David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
50 Quick and Easy Ways to Calm Your Anxiety
By Christina Laun
Monday 28 July 2008
Whether you're worried about work, home or personal issues, stress and anxiety can take a heavy toll on your mental and physical health. Many serious illnesses are caused in part by stress, and constant worry can leave you feeling worn down, irritable and out of control. So how can you learn to manage your anxiety? While everyone manages their stresses differently, here are a few things to try the next time you're feeling overwhelmed by anything in your life to help you relax and put things in perspective.
General
Try these simple things to ease your anxiety.
By Christina Laun
Monday 28 July 2008
Whether you're worried about work, home or personal issues, stress and anxiety can take a heavy toll on your mental and physical health. Many serious illnesses are caused in part by stress, and constant worry can leave you feeling worn down, irritable and out of control. So how can you learn to manage your anxiety? While everyone manages their stresses differently, here are a few things to try the next time you're feeling overwhelmed by anything in your life to help you relax and put things in perspective.
General
Try these simple things to ease your anxiety.
- Exercise. Few things can help relax you more quickly than a bit of vigorous exercise. Whether you kickbox, jog or play a game of tennis, getting your body moving will help reduce endorphins, improving your mood and making you feel better about anything you're worried about.
- Meditate. When you feel yourself being overwhelmed with anxiety, try taking a few minutes out of your day to clear your mind of your worries and meditate. If you have trouble doing it alone, try using a guided tape or music designed especially for meditation.
- Breathe deeply. Sometimes just concentrating on your breathing can have a calming effect on your state of mind. Count your breaths and concentrate on breathing in and out deeply.
- Focus on something else. Fight your anxiety by temporarily shifting your attention to something else unrelated to what you're upset about. You may find that once you're done you feel much better about the situation and are much more relaxed.
- Talk to others. Connecting with a friend or family member and sharing your anxieties can be a great way to get insight, advice and to alleviate some of your stress by getting support and understanding.
- Clear your mind. When you are feeling stressed out you can have so much going through your mind that it simply seems overwhelming, only adding to you anxiety. Take a few moments to step back and clear your mind of all of it before starting anything else.
- Slow down. Give yourself a break and just slow down if you're feeling stressed out. Getting yourself worked up to rush around won't help, so slow down, take a break and let yourself relax.
- Don't work yourself up. When you're worried about something it's easy to focus on it and get yourself super worked up so that you just want to break down. Stop yourself if you feel that you're getting yourself riled up, and force yourself to calm down and look at things rationally.
- Let the past go. If you're feeling bad about things that have already happened, take a moment to realize that there's nothing you can do to change these things now. Take steps to begin letting the past go and making positive choices for the future.
- Count to ten. Sometimes anxiety can take over and make you feel out of control. Take back control by counting to ten, breathing deeply and concentrating on calming down.
- Be optimistic. No matter what you're feeling anxious about, you can help make yourself feel better by taking an optimistic view of things rather than focusing on all the things that could go wrong.
- Learn to let go of control. Even the most carefully planned events in life can take unexpected turns. Sometimes the only cure for anxiety caused by these things is to simply give up control and let someone else take over.
- Look at the big picture. Sometimes things that don't really matter in the long run can get you all worked up in the present. Remind yourself of how your worries will fit into the larger picture of things and it may give you some perspective.
- Face it head on. If nothing else works, just try facing your worries head on. Many times, things will be easier, better or simpler than you had anticipated and your worries will have been unfounded.
Diet and Supplements
These tips can help you make some changes or additions to your diet to minimize your anxiety.
- Limit your intake of caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and can add to any existing anxiety and make you feel worse than you would otherwise. If you're stressed, avoid drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages.
- Try lavender oil. Some people believe that the smell of lavender has a calming effect. Try lighting a candle or putting some lavender oil on your skin or in a bath to help you relax.
- Make a cup of tea. Tea, especially green and black teas, contain theanine which is purported to have a calming effect on the mind and body. So boil some water and make yourself some tea to relax.
- Cook yourself a meal. Getting involved in the process of preparing, cooking, and eating a meal can be a great distractions from a number of stresses. If you're really feeling down, try making your favorite meals or comfort foods.
- Have a snack. Some studies have suggested that low blood sugar can be a major contributor to anxiety. Make sure your body is running on a full tank by having a healthy snack.
- Consider herbal supplements. If you're into natural remedies you may want to consider taking some herbal supplements like valerian root, L-theanine, and passion flower.
- Have some milk. The age old remedy of having a warm glass of milk to relax may actually work. Milk contains tryptophan which can help settle you down and make you sleepy.
- Enjoy pesto for dinner. Basil has shown to be a very calming herb, so what better way to get your fill of basil than by making a pesto?
- Indulge in chocolate. Eating a small amount of high quality dark chocolate may help you to relax and will help indulge your chocolate cravings as well.
- Chew on mints. Mint can help with lowering feelings of anger and nervousness, so have a mint or add fresh herbs to dinner to feel better and smell fresher.
At Home
For stresses at home, give these suggestions a try.
- Light a scented candle. Certain scents can have a calming effect on your state of mind. Try a candle scented with lavender or a another smell like chocolate or baking cookies that may help you relax.
- Indulge yourself. Whether you enjoy a glass of fine wine or soaking in a long bubble bath, take time to indulge in some simple pleasures to soothe your anxieties.
- Take a shower or bath. The hot water and relaxing sensation of a shower or bath can help wash away your anxieties and help you feel better.
- Get a massage. Seek out a professional or get your spouse to give you a massage. It can help relieve some of the physical and mental symptoms of stress.
- Do something you enjoy. If you love to browse bookstores or take long walks in the park, take some time out of your day to do these things. You'll have fun and spend some time away from your worries.
- Work at some simple chores. Doing some work around the house like sweeping, washing the dishes or gardening in the yard can be a great way to relieve stress, get things done and ease your mind.
- Lay down. One way to get your anxiety under control is to take a short nap. Sleep will relax you and give you a chance to take your mind off of things.
- Watch a funny movie or comedy routine. Laughter really can be the best medicine sometimes, especially when it comes to dealing with stress. Pop your favorite movie into the DVD player or turn on Comedy Central to have a few laughs and forget your troubles.
- Write in a journal. If you can't find someone to talk to or just want to privately vent, try writing in a journal. It can be a great way to organize your thoughts and get your bottled up emotions out.
- Do some yoga. Yoga can help both your mind and body by helping you stretch your muscles and concentrating on your breathing.
- Go for a jog. Jogging can help you get some exercise which will relax you and will get you outside in the sunlight and fresh air.
- Research your problems. If you just can't get your mind off of your troubles, trying researching how you can work around them, overcome them or deal with them through books, the internet and chatting with others.
- Read a book. Try picking up a book to help you escape to another place and concentrate on a fictional character's problems rather than your own.
- Spend time with a pet. Playing with, walking or just enjoying the company of a pet can be a great way to relax. The love and affection pets provide can be a great stress reliever, and you'll get to spend time with something you love.
At Work
Work can be a stressful environment, but you don't have to suffer from constant anxiety with these suggestions.
- Take a break. While it may seem counterintuitive when you're stressed out at work, taking a break can have a beneficial effect on your mental state. Take a few minutes to get away from your desk and the source of your stress.
- Go outside. Sunlight is a natural mood booster, so getting outside and away from your desk can be a great way to lift your spirits.
- Take a walk. Getting a little exercise and even getting outside of your cubicle can really help alleviate stressful situations. Walk around your office, take a trip to get a drink or anything else that will give you space and room to think.
- Create a plan of attack. When you're faced with an overwhelming and anxiety-inducing situation, you can help yourself by working to create a way to deal with the situation. Sit down and write out how you plan to get through it, step by step.
- Avoid coworkers who may make it worse. Some people just love to feed the flames of stressful situations. If you have a coworker like this, make sure you steer clear of them until you've had a chance to calm down.
- Put on some relaxing music. If you're sitting at your desk, put on some headphones and let yourself be relaxed by your favorite tunes.
- Step back. Sometimes situations seem impossible to deal with at first. Give yourself some time and space to step back from the situation to view it objectively so you can figure out how to deal with it and calm down to think clearly.
- Don't rush. Even if you have a million things to do at work that are stressing you out, rushing won't help: it can actually make you even more stressed. Slow down and do your work right the first time so you won't have to go back and fix errors you made from rushing.
- Ask for help. If you really just have too much on your plate at work don't be afraid to ask your coworkers for help. Projects have to get done one way or another and it can help to get things done as a team rather than having all the stress just on you.
- Read something funny. Take a break from your work to have a laugh. Laughter can help alleviate all the stress that's causing your anxiety.
- Talk to your coworkers. Getting your feelings out to someone you work with may help you find new ways to cope, create solutions or just help you relax.
- Talk yourself through a situation. Believe in yourself and know that you can get through a situation, and you're likely to be much less stressed. Give yourself a pep talk and talk your way through anything you need to do to help reduce your anxiety.
urr: Mari
