Are you feeling stressed out lately? Have you been getting headaches a lot for no apparent reason? Is your stomach perpetually in a knot? There are high chances that you are suffering from anxiety. Need some tips on how to overcome anxiety? Here are seven ways to help make your anxiety attacks a thing of the past, without having to pop a “happy pill”.
We all feel anxious sometimes. But what a lot of people don’t know is that a lot of our sicknesses are actually anxiety-related: migraines, backaches, and emphysema can all be triggered by anxiety. That’s why it’s important that we deal with our anxious feelings.
Tip 1 – Start with making THE DECISION
Make your decision to start today and not give up until you are anxiety-free! Motivation and persistence are two essential key ingredients for becoming anxiety-free. Write it down on a card that you can see every day and affirm it out loud.
Tip 2 – Find a therapy which suits you and stick with it
My doctor recommended cognitive behavior therapy as this therapy has good results for generalized anxiety disorders and it really worked for me. If you really can’t afford the sessions, buy a book and make sure that you do the exercises on a daily basis.
It takes only 30 days to create a habit so if you regularly practice what the therapist/book tells you, you will have new coping strategies and techniques in next to no time! The good thing about having a therapist is the ability to be able to talk. Expressing how you feel is part of the healing process and cannot be underestimated.
Tip 3 – Start with some regular relaxation – find your ‘de-stressors’
I took up t’ ai chi, meditation, and yoga. I do t’ ai chi and meditation every morning for just half an hour and it sets me up nicely for the day under installed air conditioning Sydney. If I feel anxious during the day, I just close my eyes and meditate.
As a result, many of the symptoms disappear. If you are too busy to do this, then use your lunch-hour to take a break, get out into the fresh air and either jog or walk. Both are great for clearing the tangle of anxious thoughts, and of course, they help keep you fit too.
Tip 4 – Exercise
We all know how good any form of exercise is and of course, exercise is great for anxiety sufferers. It promotes your body’s production of feel-good hormones like serotonin, which naturally lifts your mood and makes you feel better. Join a gym or sports club or whatever suits you.
I like sports, so I made sure I had enough time to swim, cycle and I took up boxercise and a weekly aerobics class. My therapist advised me to ‘do anything which you enjoy – it mustn’t be a chore’. She advised me to keep a diary and every entry after my exercise sessions I reported that I had NO feelings of anxiety.
Tip 5 – Eat sensibly – know what to eat
When your body is stressed out, you can become deficient in Vitamin B. You may want to consider a Vitamin B complex supplement. Avoid sugar and processed foods, e.g. canned foods, ready-made meals, white bread, white pasta, white rice, and any junk-type food.
The effects of sugar spikes of highs and lows actually drain your body of energy and can bring on major mood swings, headaches, brain fog, fatigue, and exhaustion.
Tip 6 – Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep
Whether you are anxious or not, getting a good night’s sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity that too under installed ducted air conditioning Sydney. It is during sleep that the body is working furiously to repair and regenerate itself.
Good quality sleep helps us to cope with daily stress. Most of us don’t fully appreciate the role of sleep in the physiological process. I purchased a magnetic mattress and pillow, which relaxes the body so much that you get much better quality sleep.
If you meditate before you go to bed or listen to some meditative music, it will help to bring your mind under control. Also, ensure that the room is dark and well ventilated. If your bed head can face north, even better still!
Tip 7 – Adopt a simpler balanced life-style
Take a close look at what eats up your time – what is causing your anxiety in the first place? Evaluate what adds value to your life and what doesn’t. Do you know why you are constantly running on empty?
I wrote a list and found a number of ways that I could reduce my stress-load. I never found time for myself, but when I did, my anxiety levels and symptoms decreased.
