9 Habits That Seem Harmless But Could Make Your Anxiety Worse

These days, it’s rare to find someone who isn’t anxious, isn’t it? However, in addition to the tension caused by everyday life, there is chronic anxiety, which can manifest itself in crises for no apparent reason and harm our personal and professional lives.

If you tend to feel anxious, you need to keep an eye out for some habits that may not be a big deal to other people, but have the potential to trigger a crisis in those who suffer from this problem. Discover nine of them and how to avoid them:

1. Pack your schedule

It may even be that you’re feeling super excited, but it’s best not to overdo the commitments you set out to fulfill. Knowing how to choose which tasks to prioritize and which to leave for later helps to reduce anxiety levels.

Our energy level can change from one day to the next, so you need to leave some spaces in your schedule to relax, focus on your own breathing and connect your mind and body for a few moments.

2. Overdo it on coffee

Having a coffee in the morning or after lunch gives us that gas we need to perform our duties. However, caffeine is a stimulant substance that can trigger or increase symptoms related to anxiety, such as a rapid heartbeat, nervousness, dizziness and sweating.

Therefore, in addition to reducing coffee consumption, it is important not to overdo it with black tea, energy drinks and guarana derivatives, which also contain caffeine and other stimulants.

3. Always being late

Like too much caffeine, delays make us tense, speed up our heart rate, and make us sweat more than usual. In this way, people who are always late end up creating a cycle of anxiety that repeats itself every day when they realize that they have already missed their first appointment.

To avoid this effect, try to be realistic with the time you need to get ready and travel to the appointment location – try setting alarms on your cell phone and leaving your things prepared in advance to leave the house.

4. Being addicted to social networks

Facebook, Instagram and other social networks do have a positive side and you will hardly abandon them. However, those who suffer from anxiety need to make an extra effort to reduce the time dedicated to these services, as they can exacerbate this problem in several ways.

When accessing social media, we are exposed to shocking news that ends our day, extreme opinions that ooze hatred and people with supposedly perfect lives. All of this makes us feel helpless and sad about the world and our own lives, increasing anxiety levels.

5. Consume news all the time

Of course, it is important to be well informed, but keeping up with all the “urgent” news and information is another factor of anxiety – after all, most of this content deals with subjects such as violence, corruption, war and other situations that cause us sadness and sadness. revolt.

The biggest risk is repeatedly watching the same shocking images and ending up developing symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress: even if they are to a lesser degree, they can be a trigger for anxiety attacks.

Consuming this information at a lower speed and without so much exposure to violent scenes is a safer way to know what’s going on in the world. You can, for example, read the news after the fact has been well established and not play the videos.

6. Be available at all times

If your phone keeps sending you notifications that you’ve received messages on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and in your inbox, it can be hard to focus on what you’re doing right now, whether you’re working, studying or trying. chill a bit.

Being available all the time creates a sense of urgency, as if you have to respond to every message on time – and that creates anxiety. Therefore, it is advisable to limit the number of notifications you receive and schedule times to leave your phone in night mode.

7. Sleep less than necessary

Adequate sleep is essential to balance our neurotransmitters and hormones. When we spend several days sleeping less than necessary, our body understands it as a chronic stress factor, which makes us irritable, lowers our self-esteem and negatively impacts our ability to deal with anxiety.

To avoid this effect, the ideal is to set times for sleeping and waking up, guaranteeing 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night in a dark and silent environment and leaving electronic devices away from the bed – the light emitted by the screen works as a stimulant and interferes with the quality of rest.

8. Not stopping to eat

In addition to the more obvious functions of satisfying hunger and nourishing the organism, meals should be moments to take a break, chew calmly and relax. So, when we simply grab a snack and go out to eat, we end up losing those moments of tranquility.

Also, the habit of eating in a hurry makes the digestion process difficult, leaving that feeling of “knot in the stomach” – and this can generate symptoms of anxiety.

9. Repeat to yourself that you are anxious

According to some psychologists, the habit of repeating phrases such as “I’m so stressed”, “I’m very anxious” and “I have too many things to do and I won’t be able to cope” make us even more nervous, because the brain understands this as commands and makes of everything to obey what we are saying.

This doesn’t mean you should pretend you’re not anxious or stressed, but rather tell yourself phrases like “I’m calming down” and “I have a lot of tasks, but I’ll get everything done”.

If you have a chronic problem with anxiety and these tips aren’t helping you feel better, it’s important to seek professional help. Controlling anxiety allows us to have a better quality of life, increase our productivity and be happier, so it is worth seeking the help of a doctor or psychologist.

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. They do not replace the advice and follow-up of doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, physical education professionals and other specialists.