Anyone who has suffered from anxiety knows how overwhelming and debilitating it can be. Anxiety affects every part of your life – your relationships, your productivity, both at home and work, and, of course, your confidence and self-esteem.
Struggling with repetitive, unreasonable, and oftentimes, negative thoughts makes it difficult for you to make decisions and makes you overthink and doubt everything.
Sometimes, anxiety can get so intense, that even putting one foot in front of the other feels too difficult and unbearable. What’s even worse is that repressing your anxious thoughts never works and ignoring them is simply impossible.
So, how can you leave this vicious cycle and calm your anxious mind?
Well, we have compiled a list of 50 techniques that can help you ease your anxious mind and relax. However, we’d like to point out that not every tip on this list will be the right one for you, but we hope that at least some of them will work for you.
Here they are:
1. Get enough sleep. One of the main causes of anxiety is sleep deprivation. When your brain and body are sleep deprived, they’re not able to appropriately respond to emotional stimuli. So, in order for you to maintain a healthy mind, ensure you get seven to nine hours of good quality sleep every night.
2. Wake up at least 10 minutes earlier than the time you usually wake up. In this way, you’ll have more time to plan how you’re going to spend the day and complete all your daily responsibilities without hurrying and getting stressed out.
3. Stop over-analyzing everything. Stop worrying about things that are beyond your control. And when you find yourself over-analyzing things, try to distract yourself. Go outside. Observe nature. Call and talk to someone. Do something that makes you feel happy and peaceful.
4. Always bear in mind that not everything you feel is correct or real.
5. Clear your mind from unnecessary, confusing, negative thoughts and focus on the present moment.
6. Declutter your home. It’s not just your mind that needs to get cleared and organized, but your home too. Mess is one of the main triggers of stress and anxiety.
7. Smile more. Do the things you enjoy doing with the people who bring you happiness and joy and fill you with positive energy.
8. Exercise more. Do exercises that make you feel good and relaxed. Doing exercises is an excellent way to kill stress and calm your anxious mind.
9. Avoid foods that contain a lot of sugar.
10. Invest in yourself, broaden your knowledge of the world, and learn new skills.
11. Inspire yourself. Surround yourself with motivational videos, quotes, and positive affirmations.
12. Socialize with other people as much as you can. Make sure you regularly spend time with your family or friends. Whether you’ll stay home or go out, it doesn’t matter – just ensure you hang out with and have fun with them.
13. When you feel that your anxiety is getting more and more intense, go to someone you trust and share your problem with them.
14. Or you can find a support group. Share your problem with people who have the same or similar issues as you do and comfort and help each other.
15. Get yourself a pet – it can be the most caring companion.
16. Always remember that your anxiety is not who you are. Your anxiety doesn’t define you as a person.
17. Never reject friends or family members who offer their help and support.
18. Take a nice, warm, relaxing bath more often.
19. If you are someone who often struggles with anxiety attacks, avoid wearing heavy jewelry and tight clothing.
20. Reduce your consumption of alcohol or avoid it completely.
21. Replace coffee for another alternative that contains less caffeine, like tea, for example.
22. Eat healthy food and maintain a healthy weight.
23. Never postpone annoying tasks until later – finish them first.
24. Add some freshness to your life. Learn a new skill, start practicing a new hobby, gain new experiences.
25. Of course, visit places you’ve never been to before – explore the world.
26. Accept and cherish yourself the way you are – with all your flaws, whims, insecurities, bad habits, fears, and mistakes.
27. Always remember that overthinking everything rarely gives you new and useful insights.
28. Keep a journal of your day-to-day experiences. This can help you identify what triggers your anxiety.
29. Keep a journal in which you’ll keep track of all the things you’re grateful for having in your life.
30. Reduce the time you spend watching TV or using social media. Socialize with other people more and spend more time in nature instead.
31. Avoid looking for a diagnosis for your condition online. Consult a professional therapist or doctor instead.
32. Never feel guilty for suffering from anxiety and never think that everyone around you is mad at you for it.
33. Instead of creating worst case scenarios in your mind, visualize positive things.
34. Make time for reading books regularly. This can help you divert your attention away from your anxious thoughts.
35. Get yourself a massage treatment (self-acupressure, aromatherapy, or massage blocks). Irrespective of the form, massage can greatly reduce your stress and anxiety levels.
36. Practice yoga every day.
37. Consume natural implements to relax both your mind and body. Consume herbs like Valerian, Chamomile, and Kava.
38. Time how long it takes your panic attack to build up, how long it lasts, how long it takes to calm down, and when it stops completely. This will help you better control it next time it happens.
39. Keep your mind busy while enjoying yourself. Whether you will draw, paint, solve puzzles, make jewelry, knit, or sew, it doesn’t matter – just make time for doing something that is creative.
40. Always focus on the task at hand and make sure you ignore all distractions around you.
41. Practice meditation.
42. Create your own personal success motto.
43. Warm yourself up regularly. Spend more time in the sun, take a sauna, and enjoy a hot tub more often.
44. Listen to your favorite type of music or tunes that are relaxing.
45. Be more assertive. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind and stand up for yourself.
46. Treat yourself more often. Go to the beach, go on picnics, watch movies, go to a massage salon – do whatever fills you with positive energy and makes you feel good about yourself.
47. Don’t repress your strong emotions when your anxiety reaches its peak. Cry, shout, or pound your pillow if you feel like it, just let all that stress out.
48. Instead of focusing on your anxious thoughts all the time, make plans for your future and commit to them.
49. Stop allowing your brain to control you and change roles. Trick it into believing in positive things.
50. Have faith in yourself. Never give up. You can control anything you want – you just need to be willing enough to do that.
Riley Cooper is a professional writer who writes informative and creative articles on topics related to various fields of study. Written with love and enthusiasm, her articles inspire readers to broaden their knowledge of the world, think and get ready to act. If you have a general question or comment please fill out the form and we will get back to you as soon as possible https://curiousmindmagazine.com/contact-us/
