HOW TO MANAGE ANXIETY WITHOUT FIGHTING YOURSELF?
Anxiety
is a common occurrence among many. Indeed, life is fast-paced and each person
has so many responsibilities to pay attention to. It’s tough to stay on top of
everything without letting the stress of it all get to you.
It’s
tempting to want to squash anxiety down by ignoring it or fighting your
feelings. But these methods are often counterproductive. Anxiety needs to be
relieved and let out, not further repressed, and compressed. In fact, doing the
latter can worsen anxiety. So how you manage it best? Here are four ways to
release anxiety without fighting yourself.
1.Find
A Creative Method Of Expression
Creativity
is a great way to release anxiety without fighting your emotions and impulses.
In fact, creative methods allow you to be completely uninhibited when you
express yourself. You can put all your intense, complex, and complicated
emotions into this kind of work. So pour your heart into creative ventures!
Here are some ways to do so:
Art
is an incredible way to express yourself. Creative visual arts have a positive
effect on anxiety that art therapy is an effective way to manage it, reducing
stress and teaching stress management. You can use art to let out all your
intense emotions, whether through painting and drawing, or you can even use
other forms of art, like music.
Writing
down how you feel helps you to express those emotions healthily. Journaling is
an excellent way to help reduce stress levels and manage anxiety. You can write
down all that you think and feel and then throw it away to symbolize tossing
out your worries – or you can keep what you write and reflect on it later!
Either way, it’s a healthy and creative method of expression.
A
lot of people think of coloring as a more childish activity, but it is anything
but! It’s a great way to utilize the benefits of art even if you aren’t
particularly artistically inclined, and studies have found that it’s a
fantastic method for stress relief. There’s a reason adult coloring books have
gotten so popular. After all – they work!
2.Focus
on Organization
Being
organized seems like an odd way to release anxiety. However, it can be the most
effective method if your anxiety has to do with schedules, work, and
responsibilities. Watching your life fall into place through organization
dissipates anxiety quickly. Additionally, you can watch yourself become less
stressed out the better you get at organizing. Here are some tips for focusing
on organization to release anxiety:
Make
Time For What You Love
Even
if you have a scheduled list of things to do, it’s probably that you haven’t
scheduled your own leisure time, too. Activities that you love can boost your
positive thinking and offer anxiety-relieving effects, letting you relax and
de-stress. Make sure your organized to-do list includes your hobbies, or even
just some “me time” to rest!
Say
“No” To Too Many Commitments
Commitments
can pop up left and right, and if you have trouble saying “no” to people, they
can quickly pile up to overwhelming levels. It would help if you learned to say
“no” to commitments that will fill your plate up till it overflows. The more
commitments you have, the more exhausted and anxious you’ll get. Determine
where your limits are and stick to them to be more selective about what
responsibilities you accept.
Declutter
Effectively
You
can lose a lot of time in your day having many things piled up around you, as
it takes longer for you to locate things. And, of course, physical clutter
often leads to mental clutter, which can manifest in anxiety. Need tips on
decluttering? Pick one place to start – a specific drawer, a box of things, or
even the closet.
Then,
one by one, categorize the items within into these four categories:
1)
things you use regularly
2)
things to discard
3)
things to sell
4)
things to give away.
Check
Your To-Do Lists
To-do
lists can give you a proper idea of how much you’re trying to do at once.
Seeing it all out on a piece of paper can show you if your goals are realistic.
You can’t squeeze an entire day of tasks into an afternoon, for example. Please
keep track of what you have to do and organize it in a way that is reasonable
for your abilities.
Fight Procrastination
Procrastination
pretty much always leads to stress and anxiety, but stopping the habit isn’t as
simple as it sounds. It’s important to understand where procrastination stems
from – feelings of being overwhelmed, tiredness, or a poorly organized system
of tasks, for example. Examining the source of your procrastination will help
you fight it, and once you tackle procrastination, your anxiety will diminish,
according to research.
3.Do
Some Deep Breathing Exercises
It’s
relatively common knowledge that breathing exercises are used for anxiety
relief. Still, the idea of simply “breathing” to achieve a more positive state
of mind can seem far-fetched and even a little insulting when you’re dealing
with a lot of anxiety.
But
trust us when we say that using breathing exercises well can help to reduce
fight-vs-flight responses, calming your sympathetic nervous system, and
reducing physical symptoms of anxiety like high blood pressure, pulse
acceleration, and quickened breathing. When you use these exercises, you’re
able to trigger the relaxation response in your body through the
parasympathetic nervous system.
There
are many kinds of breathing exercises with their instructions for performing
them, such as paced respiration, diaphragmatic breathing, belly breathing, and
more. But ultimately, all these exercises bring awareness to your breath and
let your body regulate respiration until you feel more at peace. Here are some
steps for a simple breathing exercise with belly breathing!
How
To Do Deep Breathing
Step
1: Start by sitting down in a quiet and comfortable place. Close your eyes and
focus on your breathing, inhaling, and exhaling in a non-controlled, natural
manner. You should try to breathe through your nostrils if you can!
Step
2: Focus on how your breath feels and the sensation that comes with its
entrance and existing through your nostrils. Put a hand on your chest and
another hand on your stomach.
Step
3: Take a deep breath for four counts, still paying attention to the sensation.
Hold the breath in for eight counts. Then exhale throughout eight more counts.
Take note of how the hand on your stomach goes inwards as you breathe in and
goes outwards as you breathe out.
Step
4: Concentrate entirely on your breathing and allow your mind to stop focusing
on anything else at all. Your brain will likely be quite busy at first, and
sometimes the act of performing the exercise can bring your attention to just
how busy it is! Don’t worry about them.
Step
5: Instead of following your busy thoughts, watch them go by. Do not follow any
of them – stay focused on your breathing and grounded in the present.
Step
6: Keep doing steps 3 to 5 for as long as it takes for your mind to begin to
calm down and settle. Once your brain has settled, you can come out feeling
less anxious.
Step
7: Repeat the whole exercise when you need a little de-stressing and try to
implement this practice into your everyday life on a regular and habitual
basis.
4.Connect
With Others
Anxiety
can make you want to withdraw, but that’s the last thing that you should do if
you’re trying to manage that emotion! It would be best if you were around
others to release anxiety by counteracting it with positive social input.
Connecting to others can bring you a surprising amount of peace, and it’s a
method that you shouldn’t discount.
Here
are some tips for connecting with others to release anxiety:
Spend
Time With Others
Social
support can be a significant aid in managing anxiety. The people who care about
you – and even just a group of good people – can help give you a calming sense
of belonging. Plus, it releases oxytocin, which is a feel-good love hormone.
Positive thinking from this kind of social interaction can reduce levels of
anxiety and depression, even among introverts.
Cuddle
or Hug Someone
Physical
interactions with others are even better than simply spending time around them!
The act of hugging, cuddling, or kissing someone brings down blood pressure,
reduces stress and stress hormones, and sends out even more of that love
hormone, oxytocin. Studies show that this can happen to such an extreme extent
that you’ll get sick less often if you interact with people in this physical
manner – so the effects go beyond anxiety-busting.
Ask
For Help
Many
people have a sense of pride that makes it difficult for them to request help
from others. But the people who care about you want to support you and will be
happy to help you when you’re in need. Reaching out to those around you can
help you to release anxiety through the relieving of some burden on your
shoulders. If you don’t have people in your life that you can request help
from, try connecting with support groups and similar organizations.
Engage
In Intimacy
Bedroom
activities are a surprisingly effective way to release anxiety in a positive
way. Satisfying intimacy with someone you trust can help bring down stress
levels, so enjoy yourself with those you love!
Relax
With A Pet
If
you’re not feeling up to direct interaction with people, try connecting with a
pet instead. Spending time with a pet and playing with them releases oxytocin,
too, and pets have an excellent way of providing purpose, activity, and
companionship in anxiety-relieving ways, say studies.
It’s
okay to feel anxious now and then, but ultimately you need to have healthy
coping mechanisms for anxiety to avoid its worst effects. Learning to release
tension in positive ways without fighting yourself is a great way to do that.
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