A Few Handy Tips Can Really Help With Anxiety Relief

Anxiety is something that all people deal with at one point or another. It’s a normal part of life. However, like many normal parts of life, having to deal with it chronically is the sign of a disorder and makes life incredibly difficult. People with chronic anxiety may feel fear, apprehension and panic on a near daily basis during simple everyday tasks and situations. People with anxiety may find their heart racing, their skin sweating and suddenly find themselves hyperventilating. Essentially, anxiety and the panic attacks that can arise from anxiety disorders are dreaful experiences. Thankfully, there are some tips to help manage anxiety. Most won’t eliminate it, but they can be useful in trying to reduce the severity of anxiety issues as well as the frequency of them. 

1 - Exercise Your Body

It’s been repeatedly shown that exercise has a really beneficial effect on people who are feeling stressed and anxious. If you’re already someone who is working out constantly and are feeling anxious all the time, a different tip could be more useful. For those who are not, some simple aerobic workouts twice per week can have a big difference! It’s important to not over-exert yourself if you’re just starting to exercise. Ease into it to keep injury a minimal risk. In addition, try to choose exercises that you enjoy. This will keep you motivated to keep going! 

2 - Cut Your Caffeine

A lot of people who suffer from chronic anxiety also drink coffee and tea like many people. However, if you’re a chronic coffee drinker, this may in fact be hurting you. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which can increase anxiety or give people “the jitters”. This is typically the opposite anyone with anxiety is aiming for. It’s especially important to avoid caffeine later in the day when it can affect sleep. Adding sleep deprivation to an anxiety disorder is just asking for the worst possible outcome. 

3 - Chart Your Triggers

In some cases anxiety can come from nothing, but usually there is some sort of life trigger related to times of anxiety. It’s important to track and look for patterns in why a person is suddenly feeling anxious. An easy way to do this is by using a journal. Whenever an anxiety attack strikes, write down everything going on before it. This can mean location, activity, people  and previous state of mind. After several of these incidents, it’s very likely that patterns will reveal themselves. 

4 - Enjoy Some Green Space

There have been several studies which have shown that spending some time in nature can help people to reduce stress and anxiety. For some people this means weekend trips off to national parks or to go camping with full immersion. For others, it can just mean simple hikes through some nearby trees or along a river. People who live in heavy urban areas should just try getting to their local parks and seeing if some time spent amount nature helps them to feel more at ease. 

5 - Try Self Care

Many people drive themselves to fill every minute of the day with something productive in some fashion. After a long day of work, they spend their evenings doing chores until it’s time to sleep. People who practice self care are often able to reduce stress levels and their anxiety. Self care changes depending on each individual. It could mean taking a relaxing bath with candles. Maybe it means curling into a comfortable chair to read a book. For some it’s stretching and doing some light exercise to going for a walk. Still other people try yoga. Adding essential oils to a diffuser and breathing in some refreshing scents are also popular. As is often the case, self care purely depends on the person.