Overcome your fear factor.

Fear and anxiety getting you down? Here's methods to calm those feelings.

Have you develop into more anxious and fearful about life through the years? You usually are not alone. Research shows that feelings of fear, general anxiety and panic increase with age.

These negative feelings can manifest in some ways. You could also be more concerned about your financial future, the chance of a brand new or returning health problem or injury, or, because the recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown, changes in global events.

Tell anxiety to take a walk Need a mental break from fear or worry? Take a mindful walk during which you deal with your body awareness, movement, respiration and surroundings. It's a simple solution to refresh your mind and be more present. One study found that individuals who took a 30-minute mindful walk twice per week for 4 weeks had less stress and improved quality of life.

A cumulative effect

It is unclear what drives this mindset. Researchers speculate that it might be a mixture of biological changes within the aging brain and the cumulative effects of unhappy life experiences, either your personal or someone near you.

These constant feelings of fear and anxiety can have a profound effect in your health. You may develop into less lively and fewer social, each of which might contribute to frailty, heart disease and depression.

If left untreated, persistent fear and anxiety can result in a particular disorder, similar to social anxiety disorder, aurophobia (fear of public places), or generalized anxiety disorder (chronic anxiety that causes chest pain). and may result in physical problems similar to muscle fatigue).

What to do

There are some ways to take care of persistent fear and anxiety in order that they don't devour your life. The first step is to discover the source of your fear. “Proper treatment starts with recognition,” says Dr. Wahia. “Often people can't articulate why they're scared or overly anxious, and why it's happening.”

He recommends seeing a psychologist or therapist. “A professional analysis can help identify where your specific anxieties and fears may be,” says Dr. Wahia.

Then, the 2 of you’re employed together to develop strategies that address those fears. These may include one-on-one or group therapy sessions, rest training exercises, or cognitive-behavioral therapy (through which you learn to reprogram your responses to your fearful thoughts).

Once you develop into aware of your specific fears and when they typically arise, you should use other means to beat them. For example:

Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness trains your mind's focus to be more present without worrying in regards to the past or the longer term. This mindset helps you not overreact to fearful thoughts and reduce any stress, depression or anxiety that comes with them.

Meditation is a well-liked solution to learn mindfulness. The goal of meditation is just not to brush aside or stop fearful considering, but to note your thoughts and feelings and realize that you simply don't must act on them. It might be so simple as closing your eyes and repeating a phrase or word, or counting your breaths. (See “Thoughts on Meditation” for more on starting a meditation practice.)

Consult a financial expert. If money problems hassle you, see a financial planner or counselor. He or she will take a radical have a look at your funds, create or adjust your budget, deal with specific concerns, and help set goals. “This can help you feel more confident about your situation and address any issues that may be causing anxiety,” says Dr. Wahia.

Hire a private trainer. If you avoid activity or exercise since you fear injury, hire a private trainer who makes a speciality of older adult conditioning. A trainer can assess your current fitness, discover strengths and weaknesses, and develop a program to make it easier to improve.

“Because you'll see and feel your physical improvement as you progress, it will help you overcome your fear of injury and the worry that you can't exercise or not,” says Dr. Wahia. Can't be too lively,” says Dr. Vahia. “You may realize that you simply are able to being more lively than you’re thinking that.” Look for trainers with special certifications from organizations just like the American Council on Exercise or the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Photo: © Success Seesa/Getty Images