How to Overcome Stress That Causes Asthma
Patients with chronic illness often experience certain anxiety. However, it is important to distinguish whether anxiety is beneficial or interferes with your daily life. A useful anxiety can motivate the necessary action, such as taking steps to control chronic conditions, but excessive anxiety can aggravate the condition.
Ongoing stress or difficulty coping with stress can cause some problems for asthma sufferers, such as:
- difficulty sleeping
- the body is less fit due to lack of exercise
- difficulty concentrating
- easy to get angry
- away from friends and activities
- changes in depressed appetite
As stress levels increase, so do asthma symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, and coughing. With increasing asthma symptoms, anxiety also increases, leading to worsening health.
If stress is severe, anxiety may turn into a panic attack, with symptoms such as:
- hard to breathe
- feel like strangled
- heart palpitations
- shaking
- dizzy
- sweating
- heat attack or cold sweat
- feelings of daze or like coming out of collapse
- fear of death, craze or loss of control
What can be done to deal with stress and anxiety?
Here are tips to help with stress and control symptoms:
- Eat a healthy diet. Sugar, caffeine can increase stress levels. Avoid foods that contain these three ingredients.
- Deep breath. Try to breathe from the diaphragm as often as possible and watch your breath. When panicked or stricken with anxiety, breathe slowly and deeply through the nose.
- Sports. Daily physical activity is a good way to overcome anxiety.
- Sleep. Many people do not have enough sleep. Lack of sleep can reduce energy and emotional and physical resources to deal with stress. For a better night's sleep:
- do not sleep until you feel tired
- follow the bedtime routine
- use room just for sleep
- do not exercise before bed
- avoid caffeine
- do not sleep during the day
- sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
- Reduce stress. Recognize the causes of stress and try to solve. Stress is part of life, but there are things that can be done to prevent it more efficiently in time, such as dividing and choosing priorities. Facing the challenges of asthma can also cause stress. Controlling it well can reduce your stress level.
- Change bad thoughts. Limit time to worry, for example, "After 15 minutes, I'll stop thinking about this". Available CDs, DVDs, and books that can help the process of changing the mind. Mental health experts with behavioral therapy specializations can help.
- Relaxation. Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and yoga can help reduce stress. Classes, CDs, books and DVDs are available to learn this technique. Perform relaxation techniques 2 - 3 times a day for 15-20 minutes each time.
- Use positive sentences. Think of something soothing, like, "Calm down. I can handle it. "
- Ask for assistance. Family and friends are willing to help you. Keep in touch with the most important people who can help relieve stress and anxiety. Consider joining support groups to get acquainted with others who have similar situations and learn about their experiences.
- Search for professional help. If self-help techniques do not reduce stress and anxiety, consider seeking help from qualified mental health professionals who can provide a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy, and can provide you with anti-anxiety medication.
