Here are ten strategies relieve anxiety that I use in my everyday life. These are not cures, but it helps. There is no simple cure to relieve anxiety, but using numerous strategies is helpful during tough times.
1. Healthy Diet
Are you anxious? Did you eat today? I don’t like vegetables and I hate salad. Yet diet is the foundation to relieving anxiety. Food is fuel and if you’re putting subpar fuel in the engine, you are going to get poor results. Did you know calories are actually a unit of energy? So when you go on a diet and restrict calories you might be causing more harm than good. Same goes with anxiety. If you are so anxious that you’re skipping meals, you’re creating a self-perpetuating cycle. Good nutritiously dense food will fuel your body and propel you forward with the next steps to relieving anxiety.
2. Exercise the Anxiety Away
Good food is one step to relieving anxiety. The next is exercise, and that primes the pump toward feeling better. Now that you have more energy you can start exercising. Exercising has a wealth of benefits. It gets the blood flowing. You take in more oxygen and when you exercise you release chemicals that help you feel good. When you work out your body releases feel good chemicals known as endorphins. These chemicals also create dopamine. Believe it or not, all those masochists in the gym are there for a reason. Working out makes you feel good! All these chemicals created from exercise also relieves anxiety.
3. Meditation
I used to roll my eyes when someone told me they like to meditate to relieve anxiety. I admit I had a bad attitude about it. And when George walks up to me and tells me how much better he feels after meditating, all I could think of was him sitting on top of a mountain Indian style. Bad attitude aside, when I actually tried mediation I found it surprisingly helpful.
It’s not about sitting on a rock contemplating the universe. Instead you need to simply empty your mind. Try to not think of anything. When an intruding thought comes in, push it away. This isn’t going to help you reach nirvana; I don’t think. It will however, help calm the mind and if anxiety is anything it’s a mind in overdrive.
4. Limit Stimulants to Relieve Anxiety
Coffee is a beautiful thing. Some even wonder if capitalism was built on coffee. But, the fact of the matter is coffee gets things done. Yet, all good things have their downsides. For those that struggle with anxiety, stimulants are not your friend. Maybe down the road it’s helpful, but in the middle of a war with your mind, stimulants are going to hinder the fight.
Anxiety can feel like your brain’s on fire, leaving you worrying about every single tiny detail. Did I leave the stove on? Can I wear sandals today, what if it rains? What if the entire world blows up today? Now add some caffeine into the mix and it’s a recipe for disaster. Limit stimulants until you can manage your anxiety better.
5. Find a Routine to Relieve Anxiety
Anxiety can throw any form of time management out the window. Or it can turn it into overdrive. Over-analyzing ever detail to our schedule. What I find helpful is a routine. Block out time in the morning to start the day well. Everyone’s mornings are different, but if you can accomplish even small thins right at the start, the day will be less stressful. Don’t know how to start? Make your bed. Easy. Now get some good healthy food and take it one step at a time. And keep repeating the process every morning. The mundane schedule can have a calming effect that carries forward throughout the day.
6. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT or Cognitive Behavior Therapy is practiced by mental health workers. CBT trains you to change wrong ways of thinking or negative thoughts. When you’re struggling, CBT trains you to challenge the old way of thinking and use effective thinking strategies. It might’ve worked with a certain Norse god.
I’ll break it down. Anxiety is your mind saying crazy things. What if I say the wrong thing? I might have a panic attack. What if can’t do it? CBT trains you to confront those thoughts and feelings. Maybe no one will bat an eye when you say the wrong thing, because most people aren’t hanging on every word you say. What if you don’t have a panic? You can do it. And if you can’t it’s okay. There’s always tomorrow.
7. Take a Walk
Besides exercising which is also important, walking is a great way to spend a half hour. Instead of scrolling through Instagram for thirty minutes, take a walk. I love walking in the woods or the beach. Walking builds strength, and also releases endorphins, but it’s also nice to get outside. Walking outside also clears the mind and helps unpack our hurried life. When I’m walking I like to simply focus on the sounds around me. The wind in the trees or the waves breaking on the beach and the sounds of nature help soothe an anxious mind.
9. Limit Screen Time
We love our phones and tablets and binging the next greatest show. For an anxious mind already in overdrive however, this is just adding to the chaos. The world moves at a terrific speed and the mind can only take so much. Take a break from social media, put the tablet down and utilize some of the strategies listed above. Also, exercise, eat a nutritious meal and take a walk outside. Find routines that don’t involve staring at a phone. This leads to my final strategy.
10. Mindfulness
I listed nine steps to relieve anxiety and now the last tip is mindfulness. It’s the concept of putting your mental energy into what you’re doing at the moment. That sounds simple, but hard to master. When I exercise I like to listen to music, but I often find myself focused on the music too much.
When taking a walk outside, I focus on the song playing and not on the beauty around me. I take myself out of the moment when I should focus on the here and now. That is mindfulness. Be fully present and aware in the moment. Don’t focus on music, or the future, or the project due next week. Just be here. Now.
Resources to Relieve Anxiety
For more information and resources, check out https://nami.org/Home.
Another great resource is https://www.nimh.nih.gov/
