How To Deal With Anxiety In 5 Simple Steps
Anxiety is our body’s natural protective mechanism, so if your hope is to completely eliminate it from your life, you’re going to be fighting an uphill battle. With that being said though, there are quite a few helpful tricks we can use every day to give ourselves the best chance at an anxiety free existence. Or at the very least, one where we feel confident enough in ourselves to manage the discomfort of anxiety in a way that actually supports our well-being.
Grounding Techniques For Anxiety & Lowering Stress
Grounding techniques for anxiety are meant to bring you back to the present moment and to help you reconnect with the here and now. We can do this by refocusing attention on our breath, on our body, or on the environment we find ourselves in. When we can reconnect to the present moment, to what is actually happening right now, our brain is reminded that in this moment we are safe. Once our brain recognizes that we are, in fact, safe in this moment, our anxiety begins to decrease.
Exercise and Mental Health: 3 Biological Benefits of Physical Activity
At some point or another, I am sure you have heard about the great benefits of exercise, especially for improving and maintaining mental health. Sometimes hearing something is beneficial isn’t enough of a reason to give it a shot, so here are 3 backed-by-research reasons why exercise improves our mental and emotional well-being.
Using the Vagus Nerve To Calm The Nervous System
Our brain is constantly observing our surroundings, making meaning and attempting to ensure our body’s safety. When our brain observes a possible threat, it immediately turns on the body’s threat response system (AKA Fight/Flight/Freeze). It doesn’t even matter if the threat is real, our brain would rather be safe than sorry.
Breathing Techniques For Stress Management
The good news is that there are so many different ways to regain control of your breathing, therefore increasing feeling calm and grounded. One of the options you have is to practice something called Belly Breathing. Basically this is simply a practice of sending your breath all the way down to your lower abdomen, rather than breathing solely into your chest.
Anxiety Management: Prevention vs. Intervention
When it comes to dealing with stress and anxiety, we have a few options to consider. There are some practices that fall into a prevention category and others which fall into an intervention category. Prevention includes regular practices, techniques or activities which set yourself up for an overall decrease of anxiety and stress. Intervention, on the other hand, involves techniques to engage in when you are in throws of anxiety or panic. Both strategies have a purpose and are important tools to place in your mental wellness toolkit.