It’s normal to experience some panic occasionally, but excessive worry disrupts your health and happiness. Life happens. Everyone has bad days, but that doesn’t mean you should always expect the worst. Anxiety can trick you into making mountains out of molehills — often for imagined scenarios that never even occur. This article features tips on how to put anxious thoughts and feelings on “do not disturb.”
Your anxiety relief journey may stem from a desire for more emotional balance — enough to keep fear, stress, and distractions from rocking your peace of mind. There are plenty of coping mechanisms to help you manage it healthily. It starts with doing the inner spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional work to confront it properly. Adopt these simple lifestyle changes to control anxiety and make space for more joy in your life, career, and relationships.
Spiritual wellness
A little soul care goes a long way when you’re looking to find your center. Tap into your spiritual side and make these practices a part of your daily routine.
- Get spiritual. Some research suggests that staying on a spiritual high can lower anxiety. Consider subscribing to some spiritual podcasts or plugging into a local church, synagogue, or chosen place of worship.
- Meditate. Mindfulness practices like meditation have favorable effects on anxiety. They can help put your mind at ease when it’s filled with fears and unsettling thoughts.
- Say positive affirmations. Positive self-talk can brighten your outlook on life by changing the course of your thoughts. It’s also a confidence booster. Strive to be your own biggest fan!
- Self-reflect often. It’s hard to healthily navigate anxiety when you can’t confront it head-on. You can make the journey less difficult by acknowledging that it affects you, getting to the root of your anxiety triggers, and making peace with past traumas.
- Journal. Get anxious thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Your journal entries don’t have to be pages long (unless you want them to be). Journaling as little as a few sentences a day can help clear a troubled mind.
Mental wellness
Being in a great space mentally motivates you to show up as your best self each day. Get your mind in a satisfied state to confront fear and conquer anxiety with ease.
- Seek help. Whether you prefer speaking your truth to a trusted friend, family member, or licensed mental health therapist, having someone to talk to about your anxiety can provide new ideas on how to cope with it from an outside perspective.
- Take deep breaths. Deep breathing stimulates feelings of relaxation, especially when you’re having a panic attack or are under intense stress.
- Listen to mood music. Nothing shifts the vibe better than mood music. Soothing or uplifting tunes can move your emotions in a positive direction. Now’s the perfect time to add more songs to your playlist that make you feel happy and blissful.
- Try essential oils. There’s something about aromatherapy that puts you in a better mood. Scientific evidence shows that lavender oils are a great bearer of anxiety relief.
- Use CBD. Can CBD calm anxiety? Promising research suggests that it can. Get some CBD oil (or gummies) and experience all the mental health benefits that come with it.
Physical wellness
Physical health is just as impactful on anxiety as mental, spiritual, and emotional health. Here’s how you can positively influence your body’s response to stress and anxiety.
- Reevaluate your diet. What’s on your plate? A nutritious diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole foods can curb anxiety and unwanted cravings. Go easy on what’s bad for your anxiety, like junk food, caffeine, and alcohol.
- Drink tea. A pot of tea a day can help keep anxiety at bay. Herbal teas (lavender, especially) are loaded with mental health benefits. While enjoying the warmth that it offers, tea can positively change your temperature and mood.
- Move your body. Put all that nervous energy to good use. Whether practicing yoga, taking a HIIT class, or walking it out, exercise can help lift the weight of anxiety.
- Enjoy nature. The great outdoors is the ultimate place of peace. Even if it’s just a few minutes in your backyard, time outside is time well spent when anxiety relief is your goal.
- Get plenty of rest. Feel exhausted? Restlessness is an anxiety symptom. Get peaceful sleep every day to escape the nightmare that’s anxiety when you wake up.
Emotional wellness
Learning to master your emotions can change your life for the better. Check out these simple habits and activities that support your emotional health.
- Know when to pause. When you gotta recharge, you gotta recharge. Breaks are necessary for regaining energy and resetting the mood after periods of overwhelm.
- Unplug from social media. Goodbye FOMO, hello JOMO. It’s no secret that social media feeds anxiety. You’re constantly tempted to compare your life to others’ highlight reels, and the pressure to get likes causes social media to bring more stress than satisfaction. You’ve got to start living in the moment and enjoying what’s in front of you, and taking social media breaks from time to time can help you do that.
- Find a good distraction. Find a meaningful hobby or activity to direct your attention to. Volunteering, for instance, forces you to think more of others and less of yourself. It can feel good to give back because it preoccupies your mind with positive causes. If you want to focus less on what could go wrong, do things that feel right.
- Get creative. Creative outlets are a healthy escape from anxiety. Whether you enjoy writing, music, or painting, there are plenty of ways to express yourself artistically.
- Show yourself some love. Self-love is the best love there is. Practice daily self-care and give yourself grace when times get rough. You’re only human.
- Laugh it off. Laughter is good for the soul and your mood. A good belly laugh trumps that gut-wrenching feeling you get with anxiety.
Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing
Anxiety comes and goes. Whether you choose to seek professional help or take matters into your own hands, these anxiety-coping mechanisms are tried-and-true. Refer back to these ideas to battle anxiousness with everything in you — you deserve it.
