With all that is going on in the world today, more and more people are having a lot of anxiety so it has become imperative to learn how to reduce anxiety.
Even under normal circumstances, the fast-paced society we live in has become toxic to so many people and they are having a lot of trouble dealing with this issue.
Unfortunately one of the side effects of anxiety is more stress. The result is that you will never be able to create the life you deserve.
Not everyone will experience a high level of anxiety and therefore stress since they have developed coping skills that help them get through their day without a lot of worries.
How to Plan Ahead to Reduce Anxiety
One way to reduce the amount of anxiety you have to deal with is to be prepared. Do you find that you get worried in the mornings when you are concerned that you might be late getting to work?
Or, do you get anxious when you forget something at home? If you make sure you are prepared for the next day before going to bed you can reduce the amount of anxiety you have to deal with daily.
There are a couple of ways you can be prepared. Make sure that you have everything you need to take with you in the morning next to the door. You can also prepare a list and then check it off making sure you have what you need.
Checklists are an important way to make sure you have everything you need. After all, even season pilots make sure to go over their checklist before they even start the plane’s engine.
Limit the Amount of Time for Worrying to Reduce Anxiety
It is important to note that you can’t always control feeling worried about something.
However, you can decide just how much time you are going to spend worrying about something.
You can even put aside a certain time each day to worry as much as you need to in that allotted time.
You can even set an alarm on your phone for the amount of time you are going to spend worrying.
Worrying is okay, it is just not something you want to spend a lot of time doing since you won’t be very productive with your day.
It is important to note that giving yourself some time to worry can result in you worrying a lot less.
How to Get Rid of Time Sucking Habits
Do you find that you worry about not having enough time during the day to accomplish everything you want to do? Perhaps you are spending too much time doing unnecessary things that just add to your worries.
Or, perhaps you find you can’t sleep at night as your mind won’t shut off and you can’t stop your thoughts.
One way to ensure better sleep is to turn off all your electronic devices two to three hours before going to bed. You just might find you have a better night’s sleep!
How to Be Conscious of Your Surroundings
If you get caught off guard by something, your anxiety can go up and you start worrying. It is a good idea to be mindful of what is going on around you so you are alert.
One way to be prepared and conscious of your surroundings is to do a little planning. Perhaps you have to give a speech or sing in front of people in a place you haven’t been to before.
You might want to go into the room, onto the stage, and give your speech or sing your song so you have a better feel of your surroundings.
This way when you do give the actual speech or sing, you are familiar with the environment.
You will be better prepared because you will know where you will be standing, how to use the microphone if you are going to be using one, and even how to enter and exit the room.
Accept that Worrying is Natural
In truth, no one anywhere in this world is without worry. It would be a very unrealistic expectation to think that you can stop worrying.
In fact, if you worry about stopping worrying, you only end up worrying more! Say that five times fast!
There is a difference between what a lot of people experience and something that is unnatural and then leads to anxiety.
It is normal for instance to worry about your children if they are doing something for the first time.
Ideas to Reduce Anxiety
Here are some ideas that you might like to try to see if you can reduce your anxiety and cut down the amount of time you spend worrying.
Start a Journal: sometimes writing down our feelings, our worries is a good way to acknowledge them and even lessen their impact.
This can actually be a cleansing process.
Don’t write down the worry, but write about how you are going to handle the things you are concerned with.
This way if this issue comes up again you have a better chance to deal with it so that you don’t produce more anxiety.
Pray or Start a Meditation Practice: You might find that taking as little as ten minutes a day to focus on yourself is one of the best things you can do to reduce anxiety.
Mediation or prayer is a good practice to help you stay positive about your life.
Meditation helps us to focus on nothing rather than our thoughts. Pray offers a chance to talk to the divine.
Both of these methods are a more peaceful way to spend some time during the day.
Take Better Care of Your Body with Exercise and Food: Getting out in nature and going for a walk, even for 20 minutes is a wonderful way to reduce some stress.
Eating healthy food is so important for your health and well-being.
We all know that eating good, wholesome food and exercising will add years to our lives and life to our years.
If you are busy and cooking is a chore, take one day a week to plan your meals and shopping list and then do some food prep.
This way you will feel more in control of your eating and the result will be less anxiety and stress.
What are Some Tips for Dealing with Anxiety?
If you find you are having more frequent anxiety attacks, why not try these self-help tips as a way of dealing with them.
- One good way to deal with anxiety is to talk to a friend about what your biggest fear is. This could be anything from having to give a presentation to learning to drive. Talk to your friend about what the worst-case scenario could be with the event. By talking it over with a friend when the time comes for the actual event to take place, you will have already ruled out any possible horrible outcomes.
- Stress and anxiety both release the same hormone and that is adrenaline. It is important to exercise since you will be releasing this hormone which in turn will make your anxiety levels go down.
- Reduce the amount of caffeine or alcohol you consume. These are both stimulants that can make your anxiety worse. Rather, switch to drinks like milk or water. Certain foods are good for reducing anxiety such as nuts, berries, legumes, yogurt, and dark orange vegetables.
- Something else you can do is break down the day into minutes. When you can break down the day, you are instead focusing on only the present moment, or the next few minutes. This way you are living in the now and the future will be easier to handle. As well this will help you eliminate some of your worries.
- You can always use visual anchors. If you find yourself stressing out and getting anxious, try to focus on something that brings you joy. A certain memory where you felt calm and at peace.
- Having a mantra that you can repeat over and over in your head is a good way to find some calm in a hectic situation. It could be a simple phrase such as “I can do this” or “I am capable”. This technique will help build up your self-confidence as well.
It is important to remember that you aren’t the only one who has to deal with anxiety. Thousands of people experience this issue every day. Finding ways to cope will help you reduce the amount of anxiety you have to deal with and there is plenty of help available.
Another Way to Deal with Anxiety – Breathing Exercises!
Here are some simple breathing techniques that can help you be able to deal with those moments of panic and anxiety.
- When you first feel anxious or think you might be having a panic attack, stop what you are doing and sit down. Try to focus on something this is in the room, something you find interesting, or something that gives you joy.
- Take in a deep breath slowly. When we get anxious it is not unusual for our breathing to speed up. You end up taking in too much oxygen which leads to a rapid heartbeat. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Concentrate on breathing. Then let out the breathe slowing through your mouth. Do this a few times.
- If breathing slowly doesn’t seem to be working, try holding your breath. Count to five and then release your breath through your mouth. This tip helps your body’s response to anxiety to slow down a bit and then try breathing slowly again.
- You can do these two exercises, taking deep breaths and holding your breath. Alternating between the two can help you out of an anxious situation. You will want to take deep breaths into your diaphragm.
- Practicing these breathing exercises daily will help you to be able to do them naturally when you feel anxious. Even doing this for ten minutes a day will help you be more comfortable when you need to do it in a stressful situation.
One way to reduce your anxiety is to breathe properly. If you need to practice to ensure you can take control in a stressful situation, then this is something you can plan on doing every day.
Final Thoughts!
Being worried about certain aspects of our life is normal. It only becomes a problem with the worry turns into anxiety attacks or panic attacks.
Being able to realize what is going on and finding ways to reduce stress is the answer to being able to reduce anxiety and find peace and calm so we can enjoy our lives.
Overthrowing Anxiety!
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