What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something that has an uncertain outcome. It’s normal to feel anxious from time to time, but when you feel the need to constantly be on edge and are unable to control your anxiety, it may be a sign of an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety is a natural response that we all have in our lives. It’s often caused by stress and can be managed quite successfully with self-help techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and yoga.
It’s important to know what causes your anxiety so you can find the right solution for it. If your anxiety stems from work or school, there might be some things you can do on your own like discussing things over with your boss, a colleague or a teacher.
Tips on Managing Stress & Anxiety
There are many ways to manage stress and anxiety, but the most effective way is to take care of your physical and mental health. Mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises and yoga are perfect ways to relax the body and mind. Physical exercise such as running, working out or other fitness activities are great ways to reduce symptoms and burn off excess stress hormones that lead to anxiety. You should also make sure that you are getting enough sleep every night.
Another thing to be aware of is your diet. You should eat healthy, nutritious food and drink plenty of water.
4 Ways to Calm Your Anxious Mind
1. Recognize the triggers:
Make a list of your triggers/events that lead you to feel anxious. Track your moods and what you were doing when they occurred. Doing a Timeline will help you with this. Figure out what makes you feel anxious and how to avoid or change your perception of it in the future.
2. Accept anxiety:
Accept that anxiety is a part of life, there is no avoiding it completely, but we can make it easier to manage. Try not to fight against your thoughts or feelings, instead let them flow through you without judgement or fear.
3. Focus on solutions:
When we focus on our problems, they seem bigger than they actually are because we are giving them all of our attention and energy; when we focus on solutions, we regain control over situations making them easier to manage.
4. Stay in the moment:
Most things we find ourselves worrying about don’t actually materialise. By using the affirmation; “Right here, right now, I am OK”, you will ground yourself back to the present moment bringing yourself out of any panic or negative emotion. Try out our other grounding techniques.
Conclusion:
It’s important to remember that the right mindset can make all the difference when it comes to managing your stress levels. Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.
