Do you ever notice how your entire body reacts when you are feeling anxious?
Suddenly your heart starts beating faster, your palms become sweaty, and your breathing becomes shallow.
Anxiety is the most common mental health issue today. Some of you may have experienced forms of anxiety throughout the course of your life, while others may have recently found these uncomfortable symptoms popping up more frequently.
Life isn’t always smooth sailing and when you go through unexpected challenges and sudden changes in your life it can really do a number on your ability to stay calm. Over time, these challenges become embedded in your subconscious mind where anything that resembles a similar event will signal your body to prepare for fight or flight.
The past few years have really transformed how many people live their lives currently. Some are still afraid to go outside, some are lost in the fear of the unknown, some are now worrying how they will pay their bills, some are feeling completely stuck, and some are living in a state of panic spinning their bodies into a tornado of chaos. Your mind soon becomes lost in these repetitive thoughts of catastrophic beliefs and before you know it you’re spiraling out of control with full blown anxiety.
Once your body becomes consumed with anxiety it increases cortisol in the blood causing you to have difficulty making decisions clearly, trouble concentrating, and even create issues with remembering things. In other words, the systems that govern your cognition and emotions becomes interrupted as if misfiring and losing connection.
Often fear is the culprit and the underlying cause of anxiety. While it is necessary to experience fear to keep you safe, it can become a detrimental issue when there is nothing to fear, just a false belief.
So, what steps can you take to help yourself from becoming lost in these anxious feelings?
- Create a daily exercise routine – exercise is a powerful stress reducer
- Avoid caffeinated drinks and nicotine – these both raise your heartrate and can make you feel more anxious
- Do Meditation and Yoga
- Learn Deep Breathing Techniques
- Know what Pressure Points on your body you can press to bring calmness
- Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) – a great tapping tool that works quickly
- Bring yourself to the present moment by naming 3 things you see around you
- Inhale slowly holding for the count of 4 beats, then exhale slowly for the count of 7 beats, repeat until you feel yourself calm down
- Make sleep a priority
- Eat healthy foods
- Understand your triggers
- Write in a journal
- Talk to a trusted friend or loved one
It is important to have a plan in place for when anxiety shows up. Take your power back by acknowledging what is making you feel the anxiety, create a mantra of positive self-talk you can repeat in your mind that will remind you that you are safe, and name 5 things you are grateful for.
