By Arely Soria
When it comes to anxiety most people think it’s simply when someone worries a lot or when someone just fidgets a lot - but it is so much more than that. When a person has anxiety their brain is flooded with cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that we all have that is in charge of our defense and reflexes. For example, if someone yells “fire!” that reflex that you have to get up and run is because of cortisol. So in times of anxiety, your brain is flooded with cortisol not allowing you to reason or calm down. That is why when someone has an anxiety attack they can’t just calm down.
There are plenty of ways to help deal with anxiety and help prevent anxiety. The first thing that comes to mind is most likely therapy. While therapy is very useful it is not the only option. For example, mindfulness is a great way to help calm your stress because it allows you to learn about your emotions without encouraging them. It is very helpful to be aware of your emotions because it helps you process all these difficult feelings. Another helpful thing is changing little things in your diet, such as eating healthier with less junk food. Foods like bananas, mushrooms, ginger, and green tea help keep your cortisol levels stable. This allows you to be more relaxed and have better control over it. Doing exercise is also beneficial and that doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym but simply being more active. If one is constantly lying around doing nothing the body isn't active. This is giving your mind time to overthink and stress over little things that aren’t beneficial to you. As always thinking positively has a huge effect on how a person’s mind works. For example, your mind believes anything you tell it, so if you flood your head with negative thoughts you are burying yourself in a hole. But, if you try to stay positive and keep yourself away from negativity then you will have a more positive mindset, liberating you from constant negative thoughts. These are a few positive ways to deal with anxiety and understand what it is and how it affects us.