Racing heart, tingling hands, sweating, dizziness – the all too common symptoms that anxious people experience on a daily basis.

Bev Aisbett, anxiety expert, says that anxiety and depression are just a fact of life that we can work on managing.

“It’s a part of how we learn because what we’re challenged by is often our biggest growth.”

However, she explains that for some, it becomes problematic when the anxiety forms a large part of everyday life.

While Aisbett thinks anxiety is an age-old ailment of society, she does think there are modern factors at play, which contribute to our anxiety.

“I think even though we are in constant contact through social media, we are quite lonely and cut off emotionally from our neighbours; there’s no real on-the-street sense of community anymore,” Aisbett says.

The good news is, there are strategies to help us navigate those times when it all just feels too much.

Aisbett says that one of the most important things that needs to change is the way you report life to yourself.

“We seem to treat our worst thoughts as fact and they’re not, they’re opinions. We give too much of a damn about too many stupid things that really don’t deserve that energy.”

Here are some of Bev Aisbett’s anxiety beating tips:

Acceptance

Firstly, accept that it’s OK to be feeling this way. Some feel shamed about having that vulnerability, which will only make your anxiety worse; it’s important to accept who you are, along with your strengths and weaknesses.

– Markeeta Waddington

Read more: 4 Ways to Beat Your Anxiety

Image by Fernando from Unsplash