Hirsutism and Anxiety – How You Can Manage It
Know that feeling when you’re really antsy, but not sure why? I sure do. Unfortunately, anxiety is no stranger to me and I’ve been trying to figure out how to best deal with it for many years now. While I definitely have a tendency to get anxious at times, I have realized that my anxiety in social situations is often connected to my hirsutism. It happens all the time when speaking to people, when on a date, at work – I suddenly get this feeling of worry, of nervousness. I start to feel uneasy and insecure, thinking that people are staring at me. I start to feel like they’re not even paying attention to what I have to say, since they’re so distracted by my hairy arms or the shadow on my chin.
Needless to say that my anxiety has caused me a lot of heartache. And while I still haven’t overcome my anxiety, I have definitely found some ways to better deal with it. I’d like to share them with you today and hope that they will help you.
1. Accepting and Recognizing Anxiety
The most important step I took to better deal with my anxiety was to actually recognize it. I accepted that I struggle with nervousness, and started to research what I could do about it. I encourage you to do the same. It feels good to take control. I am not helpless when it comes to anxiety. There are strategies I can adopt that can help avoid and manage my condition.
2. Learn about Your Triggers
Once you’ce come to terms with your anxiety, you can start to pay closer attention to its triggers. In what situations do you get anxious? Do certain topics or people trigger you? Once you understand what triggers you, you can be more aware and prepared, which will make it easier to manage your condition in moments of nervousness.
3. Learn to Manage Your Anxiety
Once you recognize what triggers you, you can start to adopt strategies that get you through moments of anxiety. If I feel it coming, I tell myself that this is just my anxiety and that I’ll get through this. I say encouraging statements and try to be objective. I ask myself: “What would another person think in this situation? Is my reaction justified? What am I afraid of? Why am I anxious right now? How can I change the situation to put me at ease?”
4. Yoga
Nope, I didn’t start yoga because I wanted to relax. I wanted to lose weight. I have tried many different kinds of exercise over the years. But yoga has been the only thing I have managed to stick to for more than 2 years now. I may have started to burn calories, but what kept me coming back was the way yoga taught me to endure discomfort. Difficult yoga asanas have taught me how to use my breath as a tool, that I can also use outside of the yoga studio. When I find myself in difficult situations and notice how anxious thoughts start to come, I try to focus on my breath, which helps me to stay conscious and choose my thoughts.
5. Niacin (Vitamin B3)
I started taking Niacin a while back after I’d heard some people talk about how the supplement helped them with anxiety. I know there are quite a few vitamins and supplements that can help with hirsutism symptoms, but I have found that adding Niacin (B3) has helped me with reducing my anxiety and helps me stay calm in situations that would usually cause anxiety for me.
6. Avoiding Caffeine
Nope. I haven’t managed to quit coffee yet, but I’ve definitely reduced my daily caffeine intake. I know that if I don’t stick to my limit of one cup a day, I will lie awake at night and struggle with anxious thoughts and nervousness.
7. Avoiding Alcohol
I don’t experience panic attacks often. Fortunately I can count the number of times it has occurred on one hand. Whenever it has happened however, I had had alcohol, which has made me realize that it is easier for me to control my anxiety and apply the techniques discussed earlier when I am sober. I also get triggered more easily after I’ve had a drink. This has led me to limit my alcohol intake significantly. I’d meet friends for a drink a couple of times a week. I don’t do that anymore. Don’t get me wrong: I still see my friends, but I usually opt for non-alcoholic options these days. Luckily many bars also offer fun virgin cocktails without alcohol these days, so I rarely feel like I’m missing out.
Let me know in the comments, if those tips were helpful and whether you have other strategies to manage your anxiety!
