If you need help for anxiety, the first thing you need to remember is that you are one of the 30 million Americans who are coping with this mental disorder right now. You are just one of the 15%. The second thing you need to do is recognize what type of anxiety you are suffering from. Actually, short term anxiety is good for us because it can actually improve how we react to certain situations and really help us to do the task better. Just think of a job interview, a driving test or an exam.

But when anxiety becomes a dominant feature in our lives to the extent that it ruins our lives and destroys any initiatives we take, then it is time to recognize that there is a problem and we should do something about it. Are you afraid of open spaces ? Then you may be suffering from agoraphobia. If you have recurring thoughts that plague you and are accompanied by ritual behavior, it may be anxiety in the form of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). You may be terrified of meeting new people or standing up to speak to a group of people. If this is the case, it could be social anxiety. Recognizing what type of anxiety is the first step when you need help for anxiety.

Here are 5 tips to follow when you need help for anxiety. Did you know that complex carbohydrates (the so-called comfort foods) actually increase our feeling of well-being and improve our mood by increasing the levels of serotonin in our brains? When I talk of complex carbohydrates, I am thinking of wholegrain pasta and breads, fruit and vegetables.

The second tip to follow is to be like a police inspector investigating a crime and give yourself the third degree about why you are feeling such negative thoughts and what is the probability that these awful things will happen. We are plagued with doubts, uncertainties, worry, fear of accidents. These thoughts crowd in all the time and we should learn to challenge them and think of the best case scenarios. A friend of mine constantly blames himself for a friend's accident in which he lost his sight, because he did not talk to him long enough on his cell phone ! According to my friend, the extra time spent on the phone call would have saved him from the accident. This is a very common sort of personalisation where we blame ourselves for everything.

When I was anxious once and under great stress, I felt dizzy and very nearly fainted. This is such a common experience that it seems almost banal. But when we are breathing too quickly, these are the side effects and so my third tip when you need help for anxiety is to learn to deep breathe which will prevent hyperventilation and calm us down.

My fourth tip for anxiety is to court optimism and learn to have a positive outlook on everything. We need to be able to bounce back after a tragedy, or just a mere setback. There are many ways we can do this and a great way is to get help for anxiety from a supportive network of friends or family members. Another great way of increasing optimism is by getting a good night's sleep because when we are rested, we are better able to face any problem.

My fifth tip is to look carefully at a herbal remedy for anxiety because there are so many advantages. First, you will need something to calm your fears and anxiety in addition to the tips above. Secondly, these herbal remedies are safe and there are no long term effects, unlike the anti anxiety prescription drugs (like Luvox or Zoloft) which come with a whole load of excess baggage which can be very costly in human terms.