5 Destructive Anxiety Habits

If you're living with anxiety, there's a good chance that you're making mistakes – mistakes that are making your anxiety worse. No one wants to live with anxiety, but many of those suffering from anxiety conditions find that they're constantly behaving in ways that are destructive to their ability to cope with their anxiety symptoms.

You may be strengthening your anxiety disorder without even knowing it. Part of curing your anxiety forever is about ensuring that you're able to avoid common anxiety mistakes and maximize your ability to cope. Only if you avoid these destructive anxiety habits will you be able to start getting relief from your anxiety symptoms.

Bad Habit 1: Sleep Deprivation

Easily the most common bad habit that contributes to anxiety is sleep deprivation. Far too many people suffering from anxiety avoid sleep, allowing their stresses to keep them awake. Sleep is one of the most important tools for coping with stress, so when you allow yourself to be kept awake, you make it much more likely for stress to affect you later.

In some cases anxiety and stress may be keeping you awake against your will. Going to bed earlier can help, as can the following sleep strategies:

• Create a Boring Routine Your mind finds boring routines comfortable. A long, boring routine free of technology before you go to sleep can help calm your stresses and make it easier to sleep soundly.
• Keep a Journal By You When you have thoughts that keep you awake, writing out those thoughts can also help. Once they're on paper, your mind will realize that it's okay not to obsess over them, and sleep will be easier.
• Exercise During the Day When your body is truly tired, and your energy levels have been depleted, even stress has a hard time keeping you awake. Exercising during the day can make sleeping much easier.

Most of all, never avoid sleep on purpose. You absolutely need sleep in order to cope with the anxieties and stresses of the day.

Bad Habit 2: Use of Stimulant Drugs (Legal and Otherwise)

Another bad habit is the use of stimulants – drugs that excite the mind and body. This includes things like caffeine, tobacco, and illegal hard drugs. Indeed, all drugs have the potential to increase anxiety (alcohol, a depressant, can make anxiety much worse), because drugs put a considerable amount of stress on your body.

Stimulants can be especially troubling. It's unclear if they truly cause anxiety on their own, but they do have the potential to make anxiety symptoms worse, and in some cases they can cause anxiety when taken in excess or when you suffer from withdrawal. Remember, there is caffeine in chocolate and tea as well, and a great deal of caffeine in many sodas. If you're taking in these stimulants often, your anxiety is bound to get worse.