sound a little strange but I found that changing my diet (eating mostly fruits and veggies, cutting caffeine) helps a lot. Try Epsom salt baths, too! Those rule!

you know, I might not be able to help you because I am only 17 years young, but I have similar issues. What seems to work for me, is going to the gym. It is something about it that makes me feel just great! When ever I have a bad day, I just go to the gym, work out for a little while and I feel so much better. I used to think they gym wasn’t for me, but once I started, it is almost impossible to stop.

To help ease a general feeling of anxiety, eat fewer calories, less fat, more fruits, more vegetables, and get more exercise. Walk at least one mile every day, or the equivalent. A healthy body is the number one requirement for a healthy mind.