Tens of millions of people the world over have dealt with anxiety. You do not need to put up with anxiety long term on your own, and it's worth it to get professional help for your peace of mind. You should be happy to find you can do something about this! The article below discusses some of the things that you can do to deal with your anxiety. If you frequently suffer from bouts of anxiety that appear seemingly out of nowhere, or you feel anxious a majority of the time, you may have what is called generalized anxiety disorder. This disorder needs to be treated by an experienced doctor, or therapist before anxiety has a chance to take over your life. Regular daily exercise not only keeps you healthy, it can also protect your body from anxiety. It increases blood flow to your brain and allows you to make better decisions throughout the day. When you make good decisions, you avoid placing yourself in anxiety producing situations. It only takes a few minutes a day to achieve results. Find a hobby. When your mind is idle, it is free to worry. Instead of sitting and dwelling on whatever is making you anxious, find something that you enjoy doing to serve as a distraction. If you don't have a hobby already, start looking for one. Whether you start knitting, constructing model cars, or restoring old furniture, you give your mind something to focus on besides the fear. As a bonus, having a hobby that you enjoy can reduce your stress levels all around. For most people, anxiety is caused by worrying about things that haven't occurred yet. People often believe something negative will happen before anything even occurs. To help change this, you should not worry about things that may or may not happen in the future. If you think only bad things will happen in the future, then that is what you will get, which will only worsen your anxiety. Anxieties are unavoidable, but when you are faced with a situation that makes you anxious, remember to take deep breaths. Breathe in like you are smelling a flower, and breathe out like you are trying to blow out a candle. This will give you more oxygen, slow your heartbeat and calm you down. At times you will find yourself in different positions during a panic attack. If you have an anxiety attack, do whatever you can do in order to keep you distracted. Count down from 100, do math problems in your head, talk about good times you've had recently, and anything else that you can think of that could distract you in a positive manner. Begin a journal, and every day, write down at least one thing positive in your life. Then, whenever your anxiety begins to bother you, open and read your journal. This will remind you of all the good things you have in life and help keep your anxiety to a minimum. Viewing a funny show that you like can help reduce anxious feelings. Watching a funny movie will make you laugh, while also putting you into a more positive frame of mind, which allows you to put aside the issues that were causing you to feel anxious. Lower your consumption of nicotine and alcohol. While these drugs may help you to relax in the short term, in the long term they will not decrease your stress and anxiety levels. Actually, they can have the opposite effect, increasing your anxiety. Turn to healthier alternatives like partaking in healthy social activities, using relaxation techniques or even by eating a healthy diet. Exercise. Get into doing some sort of daily exercise routine. Go for a walk or a run, join the gym, or buy a workout DVD that you do each day. This extra activity releases dopamine and seratonin into your body, boosts your mood and your oxygen levels. All of these things work together to keep you healthier, happier and less stressed. Learn how to meditate. There are many different ways to meditate, and they all have the effect of releasing your mind from anxious thoughts. Meditation is not something that you ever conquer, so do not worry about doing it right. An easy way to practice meditation is to light a candle and gently gaze at the flame for 10 minutes. Sit quietly, and just let your thoughts pass through your mind without stopping them. A great way to help you deal with your anxiety is to identify the things that bring it on. When you determine what causes your anxiety, you can better prepare yourself to deal with those situations should they arise in the future. This way, you can see what specific things you need to work on. Write a letter to your greatest fear about why you are so worried about it. Be sure to write exactly why it is making you feel that way and how it is affecting you. Now write a hate letter to your greatest anxiety, then battle it through the letter and dismiss it! Some people who have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder are prescribed medication by their mental health professional. If your physician has determined that you need medication to aid in the treatment of your anxiety disorder, it is important that you take it as directed. Never abruptly stop taking it. If you are having some side effects from your medication, discuss these issues with your doctor. It is also important to remember that some medications will cause a bad reaction, if they are not tapered off gradually while under a doctor's care. If anxiety is getting the best of you, consider joining a support group or online forum. It really helps to talk with others who are going through the same thing that you are feeling and they can often offer you ways of coping you may not have thought of before. It can also be a great way to meet people you can relate to, and vice-versa. It is possible to reduce your levels of anxiety. These were just a few simple things you can do in order to get rid of it. They are strategies that you can easily use each day. You will realize that issues with anxiety can be managed effectively.