Anxiety and stress can make dizziness worse.
However, understanding the link between anxiety and dizziness and learning coping strategies can significantly reduce its impact on your daily life.
Dizziness and worsening symptoms add stress to the body, making it harder to tolerate other stressors. Some stress is something we can control, while other stressors are beyond our control.
So how can we reduce dizziness by managing anxiety and stress?
Learning to manage stress, especially stress that is beyond our control, is an important part of treating and managing dizziness. Learning how to respond to stress creates a ripple effect through our emotions, thoughts, and actions.
5 ways to best take control Dizziness by Managing Anxiety and Stress Better
1. Breathe
There are many different breathing techniques that can help you relax. The goal of these techniques is to tap into the rest and digest part of your nervous system and help turn off the fight or flight system. Finding the method that works best for you is the goal. Breathing deeply and slowly is the goal.
For example, yogic breathing, box breathing, triangle breathing, alternate nostril breathing, physiological sighing, etc.
2. Grounding
Grounding means helping to anchor you in the present moment. This is helpful when you feel disconnected from your body and feel detached.
Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method: identify five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Another example is the 5 senses: what you can smell, see, hear, taste, touch.
3. Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness focuses on the present moment similar to grounding, but focuses on self-awareness to help reduce emotions and promote relaxation.
4. Movement
Movement has many health benefits but is also beneficial for the vestibular system. Exercise can help reduce stress, anxiety, depression, improve sleep, increase energy, reduce migraines, and help build repetition and tolerance for daily movements. Progressive and extensive exercise has many benefits and translates into challenging daily activities. Talk to your doctor to get clearance to exercise and consider consulting with your doctor for support as you progress!
5. Healthy Lifestyle
Adequate, regular sleep, adequate hydration, and balanced healthy meals/snacks are relatively immediate and inexpensive changes to your daily routine that will give your body the space to heal and the resources to support recovery.
