Does your mind often race, making you confused, wound up, or restless? Anxiety is a drag. Feeling anxious can happen to everyone at some time in life. You know those times when nothing seems to go right. It’s the part of you that stifles creativity and prevents you from moving forward with your passions. This is one way that anxiety presents itself. How you deal with anxiety is what makes the difference? Here are some calming tips for anxiety that worked for me.
What Is Anxiety?
Let’s see what the experts say. According to anxiety.org: “Anxiety is the reaction to situations perceived as stressful or dangerous. “The amped-up feeling and restlessness you may feel can be manifestations of anxiety. Unfortunately, the world we live in and the hectic pace of our society often leave people feeling this way. As a result, many wonder how they can learn to relax.
Symptoms Of Anxiety:
- Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge
- Being easily fatigued
- Having difficulty concentrating; mind going blank
- Being irritable
- Having muscle tension
- Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
- Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or unsatisfying sleep
After struggling myself with anxiety for countless days, I realized I needed to change how I approached the problem. After doing some research, I came up with these nine calming tips for anxiety. Improve calm in my life. Some are things I read, and some are solutions I found accidentally and I put them all to the test.
Here’s what worked best for my calming tips for anxiety
Mindfulness- Be Here Now
Anxiety is described as worrying about something that is in the future. Worry is your imagination playing a movie about something in the future that you do not want to happen. Unfortunately, I am very good at this. I can make it seem very real. But, the truth is the truth. The future has not happened, and the negative outcome you may be visualizing is not accurate.
Bringing yourself back to the present diverts your attention from incessant worrying. This can be done by doing a task that requires all of your attention. For others, this might be an art project. Maybe your pause is a sport that demands all your focus. For some pausing and reflecting on being present is enough. Find what works to bring you into the moment you are in right now and relax your emotions.
Verdict:
Being mindful encompasses awareness and interconnection between your inner and outer worlds. If you are more awake and alert, you can more easily receive messages from within and the universe.
This one is hard for me, but it does work. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I find that instead of letting my mind “worry” about something that I can do nothing about at that time of the day. Instead, I remind myself to be in the moment and work most of the time that works.
Taking A Break
I know something about you. I know because I know the same thing about me. Sometimes you get so wrapped up with what you need to do that you don’t realize you need a break. It can be something as simple as getting out of town, taking a day off, or going for a run. When you move your body and breathe fresh air, it refreshes the soul and relaxes the mind.
Verdict:
When working on a complex problem or feeling that you have too much to do, it is easy to convince yourself that you do not have the time to take breaks. However, micro-breaks, lunchtime breaks, and longer breaks all have positive effects. Detaching from issues increases your level of energy and decreases exhaustion.
Check-In
Ask yourself if what you are anxious about is reasonable and logical. Do a quick “check-in“. Ask yourself if whatever is happening at this moment is even worth investing your energy in. This allows you to train your brain to develop a rational way to deal with your anxious emotions. Acquiring these habits prepares you for the future when you have a similar experience.
Verdict:
When you realize that you are making your problems or challenges worse by repeating them over and over to yourself, at some point, you realize this is not solving the problem. Having a contingency plan is one of my favorite calming tips for anxiety.
Meditation And Deep Breathing
Deep breathing can help relax many people. Whether meditation or breathing exercises help, both are excellent relaxation and focusing methods. You can search online for various ways to try. In addition, yoga, group classes, or individual practice may help you with relaxation and self-soothing. All of these activities are excellent for your well-being and overall health.
Verdict:
Breathing is the number one and most effective technique for reducing anger ad anxiety quickly. When you are anxious, you tend to take quick, shallow breaths. This sends a message to your brain, causing a positive feedback loop to reduce your “fight or flight” response. That’s why taking long, deep, calming breaths disrupts that loop and helps you calm down. I love this calming option as you can practice this technique anywhere or anytime. This one is my second favorite of the nine calming tips for anxiety.
Re-frame
Changing the way you look at a situation can change the way you feel about it. This can be done as an intentional act or happen automatically, depending on your mindset and temperament. According to a study: “Appraisal theories of emotion suggest that it is an individual’s subjective appraisal of an event—that is, its’ meaning and significance—rather than the event itself leads to a specific emotional reaction.”
Ask yourself, “Will this matter to me this time next week? Or “Am I going to let this person/situation steal my peace?
Verdict:
When you’re anxious or angry, you become hyper-focused on the cause, and all rational thoughts leave your mind. So instead, examine the real issue. Look at it from an outer point of view. Is it that important? And, will it make a difference a week from now, or are you making a mountain out of a molehill? These calming tips have helped me more than once.
Drop Your Shoulders
Sit up tall, take a deep breath, and drop your shoulders. When you do this, you can focus on bringing your shoulder blades together and then down. This pulls your shoulders down. Take a few deep breaths. You can do this several times a day.
Verdict:
When you’re anxious or angry, it can feel like every muscle in your body is tense (and they probably are.) Practicing progressive muscle relaxation can help you calm down and center yourself. I have done this countless times. However, sometimes when I do “check in” I find that my shoulders are up close to my ears. It’s common to tense up your body when you are frustrated or under pressure.
Number Seven of Calming Tips for Anxiety… Picture Your Happy Place
This tip requires you to practice the breathing technique we talked about earlier. After taking a few deep breaths, close your eyes and picture yourself calm. See yourself in on a sunny beach with gently rolling waves. Or how about a cabin in the mountains? So, what’s the most relaxing place in the world that you can think of?
Picture yourself there, and try to focus on the details as much as possible. Imagine digging your toes into the warm sand or smelling the sharp scent of pine trees.
This place should be quiet, calm, and relaxing — no busy streets of big city life, no matter how much you love the cities in real life.
Verdict:
By creating a mental picture of what it looks like to stay calm. You can refer back to this image anywhere and at any time. This works well and I use this frequently when I am in an uncomfortable situation.
Engage In Light Exercise
Endorphins keep the blood pumping in precisely the right way. Choose simple light exercise like walking or swimming. A simple bike ride, dance class, or even a brisk walk can be a powerful tool if you suffer from anxiety. Unfortunately, one study shows that people with anxiety tend to be more sedentary and do less intense forms of physical activity. That’s too bad because lacing up your sneakers and getting out and moving can be the single best non-medical solution you have for preventing anxiety.
Verdict:
- I find that taking a walk in nature diverts you from the very thing you are anxious about.
- When you are moving your body, it decreases muscle tension.
- Getting your heart rate up changes brain chemistry, increases neurochemicals, including serotonin, and helps you sleep better.
- Exercising builds up resources that help us be resilient against runaway emotions.
Using Essential Oils
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of lavender. A study in 2007 showed that lavender aromatherapy reduced serum cortisol, which plays a central role in the body’s response to stress and anxiety. The researchers concluded: These findings suggest that lavender aromatherapy has relaxation effects and may have acute beneficial effects on coronary circulation.
It is one of the perfect natural remedies for calming tips for anxiety.
Verdict:
To relieve stress and improve sleep, put a diffuser by your bed and diffuse oils while you sleep at night or in the family room while you’re reading or winding down. Also, it can be rubbed topically behind your ears for the same benefits. It works for me.
You to can learn to self-soothe using these nine calming tips for anxiety. Implementing some of these practices will help you develop techniques to increase relaxation in your daily life, de-stress and improve your mental health.
I am Shirley Noah, author and an internationally known stress expert and entrepreneur. I would love to connect further with you to help you improve your health and well-being. If you are interested in learning more about about inner peace and calm, please take a look at my popular eCourse Optimize Your Self Talk.
