10 Quick Anxiety Relief Techniques You Can Try Now
I've written about anxiety in the past, diving deeper into the complexities of the topic. I am by no means an expert on anxiety, and if you have serious anxiety issues, you should, without any doubt, visit a professional therapist.
However, if you, like me, struggle with occasional anxiety stemming from the usual struggles of daily life, here are a few tips I would like to share. These are simple things that everyone can do to protect themselves against anxiety—things that have helped me.
Maintain a Gratitude Journal
Writing things down helps. I use journaling to clear my mind, but it also helps with anxiety. It allows you to map your mood and release negative thoughts in a helpful way.
Challenge Your Thoughts
Ask yourself, "What is the worst thing that could happen?" Analyze whether the situation is as bad as your anxiety suggests and prepare for how you might handle the worst-case scenario.
This essentially reduces why you need to think about what you are anxious about. You have a solution for the worst possible scenario, so you are done now. Move on.
Mindfulness and Acceptance
Sometimes the best action is to just let go. I recently had a bad experience with a builder who did poor work and refused to fix it. I argued with him for some time, but at some point, the best action was to just write it off and move on. Weeks of anxiety and stress are just not worth it. We meet bad people in our lives. If it costs us more (financially and emotionally) to deal with them than the total harm, it’s best to let go and move on.
Stay Physically Active
Regular exercise releases chemicals in your brain like endorphins and serotonin that improve your mood. Even a daily walk can significantly reduce anxiety.
Set Goals
Having a clear vision and sense of direction is crucial. When you know where you are going, when you know how your ideal life should look, there is nothing to worry about.
Even small setbacks are nothing in the big picture.
Focus on One Goal at a Time
When you are experiencing anxiety, your brain is going wild. You worry about things. You can't focus. You are distracted, jumping from task to task.
You need to pick the most important task and stick to only that one. It can come from your goal setting (number 5) or from challenging your thoughts (number 2).
This helps a LOT.
Focus on a Hobby
Engaging in activities you love can easily lead you to the 'flow' state. In this state, you are the happiest, and time flies. In the flow state, there is no room to worry.
No Social Media
The source of anxiety varies, but social media can do a lot of damage. When I lost my job during the recession, reading on social media how other people were struggling to find a job was definitely not helpful, at all!
The second I stopped reading it, I felt much better.
Meditation
Simple breathing exercises can work wonders. My favorite routine is to count every breath out while trying not to think about anything. If you have no thoughts, you can't have anxiety.
Good Sleep
It's difficult to sleep when you have anxiety. I tend to wake up in the middle of the night with my mind working in overdrive.
You tend to wake up soaked in sweat.
To help maintain good sleep, three important things are:
Exercise: Physical tiredness is useful (as mentioned in number 4).
Limit screen time: Mobile phones in the evening can stress your brain. No mobile in bed.
Reduce caffeine and sugar: I don’t think this needs much explanation, but reducing sugar also helps with your overall feeling of healthiness and accomplishing something (possibly even accomplishing your health-related goals), so it increases motivation as well.
There are other ways to defend yourself against anxiety, but, in my opinion, these are the most important (at least they work best for me) and they are all quite easy to achieve.
And easy wins are the best when we feel down.
