Fear in your stomach, tears in your eyes, a feeling of suffocation... When you feel anxious, it is sometimes difficult to see a way out.
At the moment, solutions can be put in place to ease the anxiety.
This is what American neuropsychologist Nawal Mustafa, better known under the pseudonym thebraincoach on Instagram, points out.
In a publication dated February 6, the specialist draws up a list of tips to apply to calm your anxious state in the short and long term.
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Nutrition, sleep and relaxation
“Some of these strategies can provide instant (but temporary) relief from anxiety,” says the neuropsychologist in the caption of her post.
Among them: go out and go for a walk, practice deep breathing techniques, meditate or even turn off your phone and take a bath.
“Other strategies take longer to produce results, but their effects last for a while,” she says.
In this regard, the specialist cites several examples: adopting a healthy and nutritious diet, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, prioritizing your sleep (sleeping 7 to 9 hours), and spending time with people who do us good and who understand us.
Stop avoiding
His main advice is the following: to calm anxiety, it is essential to stop any avoidance strategy.
Understand this unfortunate tendency we have to dodge or flee the “elements” that make us anxious, instead of confronting them directly, she explains.
Pushing your problems under the rug in the hope that they will disappear is useless and above all counterproductive, as avoidance “can play a major role in exacerbating anxiety,” warns the specialist.
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Among all these keys, it’s up to everyone to choose the one(s) that work best for them.
“If you are feeling anxious, I encourage you to try one or two of these strategies at a time,” recommends Nawal Mustafa before concluding: “Identify what helps you the most and add it to your toolbox of coping strategies. 'adaptation."