The Anxious Person’s Toolkit
We need to talk. How many of you just got anxious? Well, now that you know the theory behind stress and anxiety and you know the effect it has on your body, there’s one more thing we need to talk about – what can you do to manage it?
I don’t want to ramble on about the theory on how you can improve and manage your stress and anxiety levels, rather I want to teach you how to practically deal with it. I am, by nature, an anxious person; I am not afraid to admit it and I don’t think you should be either. Stress and anxiety aren’t going anywhere, let’s face it, you’re going to have stressful days and that’s a fact – but it is also a fact that YOU can control the effect that these anxious moments and stressful days, have on you. I want to help you build a little toolkit on how to best handle your stress.
Okay let’s get straight to it, the 4 B’s:
Breathe – I know what you’re thinking, because I used to think it too! But here’s the thing, practising deep belly or diaphragmatic breathing is extremely beneficial for reducing anxiety and stress as well as for clearing the mind. Practicing 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing multiple times a day is so important for stress management (Ma et al., 2017) – the best thing about it, you can do it while sitting in the car.
Bend – You guessed it, yoga! Ever wondered why yogi’s always seem so peaceful. It’s not because they are superhuman and don’t feel stress. It is because the practice of yoga places huge emphasis on breathing and the power of breath. Practising yoga and meditation allows your body time to subconsciously process your thoughts and for a moment you don’t need to focus on your stressors, you only need to focus on your breath and the flow of the movements (Graves, 2017).
Break A Sweat – Would this even be a health blog if we didn’t tell you to exercise? Only joking! But seriously, we all know the physical benefits of exercise, but the power that moving your body has on your mind is something I sometimes can’t comprehend (Aylett, Small & Bower, 2018). I love to either run or walk and if I need to release a little more tension I love a boxing session. The most important thing here is to focusing on moving and being outside, a little bit of fresh air is so important when putting things into perspective! Essentially: get a good sweat going and those endorphins flowing!
Be Kind – Not only to others (although this is very important – side note: always be cognisant of your actions. People won’t always remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel), but to yourself too! It is so important that you don’t let these emotions get you down or inhibit your way of living. Try to practice kindness towards yourself – acknowledge the thoughts, put it in perspective and deal with the stressor. I love to journal and make to-do lists, writing helps me see what I need to do, I plan out the day ahead and how I am go to tackle the stressor. Then I love to follow up with an Epsom salt bath and put on a facemask, we acknowledge that self-care isn’t always glamorous – but do what your body needs in that moment. Never be afraid to reach out for help.
We know it’s not easy, but it’ll make all the difference. Please DM us or pop a comment below if you want us to post about any of these specific techniques. Let us know which tip you are adopting. Please don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter so that you can see the blogs as soon as they are up and please share with your loved ones, so we can all be a little less stressed. We hope you have a happy and healthy day xxx
References
- Aylett, E., Small, N., & Bower, P. (2018). Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice – a systematic
review and meta-analysis. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 559. doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5
- Graves, G. (2017). Learn How Yoga Relieves Anxiety Holistically. Retrieved from
https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/how-yoga-calms-anxiety-holistically
- Ma, X., Yue, Z., Gong, Z., Zhang, H., Duan, N., & Shi, Y. et al. (2017). The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on
Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Frontiers In Psychology, 8, 874. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874
DISCLAIMER: This blog post in no way aims to provide medical or psychological advice. It merely aims to provide some understanding of the stress and anxiety responses which occur in the body. The term “anxiety” in this article refers to the psychological and emotional response of feeling anxious, it is not to provide advice or to describe an anxiety disorder. This is based on the writer’s opinion and research.
We know it’s not easy, but it’ll make all the difference. Please DM us or pop a comment below if you want us to post about any of these specific techniques. Let us know which tip you are adopting. Please don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter so that you can see the blogs as soon as they are up and please share with your loved ones, so we can all be a little less stressed. We hope you have a happy and healthy day xxx
References
- Aylett, E., Small, N., & Bower, P. (2018). Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice – a systematic
review and meta-analysis. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1), 559. doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5
- Graves, G. (2017). Learn How Yoga Relieves Anxiety Holistically. Retrieved from
https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/how-yoga-calms-anxiety-holistically
- Ma, X., Yue, Z., Gong, Z., Zhang, H., Duan, N., & Shi, Y. et al. (2017). The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on
Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Frontiers In Psychology, 8, 874. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874
DISCLAIMER: This blog post in no way aims to provide medical or psychological advice. It merely aims to provide some understanding of the stress and anxiety responses which occur in the body. The term “anxiety” in this article refers to the psychological and emotional response of feeling anxious, it is not to provide advice or to describe an anxiety disorder. This is based on the writer’s opinion and research.