Talk to your health care provider to see what’s right for you
Reduce, review or stop substances or foods that worsen anxiety
- caffeine – coffee, tea, cola
- energy drinks containing taurine, guarana, yereba ,gingko, ginseng
- decongestants, stay awake or diet pills
- amphetamines, cocaine, ecstacy-E, crystal meth
- alcohol – it causes rebound anxiety when it wears off
Caution with downers, calming, anxiolytic, or sleeping pills
- use of benzodiazepine medications (e.g.valium, ativan, lorazepam, clonazepam) can be used as a short term adjunct to other treatments
- can be addictive or habit forming
- are sedating – caution with driving or other sedating agents
- should not be the main or stand alone treatment
Learn what’s happening in your body and runaway thoughts
- educate yourself about how nervousness, worry, panic and anxiety causes physical and emotional reactions
- Physical symptoms of nerves/anxiety/worry are real, not in your head
Make sure your physical health and medications have been checked
- thyroid hormone or blood sugar problems might cause or worsen anxiety
Social Relationships
- consider your social relationships that may cause worry
- Set healthy limits and boundaries in relationship and how to say no (assertiveness training)
Finance, Money, Housing, Work
- address friends, housing, and employment where possible
Specific anti-worry, anti-anxiety counselling (CBT) and stress management
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)-teaches you thinking habits and skills and behaviours to treat anxiety/worry
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) classes and techniques
- don’t stop doing the things that cause worry, keep exposing yourself to your feared situations and keep practicing-it helps
- self help books on CBT
- improved thinking habits and behaviours prevent recurrence of anxiety/worry
- exercise helps reduce anxiety and worry
Recommended anti-anxiety/anti-panic medications
- check with your health care provider for current recommendations that are best for you
- often SSRI’s or SNRI’s-start low doses and increase slowly
- usually take three or four weeks to start working
- are not addictive-take regularly as recommended, if lowering dose go slowly