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How can I deal with handling my anxiety and what triggers it, when it seems to come out of nowhere ?

16 Answers
Last Updated: 07/23/2019 at 8:56pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Alex DS Ellis, MA, LMFT

Marriage & Family Therapist

Feeling depressed or anxious can be so overwhelming. I want to help you feel better and be able to enjoy life. You are not alone and you deserve emotional support.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
March 11th, 2015 3:29am
The best thing to do is everytime you feel anxiety coming on, write down what's going on around you. Soon you'll see a pattern in your triggers and they'll become more managable.
Hannah3
March 16th, 2015 4:28am
Try keeping a journal and writing down everything you can perceive about the situation, even if you don't immediately understand the cause of your anxiety. Perhaps, over time and reflection, you'll come to an understanding of a pattern that was not immediately available. And hopefully taking small steps to take care of yourself will also provide you with some amount of relief.
keepGoingForward
March 25th, 2015 9:05pm
You need to identify the situations in which it is more likely to happen. When I had my panic attacks, it was usally in public where there was a lot of person. Before entering into that place, I would take slow deep breaths, trust me, it helps you a lot, as it release chemical in your brain to lower your stress level. You also have to learn to recognize when your anxiety start rising, panic attacks usually happen when anxiety rise really fast to an high level. So if you start feeling anxious, start breathing slowly immediatly and remind yourself that you have nothing to fear. Sure sometime we can't help it, it happens almost instantly, but the more you practice slow breathing when you're feeling anxious, the more you'll learn to recognize rising anxiety.
Anonymous
May 23rd, 2015 8:24am
Focus on your breathing. Try to get it under control, maybe. Sometimes when you regulate your breathing it can help you focus on tasks more and what you are doing.
Manaphie
June 7th, 2015 5:52pm
I take 6 deep breaths and assess my situation bit by bit to see what is upsetting me the most and how i can deal with that.
supportiveFreedom51
August 10th, 2015 2:17am
When I went to therapy for my anxiety I was taught to say things to myself like "This will pass" "This is a thought and Thoughts are often wrong" and "Short term pain, long term gain"
intangibility
September 7th, 2015 4:06am
I like to keep on hand some "happiness/calm triggers", so when something brings me down or makes me very anxious I can try and focus on the positive things that keep me calm. Figure out what makes you anxious, meditate, eat, sleep, etc.
Eloquentgraffiti10
September 21st, 2015 11:42pm
I suggest you try grounding. Search "grounding for anxiety." It sure has helped me a lot! Best of luck!
thoughtfulWings63
January 12th, 2016 1:05am
As soon as you feel the rush of anxiety, think to yourself that you feel this way because of YOU and nobody else. Anxiety is the fear of the unknown, as yourself "what is making me feel this way" and most of the time, it is nothing. Tell yourself that this is no way to live your life. Whatever happens is going to happen, why am I worried?
Anonymous
February 22nd, 2016 2:59pm
Take deep breaths and think of fun things, and that the anxiety wont be here forever. It will stop. And ofcourse, proffesional help.
Anonymous
August 8th, 2016 6:55pm
Remember to breathe and ground yourself to your surroundings. Anxiety will take hold completely if you only let it. :) Remind yourself that you can do this. That you believe in yourself.
Anonymous
October 11th, 2016 11:41am
Anxiety is often triggered by nothing. Just try to control your breathing and remain as calm as possible until it passes.
Anonymous
November 15th, 2016 1:44am
You can try keeping a diary for a period of time, in which you describe as many details about your anxiety as you can remember: where, what, who, what time of the day, etc... If you look back, you might notice patterns that you were previously unaware of. This can help you identify triggers, and handle your anxiety better as a result. In addition, incorporating self-care in your life can make a large difference. In particular, getting enough sleep, exercising, and meditating can reduce your anxiety in general.
ImpossibleCube
November 15th, 2016 8:49pm
You can deal with it effectively if you find the root cause of your anxiety. You can try to write on a notepad what happens right before you have a panic attack for example, and try to identify the patterns and common denominators between all of these events, it will help you figure out the cause of your anxiety. Hope this helped !
TranquilSpace
December 5th, 2016 7:01pm
Anxiety often has no method to the madness so to speak. If you frequently get anxiety while out in public you should carry a stressball (or some object you can fidget with), headphones (so you can listen to calming music), and a pad & pen (so that you can write when and where this anxiety is happening). When you write out things like when, where, who, etc into a journal you can go back later and see if there is a common denominator. There is likely more than one trigger, so do not be quick to rule out certain things. Know how to handle it: breathe deep, focus on your fidget obj., and remove yourself from the situation for a moment. Find your limits, do you begin to have anxiety after several hours of being away from home? Once you find your limits, slowly begin to push them further and soon enough you will have set yourself a new limit. It is hard work, so it is a good idea to find someone to help you through this process. Good luck!
Anonymous
July 23rd, 2019 8:56pm
it's incredibly frustrating when anxiety seems to pop out of nowhere, but there are a few things that can help. one, if you're able to pinpoint any causes or triggers, then removing/distancing yourself from them can be really helpful. however, in many cases, it's not easy to identify a trigger, if there is one. when it comes out of nowhere, simple things like breathing or grounding exercises to bring you back to reality can be really helpful, as well as taking a break and spending time alone to center yourself.