Managing anxiety is not a simple task: it’s a broad inner journey that takes time, commitment and effort. There are no shortcuts, and looking for then will only make you stray from the true path towards natural self-management of anxiety.
Regardless…. there are occasions in which you’ll feel overwhelmed by your anxiety, even while following the path to recovery. In such occasions, you can use the following strategies to find some quick relief.
Try all of these techniques, and make sure to integrate the ones you have better success with in your own personal anxiety management toolkit.
1. Inhale Peace of Mind, Exhale Anxiety
Your breathing and your emotions closely mirror one another. Anxiety always makes your breath cycles become shorter and shallower. Fortunately, you can also dissipate your anxiety by paying attention to your lungs and inducing deep breaths.
Start noticing the connection between how you breathe and how you feel; you’ll reach surprising conclusions!
Also, use this simple technique next time your anxiousness is on the rise. You can do it anywhere you go and its effects can be astounding:
- Inhale slowly and deeply from your nose. Be gentle, don’t force the air in.
- When your lungs are full, don’t breathe out right away; take a small pause.
- As your lungs begin to struggle to release the air trapped inside, start releasing it slowly and steady through your lips, making a slight sound.
Repeat these 3 steps at least 10 times in a row – it won’t take more than 5 minutes, so just relax and focus on the air coming in and out. Breathe deeply into the abdomen; make each breathing cycle a little slower than the last, and when you’re done you will feel much better.
2. Find Someone Friendly and Talk
Being overtaken with anxiousness, you’re likely to lose your sense of perspective; things will always seem worse than they really are, magnified with the lens of anxiousness.
This is something you can avoid quite easily: just find someone you can freely talk with, and share your worries and troubles. A good and supportive friend can be extremely valuable, in helping you expel anxiousness from your mind.
Having good friends whom you can trust and confide in is extremely important. But if you don’t have anyone available to talk with, don’t let it deter you: find a priest, a minister or a rabbi… or just talk with a friendly stranger who comes across your way. It’s not like you have anything to lose, except your anxiety!
3. Engage Some Aerobic Action
Living with anxiety, your levels of adrenaline are likely to be too high; that will make your heart race faster, and also make you feel tense and uptight.
The best way to put that adrenaline to good use is doing aerobic exercises! Just get up and go for a long, fast walk; do some jogging, play tennis or soccer… dance! There are many aerobic activities available, so choose whichever you like best. Do whatever it takes to dissipate the anxiousness building up in your body and mind.
Besides wearing off your adrenaline, aerobic exercises also help normalizing your breathing… which in turn will also contribute towards alleviating anxiousness. Getting regular physical exercise is a must, for people suffering from anxiety.
4. Learn How to Relax Your Body
Have you noticed how your inner tension makes your body get tight as well? Sometimes you can reverse this process, much to your advantage: relax your body and your mind will follow. Here are some ideas you can use to achieve quick physical relaxation:
- Fill your bathtub, get some bath salts, soak in for a good while.
- Splash your body with cold water; then take a hot, steamy shower.
- Enjoying a good massage, either from a person or an electronic device.
- Have a nap; just lying down for a while will make you feel much more relaxed.
5. Use Kava Kava to Induce Relaxation
There are several herbal teas which can be used to great effect, in terms of reducing anxiousness. However, many people agree that the single most potent herbal remedy to alleviate anxiety is Kava Kava.
Some people find this herbal medicine works just as effectively as some prescription drugs which they also take; needless to say, the chances of getting addicted to an herbal tea are much lesser, though.
Some guidelines to keep in mind while purchasing kava kava: try to get it from a reputable healthy food store, and check the label to make sure it’s pure. If you’re still taking prescription drugs, it might be wise consulting with your doctor, to know if there may be adverse reactions.
6. Learn How to Trick Your Anxious Thinking
Your anxiety doesn’t just come out of the blue; when you have anxiety attacks, it’s the result of a long-winded spiral of negative thoughts. Sometimes you can keep anxiety at bay by closely watching your thoughts and learning how to dismiss certain triggers that will usually make you feel anxious.
When you realize you’re worried about something, or when you notice some anxious thoughts creeping into your mind, try to confront those thoughts before they get too strong. In other words, try to use your intelligence to nourish positivity in your thinking and avert anxiety. Ask yourself questions such as:
- Is there a chance I’m blowing this worry/fear out of proportion?
- Is this a sound reasoning, when confronted with actual evidence?
- This seems terrible now, but will it still seem terrible a year from now?
- Am I just making up reasons to keep feeling anxious and distraught?
Try to think of other questions that you can use to disrupt your anxious thinking modes. Posing these questions to yourself might be all it takes to kick-start your rational mode, and keep you from getting caught up in the throes of anxiousness.
7. Listen to Some of Your Favorite Music
Have you ever heard of music that soothes the beast? Well, there is also music that soothes your inner beast: anxiety. Try listening to different kinds of music to know what works best for you.
For some people, listening to relaxation music or soothing natural sounds does the trick. For others, singing along to their favorite death metal / gangsta rap record is a sure-shot way to exercise their inner demons.
Try listening to different types of music, in various sound levels, at various places. Learn how to use music to manage your surges of anxiety.
8. Find Some Peasant Distractions
As a general rule, you don’t want to be distracted from your anxiety. Rather you want to embrace it, and try to understand its causes, so you can break them down in smaller, manageable bits.
However, finding distractions can be a good way to avert anxiousness, in moments where you really need some peace of mind. You should think of these distractions a mere bandage though, not as permanent cure. These are just some ideas you may want to try: Read a good book or watch an exciting movie; turn on your TV set and let your mind get numb; play some video games; paint a picture; try doing some manual activities (anything from crochet to modeling or book-binding).
9. Get Some of That Sexual Healing
In moments of increased anxiety, you won’t always be able to engage sexual activities. However (and provided you have a willing and available partner), it’s definitely worth trying! Sometimes having sex is the best, most pleasurable way to find refuge from anxiety… not to mention it’s also a good aerobic exercise.
Some things to keep in mind, though: if you’re usually anxious and nervous about your sexual performance, this probably won’t work. Unless you do it exclusively because you enjoy it and it helps you commune with the other person, having sex won’t help you manage your levels of anxiety.
10. Embrace the Here and Now
What’s going on in your mind? What is the source of all your tension and worrying at the moment? If you stop to consider these questions, sometimes you’ll realize you’re feeling oppressed with mere ideas and suggestions… terrible things that haven’t actually happened and probably won’t ever happen.
Quite often, our mind gets caught up in negative cycles because we’re not focused on the here and now. Remember, worrying about a problem and finding solutions to a problem are entirely two different things.
Make sure you’re not wasting your energies worrying just for the sake of it… that’s what most people do, not just anxiety sufferers. Our ability to think is what makes the human race so special, but when you’re always over-thinking things, it turns into a bad habit!
In such occasions, make sure focus on nothing except what’s around you: the here and now. That’s the only place and time where you can really make a difference!
