Anxiety is a normal feeling you experience as a response to stress. It’s usually a feeling of fear or apprehension about things in your everyday life or fear of what could happen.
Anxiety can take hold and cause you to stop doing the things you enjoy and worsen over time if you don’t learn how to cope or seek treatment. While you can’t always avoid anxiety, you can implement strategies that may help you manage your anxiety effectively. Here are some of the top 10 tips for anxiety relief when you need help fast.
#1 Take Deep Breaths
Deep breathing can help increase blood flow to the brain and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates your relaxation response. Deep breathing helps focus your awareness of your breath and makes it slower and deeper, essentially slowing your heart rate and increasing your feelings of peace.
#2 Exercise
One of the best ways to combat anxiety is exercise. Exercise lowers the body’s stress hormone and releases endorphins that help to improve your mood and reduce anxiety and stress. A simple 15-minute walk can work wonders.
#3 Reduce Caffeine Intake
Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, and more, and when you introduce large amounts of caffeine, your anxiety can increase. The amount of caffeine you can tolerate before anxiety hits vary for each person.
#4 Journal
Journaling is a way to express your emotions in a healthy and productive way. It helps you reflect, and if you focus on your positive feelings, it can help you improve your overall wellbeing.
#5 Meditate
Meditation can be an effective tool for relieving anxiety and inducing calm quickly. It helps you focus and takes you out of the worried thoughts, and helps you lower your overall anxiety and stress with short sessions every day.
#6 Get Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation can contribute to anxiety and make you feel stressed and irritable due to exhaustion. When you don’t get enough sleep, your brain increases your anticipatory reactions, making your anxiety levels rise.
#7 Find Social Support
Social support can help you relieve anxiety by supporting you through difficult times. You can spend time with them or pick up the phone. When you feel supported by others, your body’s blood pressure is lower and releases oxytocin, a natural stress reliever.
#8 Eat Well Balanced Meals
Eating healthy foods that help support brain function can help relieve anxiety symptoms and help prevent anxiety symptoms in the future.
#9 Laugh it Out
Laughter can help relieve anxiety and stress and release built-up tension in your muscles. It can improve your mood and your immune system. Spend time with people who make you laugh or watch your favorite comedy to help relieve your anxiety.
#10 See a Therapist
When you’ve tried many coping techniques, and they don’t seem to help, it may be time to reach out to a Therapist. Therapistscan work with you to find the triggers and sources of your anxiety and help you develop an effective plan to help you cope.
If you feel anxious, you can do things to help calm yourself. If unmanaged, anxiety can take a toll on your mental and physical wellbeing. You can enjoy a happy, healthy life when you learn to manage your anxiety better.
If you’re struggling with your anxiety and it’s affecting your ability to maintain regular activities, Contact Us today to book an appointment with one of our practitioners.