Embedded Files
This site is under construction 🚧🙂🚧 Message the mods at our Reddit community if you'd like to help. We'd be excited to have it!
Introduction
Introduction
Anxiety, like any other emotion is a normal and healthy emotion. What can make anxiety unhealthy is when it begins to negatively impact our lives, and limit our ability to live life to the fullest.
This page is not written by a medical expert or therapist, but from the experience of someone who was once unable to leave home or do basic activities. The following are useful things learned from certified therapists, and other trusted resources.
I still feel anxious from time to time, but now live a full life with only occasional medication.
What is Anxiety For?
What is Anxiety For?
Anxiety is supposed to alert us to possible dangers in our surroundings, and help us act in a way that can help protect us.
When is Anxiety Bad?
When is Anxiety Bad?
When we struggle to make friends, leave our home, rest, or do other important things, then it is important to work out why we feel that way, and how to help sooth our anxiety, or learn to live with it. Anxiety can be debilitating, but to an extent, you may learn to push through, and help teach yourself that anxiety itself isn't something to be feared.
Causes of Anxiety
Causes of Anxiety
The following are just a few potential causes of anxiety. This section is not intended for diagnosis, but as a guide to help you find potential triggers that a therapist might not consider, but that science and personal experience have found to be of fairly large impact.
Air Pollution
Air Pollution
"Exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and sulphur dioxide (SO2) is related to behavioural and development disorders, anxiety is related to particulate matter (PM10), O3 and SO2, and overall pollution is associated to ADHD and eating disorders." - Air Pollution and Children’s Mental Health in Rural Areas: Compositional Spatio-Temporal Model
Past Trauma
Past Trauma
Conspiracy Theories & Misinformation
Conspiracy Theories & Misinformation
These can lead to tragic consequences, such as spreading fear about vaccines, then subsequent serious illness or even deaths because a loved one was not properly vaccinates.
There's also an issue with this topic and narcissism interplay. So those who may have lived or worked with narcissistic abusers, may have to deal with greater frequency of exposure to, and increased impact from the stress and negative outcomes of conspiracy theories and misinformation than people who aren't routinely dealing with the type of people who are drawn to those phenomena.
Solutions
Solutions
Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle Changes
When changing habits, I've found that trying to quite alone is rarely effective. Instead people including myself tend to find more success in either switching one bad habit with a healthier one. Another option is to pair activities. Consider causes of anxiety, such as scrolling on social media, and pick an alternative like drawing, studying a language, gardening, or gentle exercises like yoga or taking a walk.
Environmental Changes
Environmental Changes
Since environmental elements can contribute to anxiety, it can be worth taking stock of potential triggers, and experiment with solutions.
The Antidote To Anxiety short video by Healthy Gamer GG
Minimalism
Minimalism
Seeing clutter not only raises our cortisol (stress hormone) levels (especially if you were born female), it can also impact us on more practical levels, making us late when we lose things, potentially creating tripping hazards, and so on.
Since getting into minimalism (for environmental reasons) life in our home has become dramatically calmer as daily tasks became simplified and began to run more smoothly.
Gardening
Gardening
Going out into nature can be calming, but interacting with nature more directly, for example gardening, rewilding, or helping to clean up pollution can further improve the environment, multiplying the benefits we experience.
Therapy
Therapy
Talk therapy, CBT, and others can be a powerful way to get anxiety under control, but there are other forms of therapy too.
Green Prescriptions
Green Prescriptions
Nature bathing is something some cultures take for granted, while others still haven't caught on. If you are lucky, then you can simply walk outside for fresh air, and a beautiful view of healthy plants, but for those who can't, you may benefit from a green prescription. Click the button to learn about programs and locations near you!
Related Topics
Related Topics
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse