How To Help Calm Other People
It can be hard to know how to help your friends and colleagues when theyre upset. And you likely know how frustrating Just calm down can be. Here are some ways you can help calm other people down when theyre upset:
1. Just listen
A listening ear is surprisingly hard to find. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for someone whos upset is providing a safe, non-judgemental space. Avoid giving them advice or interjecting with your experience. Just let them get it out.
2. Ask questions
Instead of telling them what they should do, ask questions about their experience. Aim to understand where theyre coming from. Validate them and their feelings. Statements like I cant imagine how frustrated you must be can help them feel heard without adding fuel to the fire.
3. Encourage them to get out of their head
When dealing with emotions, the physical sensations can be just as overwhelming as the emotional ones. Utilize the brain-body connection and do something physical. Depending on what theyre feeling, you can have them push against a wall, stretch, do jumping jacks, or just exhale slowly.
4. Help them change their scenery
If its possible, take them on a walk or get them into a different space. This can be especially helpful when the location theyre in is contributing to their stress. Grab a cup of coffee or visit a nearby park. If thats not possible, see if you can grab an open conference room or other, neutral space.
5. Smile
Talk To Someone Friendly
Another very effective technique is to talk to someone you like and trust, especially on the phone. Don’t be shy about your anxiety – tell them you feel anxious and explain what you’re feeling.
Talking to nice, empathetic people keeps your mind off of your symptoms, and the supportive nature of friends and family gives you an added boost of confidence. If you’re suffering from a panic attack, it also helps you feel more confident that if something were wrong, you’d have someone that can watch over you.
How To Calm Yourself Down At Work
Work can be a major source of stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, when we’re at work, it’s not always possible to just leave and get a massage or go for a run. Developing skills to help you calm yourself at work can improve your communication with your colleagues. It can boost your productivity and your satisfaction with your career.
- Take a break
If you work in an office even if its a home office a change of scenery can do you good. Take a quick walk or run some errands. Breaking from your routine will naturally give you some emotional and physical distance to process why you’re upset.
- Do something not work-related
If you find yourself triggered or upset during a meeting , try doing something else. In virtual meetings, go off-camera, color, draw, or squeeze a stress relief ball. For in-person meetings try massaging the palm of your hands or flexing your toes one by one. You can also practice mindful, deep breathing without anyone noticing.
- Set up a soothing workspace
If work is a source of chronic stress, set it up to be anxiety optimized. Declutter your desk, keeping only what makes you feel good or inspires you. Try adding a supportive mantra, an essential oil diffuser, or a small plant to your workspace. Move close to a window if possible.
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How To Calm Anxiety At Night
When anxiety keeps you up at night, getting enough rest can be challenging. But the following activities can relax you before bed.
1. Sleep Hygiene
One of the best ways to calm anxiety is to practice good sleep hygiene, including avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, keeping a regular sleep schedule, and creating a relaxing bedtime routine.
2. Create an Appropriate Sleep Environment
Creating a sleeping environment conducive to relaxation can be beneficial in calming anxiety. Make sure your room is dark, quiet, and cool. Purchasing one of the best smart beds with comfortable bedding and limiting technology or screens before bedtime is advisable. Blue light from electronic devices has been shown to suppress melatonin production and interfere with sleep quality.
3. Meditate
When youre feeling anxious while sleeping, taking a few minutes to focus on your breath can be incredibly calming. There are various types of meditation find one that works best for you and try to practice it regularly. This can help train your mind to focus on the present instead of allowing anxiety to take over.
4. Exercise
Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects and can help soothe anxiety. A moderate amount of exercise is the key to maintaining your mental health and managing anxiety at bedtimeaim for at least 30 minutes per day. If you dont have time for a full workout, try incorporating basic yoga poses or go for a short walk.
5. Keep a Journal
6. Listen to Ambient Noise
Talk To Someone Who Gets It
If your feelings of anxiety are making it hard to function, you should speak to a health professional. But talking to friends can also help. I have friends who have an anxiety disorder too. When Im feeling really bad, I send them a message telling them how Im feeling.
They might have a new hack I can try, or they can point out something that might have acted as a trigger. But sometimes its just nice to vent to someone who knows how it feels to be in my shoes.
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Tip : Practice Relaxation Techniques For Gad
Anxiety is more than just a feeling. Its the bodys physical fight or flight reaction to a perceived threat. Your heart pounds, you breathe faster, your muscles tense up, and you feel light-headed. When youre relaxed, the complete opposite happens. Your heart rate slows down, you breathe slower and more deeply, your muscles relax, and your blood pressure stabilizes. Since its impossible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time, strengthening your bodys relaxation response is a powerful anxiety-relieving tactic.
Effective relaxation techniques for relieving anxiety include:
Deep breathing. When youre anxious, you breathe faster. This hyperventilation causes symptoms such as dizziness, breathlessness, lightheadedness, and tingly hands and feet. These physical symptoms are frightening, leading to further anxiety and panic. But by breathing deeply from the diaphragm, you can reverse these symptoms and calm yourself down.
Progressive muscle relaxation can help you release muscle tension and take a time out from your worries. The technique involves systematically tensing and then releasing different muscle groups in your body. As your body relaxes, your mind will follow.
Write Yourself A Letter
A study showed that doing an exercise that involves writing down your concerns and feelings once a day for seven days decreased depression for three months and increased happiness for six months, according to Dr. Kristin Neff.
Neff is a pioneering researcher into self-compassion, which she defines as stepping outside of yourself, and treating yourself with the same kindness you would show to someone you care about. She says showing yourself compassion comprises three elements: mindfulness, kindness and a sense of connectedness.
The writing exercise from the study is a great way to put this into practice. Sit down with a piece of paper, think of a situation thats troubling you, and begin by writing a paragraph that just acknowledges how youre feeling. This gives you some perspective and space for your reactions, says Neff.
Next, write a paragraph that reflects on what Neff calls our common humanity, the understanding that were not alone in our suffering, and that its a normal part of being human. Compassion recognizes that everyone struggles, and were all imperfect, she says. Finally, write a paragraph of kindness, speaking to yourself the way you would a good friend.
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Admit That You Are Anxious Or Angry
Its important, to be honest with ourselves about how were feeling. If you are stressed out then it is okay to admit that so you can get the help needed in order to overcome whatever it is that might be burdening your mind and weighing down on your heart. Sometimes just telling someone whats wrong can make all the difference because theyll know exactly what needs doing, who needs talking to/about, or maybe even where something went missing which will solve everything by itself once revealed! No big deal after all
How To Calm Anxiety Tip #4 Soothe It
Now that youve gotten the stress out, its time to do something soothing.
Try not to put pressure on yourself to feel calm while doing these activities – allow yourself to feel however you feel while doing them.
- Take a warm bath or shower
- Light a scented candle
- Do an at home yoga video
- Do some mindful coloring
- Listen to calming music or a guided meditation
- Make yourself a cup of hot tea or milk and drink it mindfully
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Shine is specially designed for better mornings, brighter days and the truest you. With that in mind, this BIPOC-founded app was born as the two female founders felt their bodies, their skin color, their financial access and their past traumas often felt otherized, as explained on Shines website.
With daily meditations, self-care courses, a personalized library of more than 1,000 meditations and virtual community workshops to receive professionally given support from its inclusive network, Shine is a meditation app designed for all and like no other.
Decide Whether A Thought Is Helpful
Just because a thought is true doesn’t mean that it is helpful to focus onat least not all the time. If only 1 in 10 people will get the job you seek, and you keep thinking about those odds, you may become demotivated and not even bother applying. This is an example of a thought that is true but not helpful. Focus your attention on what is helpful and let the rest go!
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Music Therapy Heals The Body Mind And Soul
From the earliest days of civilization, music has been used to heal the body and soul, and to express what is difficult to articulate in words. Victor Hugo once said, Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. Therapists have tapped into the healing power of creative lyrics and the composition of notes to design music therapy programs for persons struggling with depression.
Is It Panic Disorder
If you feel constantly stressed and anxious, particularly about when your next panic attack may be, you may have panic disorder.
People with panic disorder may avoid situations that might cause a panic attack. They may also fear and avoid public spaces .
“There’s no quick fix, but if your attacks are happening time after time, seek medical help,” says Professor Salkovskis.
Read more about panic attacks, including personal stories, at See Me Scotland.
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How To Calm Yourself Down When Angry
Anger is probably the most difficult emotion to overcome because it feels the most justified. Our anger is often a reaction to a violation of our values or boundaries. But anger is really a secondary emotion. It is the default emotion we express when were trying to actualize another, primary feeling like fear or sadness. Learning how to calm yourself down when angry can help you access the underlying emotion and resolve it.
- Vent in a safe place
Find a loved one that is unconnected to the situation and share how you’re feeling. If that’s not possible or you don’t have the time to talk, try writing your feelings out in a journal or an email .
- Validate your feelings
Anger often stems from feeling misunderstood. There’s a saying that people yell when they don’t feel heard. Even if no one else agrees with you, take the time to validate your own feelings and ideas.
Write down: I feel angry because I don’t feel _______.
- Get into their shoes
If someone upset you, try talking the situation out from their point of view. You don’t have to agree with them, but doing this as a thought exercise can help you depersonalize the exchange.
- Meditate
Meditation is a great way to learn to depersonalize your thoughts and separate from the initial angry trigger. Mindfulness allows us to watch the thoughts without attachment and learn what they’re really trying to tell us. You may be able to identify the underlying feeling.
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Managing And Preventing Stress
While these techniques can help you calm down when you’re actively feeling anxious, consistent stress management is important.
Some ways to help address stress on a day-to-day basis include:
- Move your body: Engage in regular exercise.
- Eat well: Nourish your body with a variety of healthy foods.
- Reach out to others: Connect with others. Talk to people you enjoy spending time with. Hug people .
- Practice relaxation techniques: The techniques mentioned above, such as yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation, can be done on a regular basis as part of stress management.
- Get some shut-eye: Getting enough good quality sleep is important to all areas of your health, including your mental health.
- Stimulate your senses: Listen to music. Stop and smell the roses. Eat something flavorful. There are many healthy ways to have sensory experiences.
- Write it out: A 2017 study of health workers showed that expressive writing can have a positive impact on adaptive coping strategies. Write in a journal. Write letters that you don’t send to people you’re feeling negative towards. Put your emotions on the page.
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How To Build Healthy Self Soothing Habits
Knowing how to cope with stress and anxiety is critical to ones mental health. It is important to know how to build a skill set for yourself in order to deal with both daily and situational anxieties. Try some of these ways to help increase your awareness and self-esteem, along with building your techniques to relieve your stress:
- Acknowledge your fears
- Be open to the idea of creating self-healing techniques
- Experiment with different approaches and ways to calm yourself
- Step outside of your comfort zone, you never know what might work for you
- Track your progress
Ways To Naturally Calm Anxiety
For a large percentage of the population, anxiety is something that we encounter at some point in our lives. For some, its a daily experience for others, its something that crops up now and again.
However, anyone that has experienced anxiety will know how debilitating it can be and how big of an impact it can have on your daily life. In this blog, well look at some simple and natural ways to calm anxiety.
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