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Anxiety and hypervigilance are connected. Our brain is built to stay alert to any threats in our environment. This is how the earliest humans survived. They were able to stay secure by detecting the presence of predators and other risks. This aroused and hypersensitive condition, known as hypervigilance, throws us off course when not taken care of.
Although hypervigilance is not a diagnosis, it is a symptom that may appear in conjunction with a number of other mental health issues. You might feel more alert or aroused when you're feeling particularly on edge, anxious, or concerned about a circumstance or occurrence.
6 Ways to Cope with Anxiety and Hypervigilance
One of the most frequent causes of hypervigilance is anxiety. You may become overly cautious in strange places or new situations if you suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. If you have social anxiety, you can be overly cautious around strangers or people you don't know well. Here are six ways to cope with anxiety and hypervigilance:
1) Sleep Hygiene
All facets of our health depend on getting enough sleep. This is made challenging by hypervigilance, as it's difficult to fall asleep when your body is alerting you to potential threats.
This starts a terrible loop where we feel exhausted from not getting enough sleep, which makes our current issues worse. While there isn't a method that can make you fall asleep instantly, there are several habits you may adopt to increase your chances of receiving better-quality sleep:
- Spend an hour away from devices before night, especially video games.
- Set a regular wake-up and bedtime.
- Don't just exercise before bed; exercise frequently.
- After early afternoon, avoid taking a nap.
2) Exercise
One of the best things we can do for hypervigilance and anxiety is exercise. It involves more than just maintaining physical flexibility, loosening up tight muscles, and burning off adrenaline energy. Exercise also results in the production of feel-good endorphins, which can improve our mood and general wellbeing.
Yoga, for example, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. This part of our body helps us relax and regulates digestion and sleep patterns.
3) Don't Forget To Breathe
Our breathing becomes quick and shallow as our bodies prepare for danger in an effort to take in as much oxygen as possible in case we need to fight or flee. While we might not be able to consciously control our pulse rate or sweating, we can manage our breathing.
The insula, the part of the brain associated with bodily awareness, interoception, and pain processing, is activated when we breathe deeply and rhythmically, according to studies. It lets our brains know that we are in a secure environment.
4) Take care of yourself
Instead of being overly critical of what you are going through, be gentle towards yourself. Similar to what you might say to a close friend or member of your family, offer yourself words of comfort. Show yourself that you are concerned about yourself. This is also where self-care is important. While experiencing anxiety, it is important to be aware of what you need at the moment.
5) Imaginal Exposure
Spend some time looking at yourself in circumstances that have previously led to you becoming overly watchful. Focus on a more accurate portrayal of what occurs rather than the ideal or worst-case scenario. Think of yourself as being there. To accomplish this effectively, you must be completely at ease. If you envision discomfort, pay attention to how it begins to peak and eventually fades as you continue to imagine the scenario.
6) Focus on the evidence
Frequently, we will draw hasty conclusions and act before we have even given the situation a rational thought. This is particularly true if we feel someone else is insulting or attacking us. Because of this, it is critical to take your time and thoroughly look for impartial data before acting.
It's possible that the person who offended you wasn't really trying to disrespect you or make you feel awful. If so, you can respond in a more sensible manner, reducing the possibility of conflict or triggering your "fight or flight" reaction.
Takeaway
It is easy to see our nervous system as a one-way street. We react accordingly depending on whether it indicates that we are in danger or are safe. Our nerves, on the other hand, serve as a dual-directional information superhighway. We can prevent our brains from firing so many messages by signaling to it that we are safe. This helps us reduce both anxiety and the associated hypervigilance.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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