Anxiety and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Part 2

Every day, living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will bring anxiety-producing situations into your life.

It’s no wonder that anxiety is something most of us deal with. With a bit of practice, the anxiety you feel can be dampened.

How does the body react to anxiety?

The first step is to notice how your body reacts to the feeling of anxiety.

In my case, my gut clenches, and I lose my appetite. My friend feels anxiety in his neck and head - he can sense the clenching of his neck muscles and the beginnings of a headache. If my anxiety lingers, I stop sleeping, and my friend gets a headache.

We all have a physiological response, and the better we can be in tune with what our bodies are doing, the easier it will be to do something about it.

Personalities that affect our approach

We also all have unique personalities that are shaped by our past. I am not naturally "neurotic." Instead, I tend to deny and push my feelings away.

I also grew up in a family with a can-do attitude, and parents who didn’t spend a lot of time warning me about danger. Instead, they encouraged me to go out into the world and figure it out.

Problem solving through difficult situations

This helps me to problem-solve my way through difficult situations. As long as I am diligent about paying attention to my body’s cues, I can usually calm down.

I have friends who would call themselves neurotic, and they help balance me because they don’t push problems under the rug the way I do. No matter where you fall on the scale of being a "natural worrier," you have strengths to draw from.

So, first, you put some thought into how your body reacts to anxiety, how your mind thinks about anxiety-producing situations, and draw on your strengths.

5 coping skills for anxiety

Now you can introduce some coping skills into your life. Luckily, I guarantee a lot of these skills are already in your wheelhouse.

Become mindful

When you start to feel your body become anxious, that’s your cue to become mindful- a great way to do that is to breathe deeply.

Stay in the present moment and do what you can to counteract the stress response. That way you can move into other actions that will help you calm down. 

A person to balance your tendencies

Get yourself at least one person that you can talk things through with.

Find someone who balances out your tendency. If you are a natural worrier, find someone like me. And if you tend to deny, find someone who pushes you to think about things more.

Make sure that person doesn’t feed your anxiety. Notice how you feel after talking to them. You should feel calmer and more hopeful.

Find a mantra

Find a mantra or five that you can say to yourself when you are spiraling into worry. This will remind you that you’ve gotten through worse before. Or if this situation is the worst one you’ve faced, it will remind you of just how strong you are.

For me, remembering how much my body is doing right every second of every day helps me to realize just how strong I actually am, RA or not.

Find a therapist

It never hurts to talk things through with a professional who will see things that you don’t and help you to harness your individual strengths.

Find activities that calm your mind down

Find something you can turn to when you are anxiously spiraling and need to feel in control. This can be as simple as lighting a candle with a favorite scent while you read a book, or turning on some music and singing to yourself.

If your body is not in too much pain, a walk around the block might also do the trick. Have a couple of go-to’s so you don’t feel disappointed by not being able to do the activity!

Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety is controllable. I hope this helps a bit to guide you back into peace of mind!