Dont View Anxiety As The Enemy
Its your bodys way of protecting you from a real or perceived threat. Its up to you to take a step back and remember that feelings are not facts.
Consider how your anxiety is the alarm system in your brain trying to protect you, but perhaps its overactive or malfunctioning, Kushnir states. Thinking about it this way can offer you gratitude towards worry, as it is simply there to keep you safe but sometimes not needed.
Tip : Talk About Your Worries
It may seem like a simplistic solution, but talking face to face with a trusted friend or family membersomeone who will listen to you without judging, criticizing, or continually being distractedis one of the most effective ways to calm your nervous system and diffuse anxiety. When your worries start spiraling, talking them over can make them seem far less threatening.
Keeping worries to yourself only causes them to build up until they seem overwhelming. But saying them out loud can often help you to make sense of what youre feeling and put things in perspective. If your fears are unwarranted, verbalizing them can expose them for what they areneedless worries. And if your fears are justified, sharing them with someone else can produce solutions that you may not have thought of alone.
Build a strong support system. Human beings are social creatures. Were not meant to live in isolation. But a strong support system doesnt necessarily mean a vast network of friends. Dont underestimate the benefit of a few people you can trust and count on to be there for you. And if you dont feel that you have anyone to confide in, its never too late to build new friendships.
Here Are Some Tips On How To Calm Your Anxiety:
1. Take a deep long breath
Start by taking a deep long breath and try to hold it in your gut for atleast 4 seconds and then release it slowly through your mouth. Repeat this process as many times as you like until you become comfortable and relaxed.
If you are feeling too anxious and taking deep long breaths are not helping you in any way then TRY ADDING BACKWARD COUNTING to the same process we have discussed above, that will go like Take a deep long breath, hold it in your gut as long as for 4 seconds and release it slowly through mouth followed by backward counting with each breath.
for example Deep breath, Hold, Release
Deep breath, Hold, Release
Deep breath, Hold, Release So on
This will not only help you to calm your mind but will also let your mind know that you are in a safe and secure environment.
2. Wash your face with cold water
Get up straight and wash your face with cold water to have a feeling of instant freshness. Taking a cold shower or washing your face with cold water has been described as a remedy to treat your stress and anxiety in Ancient Ayurvedic remedy.
Try it yourself and I can assure you, you will see a minor change in your mood or behavior or you might feel like now I can make decisions better.
3. Vent out your feelings
This is a method which mostly works in many cases and it has worked for me too, I can proudly say that venting out my emotions has proved to be a BOON for me.
4. GO on a solo walk
5. Hop onto your favourite food
6. Gratitude
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What To Do When Anxiety Leads To Panic Attacks
It can be hard to stop panic attacks once youre in their grip. You need to ride it out and understand its not going to kill you, but its going to be very uncomfortable, Bernstein said.
As best as you can, allow people to help you. People who know youre prone to anxiety attacks can remind you to try rescue breathing inhale through your nose, hold your breath and count to five, and exhale through the mouth.
Calm Your Anxious Heart
Managing anxiety can improve your quality of life and take stress off your heart.
A wave of dread overcomes youyour chest hurts, your heart flutters, and you can’t catch your breath. These classic anxiety symptoms are often mistaken for a heart attackand for good reason. Emotional turmoil triggers the release of stress hormones, which act on the same brain areas that regulate cardiovascular functions such as heart rate and blood pressure.
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How To Calm Stress
This article was co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS. Trudi Griffin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin specializing in Addictions and Mental Health. She provides therapy to people who struggle with addictions, mental health, and trauma in community health settings and private practice. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011.There are 21 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 19,407 times.
Stress is a common side effect to worry or anxiety. When things aren’t going well, or something isn’t quite right, you might start to feel stressed. If you are feeling stressed, there are several things you can do to relax yourself quickly. When facing longer term stress in your life, you can use different strategies to reduce stress and remain calm.
Calm Anxiety About Food By Noticing Your Expectations
When you wake up in the morning and start the day, how are you expectingyourself to eat? You may have a fairytale of perfection painted in your mind.
Youre going to eat all your vegetables and only consume organic foods. Oh, and no added sugar and zero carbs, of course. Then, you pack your lunch, and it looks like its made for a toddler. Theres hardly any food.
You plan to do X, Y, and Z and not deviate at all. Period.
Are your expectations realistic?
When you notice that youre setting the bar too high, it can help you calm down. You realize that theres not a necessity to meet that bar. Its not even somewhere you need to go.
Is this an expectation that you would put on your daughter, niece or best friend? Would you expect someone you love to live up to these expectations?
Are your expectations all about you?
The Lord is the source of our strength. If your perfect day of eating is all about your willpower and your strength, your focus is not in the right place. This will cause you a lot of anxiety.
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Calming Anxiety When You’re At Work
I used to work at a treatment center for teenage girls. It was a very rewarding job, but for me it was also very stressful. Each of these girls faced many challenges, and I cared so much about them and always wanted to do my best to help them.
One of the most stressful parts of the job was parent weekends, when the parents of these girls would fly out and visit for three days. We would cram in as many individual, family, and group therapy sessions into a weekend as was humanly possible.
For my first two years working there, these weekends were times where I felt like I was sprinting. I didnt sleep well, I was high-strung and stressed out, trying to almost frantically cram as much intensity into my day as possible. I didnt know any other way.
I thought that in order to perform under pressure, I had to be worked up and wound tight. That if I cared about my work, it was natural that I was going to be stressed, and that the only alternative was to choose a job that was boring and not as important. I really didnt know any other way, so I kept going through the stress-out and exhaustion cycle.
Then one January I attended a conference on treating trauma that changed my perspective. Using many of the activities Im teaching you in this chapter, the facilitator trained us to foster a calm body while engaging in an intense activity. As I practiced these skills, I developed the ability to facilitate a parent weekend without having to be completely stressed out.
How To Do Progressive Muscle Relaxation
To do progressive muscle relaxation:
The muscle groups in order are:
- Hands
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Describe Your Surroundings In Your Head
If you feel sudden panic strike, try to observe your surroundings and start describing thingsin your headin increasing detail. For example: Theres a chair.It has four legs.The legs are wooden.The cushion is embroidered.The embroidery is blue and white.It has white stitching. Whether its a chair or a book cover or a cute puppy, the idea is that the more you focus on describing something, the less you focus on freaking out. The more of your brain youre using to think of words to describe a golden retriever, the less of your brain youre using to think about any negative thoughts swirling around your head.
How To Recognize When You Need To Calm Yourself Down
There are a number of reasons you may feel agitated and in need of calming down. One big trigger of feeling this way is anxiety, whether it’s a passing worry or part of an anxiety or panic disorder.
Some passing symptoms of emotional stress include:
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How To Calm Anxiety: Beware The News
Washing my hands and disinfecting my door handles are smart and productive reactions to the threat of the day. But obsessing over the news, reading endless articles, and watching non-stop television reports is harmful to my mental health. The only news stories I watch or articles I read are those that help me take better care of my family and myself.
Absorbing too much news and information, Ive found, causes subconscious negative thoughts that reappear when you least expect them. The connection isnt always obvious. The 6 pm news might not bother you at 6:30 pm, but it might be the reason youre staring at the ceiling at 3 am. Limit your news consumption to once in the morning and none at night.
Communicate With Your Dentist
Your dentist wont be able to help you cope with your anxiety if they dont know how you are feeling. You should share your fears with the dentist and staff, either during the appointment or before. They may be willing to give you a sedative and will surely alleviate your anxiety.
You should also ask them questions about the treatment process or ask them to talk you through the procedure. This tends to soothe patients and reduce dental anxiety.
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Say Out Loud Something In Me Is Feeling
Scared, worried, or even terrifiedhowever you’re feeling, just say it. This can help calm you down even if you’re not entirely sure what the worry culprit is, precisely.
“Thats because stepping off the train of worrisome thoughts to a place of seeing them as something in you, not the totality of you, immediately takes you to a calmer place,” says Dr. Brenner. “If you can imagine the worrisome thoughts stealing your sleep as something inside you that is worried for your safety and the safety of those you love, youll feel more deeply, but youll almost automatically slow down and be more relaxed, because you gave it a chance to be touched and heard.” And when that part feels heard and like you’re with it, you might be able to fall asleep without even realizing it.
Skill #1: How To Calm Anxiety In Your Nervous System
You can learn to turn on the parasympathetic nervous system and calm anxiety by doing these simple body-based skills. Anxiety, PTSD, trauma, and other intense emotions are rooted in the nervous system, specifically the sympathetic response, but our body has a built-in natural ability to calm anxiety by turning on the parasympathetic nervous system.
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Is Your Worry Solvable
Productive, solvable worries are those you can take action on right away. For example, if youre worried about your bills, you could call your creditors to see about flexible payment options. Unproductive, unsolvable worries are those for which there is no corresponding action. What if I get cancer someday? or What if my kid gets into an accident?
If the worry is solvable, start brainstorming. Make a list of all the possible solutions you can think of. Try not to get too hung up on finding the perfect solution. Focus on the things you have the power to change, rather than the circumstances or realities beyond your control. After youve evaluated your options, make a plan of action. Once you have a plan and start doing something about the problem, youll feel much less anxious.
If the worry is not solvable, accept the uncertainty. If youre a chronic worrier, the vast majority of your anxious thoughts probably fall in this camp. Worrying is often a way we try to predict what the future has in store-a way to prevent unpleasant surprises and control the outcome. The problem is, it doesnt work. Thinking about all the things that could go wrong doesnt make life any more predictable. Focusing on worst-case scenarios will only keep you from enjoying the good things you have in the present. To stop worrying, tackle your need for certainty and immediate answers.
How To Calm Your Anxiety At Night
The symptoms of anxiety can include excessive fear and worrying, panic attacks, feeling tense and restlessness, and can get worse in the evening. Those who experience anxiety at night are more likely to have issues with sleep.
Sleep is one of the most important things your body needs. Sleep deprivation can not only leave you feeling physically tired and struggling to concentrate, it can also lead to feelings of worry and anxiety, which in turn, make it harder to fall and stay asleep.
This inextricable link between insomnia and anxiety shows us that if youre missing important hours of shut eye, its common for anxiety levels to be higher. And if youre already feeling anxious about not being able to sleep, chances are you are going to struggle to actually fall asleep in the first place. This cyclical nature of sleep and anxiety, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America , affects over 50 per cent of adults.
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