By Haneen Bany-Mohammed, Staff Photographer
Anxiety is one of the top presenting concerns among high school students. Whether you have an anxiety disorder or are stressed out from your responsibilities, anxiety can play a big role in affecting your sleep and overall focus in school. Anxiety causes your mind to become preoccupied with worrying and thus you find yourself never feeling fully present at the moment.
When someone experiences anxiety amygdala, a communication hub in the brain, alerts the rest of the brain that a threat is present. Once the brain has encountered this threat, a surge of chemicals is released, giving us a natural boost in reflex time and perception. These chemicals cause our hearts to pump faster in order to get more blood and oxygen circulating through our bodies, essentially kicking our bodies into “survival mode.”
Unfortunately, this “survival mode” can risk our effects of survival. In other words, anxiety can affect both our physical and mental health, with symptoms including headaches and weight gain.
That is why we need to find a way to control our anxiety before it controls us. Some reliable evidence-based tools recommended to manage anxiety include, but are not limited to:
Do your own research. Simply looking up your symptoms, and understanding the root of your anxiety and what it’s caused by can help reduce its intensity.
Being self-aware. If you ever feel like your anxiety is taking control, it may help to remind yourself, “This is just my anxiety.” Doing so brings you into the reality that you can control your anxiety, rather than have it control you.
Essential oils. Essential oils have scents that are associated with relaxation, and can take your mind away from whatever is making you anxious; improving your focus on the present moment. Simply drinking warm tea or holding an ice cube also show to have the same result. By doing so, your mind is taken off whatever is bothering you and reconnected with your five senses.
Taking a walk. Going outside, feeling the sun on your face and the wind on your skin can really help elevate your mood and get your worries off your mind. It’s also a reminder that the world is so much bigger than the problems you’re facing.
Breathing. Evidence shows that deep breathing sends your brain the message that you’re not actually not in any danger, causing your nervous system to calm down.
In this age of technology, we are very fortunate to have apps that can help us out with anxiety, stress and mindfulness. Some apps available on the App Store include Happify, Headspace and Pacifica.
