9 Tips for Anxiety Relief
Anxiety disorders affect more Americans than any other mental illness. It’s normal to feel a bit of worry, though, so using tips for anxiety relief often proves beneficial. Simple changes to a person’s daily routine can have dramatic effects on their stress levels. While there’s a fine line between normal stress and diagnosable conditions, reducing anxiety even a little can do wonders.
These anxiety relief tips will ideally help you overcome worries or fears that seem ingrained in your head. If you find that anxiety consumes every part of your life or otherwise becomes excessive, though, it may be time to reach out to someone. Transformations Treatment Center can help. Contact us today to discuss building a customized plan to overcome anxiety.
1. Practice Deep Breathing for Anxiety Relief
Did you know humans can consciously control their heart rate? We have an enormous amount of control over our bodies. And when it come to the best tips for anxiety relief, deep breathing provides more control over these feelings. By focusing on taking deep and even breaths, you’ll calm your entire body and reduce stress. There are many deep breath exercises you can use, but simply taking a moment to focus on steady breathing is often enough.
2. Slowly Count to 10 – or the Opposite
While it may seem like something out of the movie Anger Management, slowly counting to 10 can actually help you take control of your thoughts. This won’t work for everyone, but since it’s one of the easiest tips for anxiety relief, it’s worth a shot. Many people find that this strategy is more effective when counting backward from 10. Find what works for you and stick with it.
3. One of the Easiest Tips for Anxiety Relief: Sleep
Everyone has to sleep, but not everyone is getting the same sleep. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation is one of the chief contributors to persistent feelings of stress. Studies show that the COVID-19 pandemic caused people to get less sleep, and this partially explains the massive increase in citizens feeling daily stress.
While it may seem like there’s too much in the day to allow for enough sleep, this is a mandatory step for overcoming anxiety. A doctor is very unlikely to prescribe anything other than a sleep aid if they link your anxiety to going to bed too late. Get rid of caffeine before bedtime and try your best to get at least seven hours of sleep.
4. Cut Out Drugs and Alcohol
Many people don’t realize it, but anxiety and substance abuse often go hand in hand. Abusing alcohol, cocaine, LSD and other drugs can easily result in feelings of anxiety. This means sobriety can be one of the best tips for anxiety relief. Stress can happen immediately after taking a substance, during the “come down” phase or even for weeks after use due to withdrawal. If your anxiety stems from substance abuse, it’s time to sober up.
5. Quick Anxiety Relief: Fix Your Posture
Some tips for anxiety relief require changes in lifestyle. Fortunately, this isn’t always the case. By simply standing up straight when you’re feeling anxious, you can reduce feelings of stress. Humans instinctively hunch over when they feel anxiety. Making yourself stand up straight and opening your chest will tell your body there’s no reason to stress. This is similar to how smiling can make a person feel happier.
6. Base Tips for Anxiety Relief on Triggers
Many people have specific triggers that set off feelings of anxiety. Unfortunately, identifying these triggers can be easier said than done. This is why many counselors suggest keeping a journal and documenting whenever anxious feelings arise. You may discover a pattern that shows stress linked to school, work or even certain family members. Once you discover the source, it’s easier to create an action plan.
7. Take a Few Moments to Meditate – Whoosah!
Addiction counselors recommend meditation to stay sober during the holidays, but it’s also a great way to reduce anxiety. Stress comes from the inside, so that’s the best place to target it. Consider this simple meditative technique that you can do when you wake up, after breakfast or even at the office:
- Find somewhere quiet and relaxing to meditate. Earphones with relaxing music turn anywhere into an appropriate spot!
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Imagine stress leaving your body as you exhale.
- Push everything out of your head. Take a moment to forget about even the most stressful thoughts.
- Focus on your breathing. Focus on nothing else until your mind drifts.
- Allow your mind to focus on whatever it wants — whether it’s the surrounding sounds or the darkness of your eyelids.
Of the many tips for anxiety relief, this is one of the most beneficial. Research shows that meditation produces a variety of health benefits. Setting aside a mere 10 minutes in your daily routine for this can cause enormous changes. Even if you have to do this during your lunch break or wake up a few minutes earlier, it’s well worth it to overcome anxiety.
8. Rationalize Your Thoughts
Our anxieties often come from irrational thoughts, and this means simple rationalization can do wonders. Ask yourself if a stressful thought is realistic. From “plane crashes rarely ever happen” to “I’m overly prepared for this presentation,” a simple snap back to reality can be powerful. Even if you’re having a panic attack, reminding yourself that’s what’s going on can conquer the irrational thoughts that often occur.
9. Find Some Comedy on YouTube
Of the many tips for anxiety relief provided here, finding something to make you laugh may be the most obvious. This approach is so obvious, in fact, that many people completely overlook it. One thing we’ve learned from droves of stress research, though, is that humor is a powerful weapon against anxiety. Getting a good friend to tell you a joke can help, but taking five minutes for a comedy routine on YouTube could be even more effective.
Main Tip for Anxiety Relief: Don’t Let Worry Win
It’s completely normal to experience feelings of worry occasionally. After all, no one gets through life without a healthy fear of certain things. If this worry has negative effects on the way you live your life, though, you may have a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Medication could help in overcoming the issue, but there are also several other therapeutic interventions to consider.
At Transformations Treatment Center, our staff of certified professionals understands that everyone has different needs. While these tips for anxiety relief may work wonders for some people, others might fare better with focused and professional therapy. If you need help in battling consistent worry, contact us today to learn how we can help you regain control of your life.
Sources
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
The Washington Post
Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22744827/
The British Psychological Society
https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/02/02/scientific-evidence-that-counting-to-10-helps-control-anger-sometimes/
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