Anxiety is a normal human emotion that triggers our flight-or-fight response in a potentially dangerous or worrisome situation. However, when and if you experience severe, out of proportion anxiety attacks that affect your day-to-day functionality, you may actually have a mental health disorder. Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States and affects about 40 million people over the age of 18. This treatable mental health condition may result in such symptoms as:
1. Difficulty sleeping (getting to or staying asleep)
2. Increased irritability
3. Feelings of being “on the edge” or “on guard”
5. Elevated heart rate & blood pressure
6. Loss of the ability to concentrate
Untreated anxiety can also lead to the development more severe mental health issues in the future, such as depression.
Only 36% of the population with a severe anxiety disorder actively seeks treatment, which may seem surprising to many. If you can relate to any of the multiple symptoms above, you may want to speak with a doctor; you can get back to the things you love without living in a constant adrenaline flux and feeling like your life is a suspenseful thriller movie. Common treatment options include medications, talk therapy, ketamine infusions, and holistic treatments, such as reiki or acupuncture.
Of course, knowledge is power. In regards to anxiety, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what your treatment options are. Here are 4 things to avoid when you suffer from anxiety, as these things may worsen your symptoms:
1. Excess Caffeine & Alcohol. After a long day of work, do you find yourself unwinding with a glass or two of your favorite wine? This may temporarily relieve your anxiety and stress from the day, but please remain cautious, as your casual alcohol consumption may become a crutch or turn into a full-blown addiction. As for coffee, most people enjoy a morning cup, but everyone’s tolerance is different. The consumption of stimulants may increase jumpiness, lead to jitters and add to an already high heart rate.
2. Sleep Deprivation. We all know that sleep is an important part of maintaining a healthy body and mind, but did you know that deprivation triggers the same brain mechanism produced during a fight-or-flight response. In other words, sleep loss may increase our levels of adrenaline, lead to paranoia and decrease our ability to regulate our emotions. Overall, sleep deprivation can make us more sensitive to anxiety, in general.
3. Avoidance & Self-Criticism. You should never intentionally avoid situations that trigger your anxiety, because this will only increase the severity of your reactions when you do encounter what you fear. Do your best to acknowledge these feelings as they come, and practice self-care; it will help you cope with situations that cause anxiety. On that same token, try to avoid getting upset and criticizing yourself for the way you do react and feel.
4. Spending A lot of Time Surfing the Web. Recent studies have shown that spending a lot of time on social media may increase anxiety by feeding on our vulnerabilities. For example, if you scroll through your Facebook feed and are exposed to all the negative, media-manipulated news, it may make you feel powerless to fix it. In addition, seeing all your friends and random people’s picture-perfect happiness—real or not—may leave you wondering, “whats wrong with me?” The answer is nothing. Everyone has their own life problems, but it is learning to cope with them that is truly important.
If you find yourself suffering from severe anxiety and are unable to control it through natural remedies or traditional first-line treatments, ask us about ketamine infusions. Ketamine effectively alleviates the symptoms of anxiety in up to 70% of patients, getting them back to living their lives in a rich and fulfilling way.
Contact New Jersey Ketamine
Contact our clinic today for your free consultation. Our professional, friendly staff is here to answer any questions you have and find out if you are a candidate for ketamine infusions. We want to help you return to your life, with decreased anxiety and depressive symptoms.