What to do when anxiety flares up? Neuropsychologist consultation for short and long term relief

The fear in your stomach, the tears in your eyes, the feeling of suffocation… When you’re feeling anxious, sometimes it’s hard to see a way out. At this point, solutions can be put in place to ease the anxiety. American neuropsychologist Nawal Mustafa, better known by the nickname Braincoach on Instagram, points to this. In the February 6 issue, the expert lists tips to apply to calm your anxiety state in the short and long term.

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Nutrition, sleep and rest

“Some of these strategies can provide instant (but temporary) relief from anxiety,” the neuropsychologist says in the caption of her post. Among them: go outside and take a walk, practice deep breathing techniques, meditate, or even turn off your phone and take a shower.

“Other strategies take longer to produce results, but their effects last longer,” she says. In this regard, the expert cites several examples: adopting a healthy and nutritious diet, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, prioritizing your sleep (7 to 9 hours of sleep), and spending time with people who do us good and who understand us. to pass

Stop avoiding

His main advice is as follows: to calm the anxiety, it is necessary to stop any avoidance strategy. Understand this unfortunate tendency to avoid or run away from the “elements” that make us anxious, rather than confronting them head-on, she explains. Shoving your problems under the rug in the hope that they will go away is useless and even counterproductive, as avoidance “can play a key role in increasing anxiety,” the expert warns.

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Out of all these keys, it is up to each individual to choose the one(s) that work best for them. “If you’re feeling anxious, I encourage you to try one or two of these strategies at a time,” Nawal Mustafa recommends, before concluding: “Identify what helps you the most and add those to your toolbox of coping strategies. Add. ‘Adaptation.’