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Everybody experiences anxiety occasionally. The occasional feeling of worry is a typical response to not knowing what could happen next, whether it be in a few minutes, days, or months.
Anxiety is a fear of a threat that's in the near future. For instance, anticipating a dreaded conversation may cause your stomach to churn for days beforehand. A test or presentation may make your heart beat. It's normal to want those uneasy, pit-of-the-stomach sensations to go away as soon as possible. However, that tactic might only increase your anxiety.
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Best Ways to Calm Anxiety
The nervous system receives a signal when you worry about getting rid of anxiety, telling you that there's still more to be frightened about.
Remember that you may have a disorder if it lasts for a long time and interferes with your daily life. If so, you could require treatment to get over it. Whether your experience is mild or extreme anxiety, there are steps you can take to calm down and self-soothe.
Here are five best ways to calm your anxiety:
1) Consume Less Caffeine
A hormone called adrenaline is involved in the body's fight-or-flight reaction to fear. As caffeine increases adrenaline levels, people may experience anxiety or jitteriness.
One of the most common sources of caffeine is coffee. Around 2-12 mg of caffeine can be found in decaffeinated coffee.
Among the other well-known sources of caffeine are dark chocolate, especially flavored sweets and morning cereals, as well as several over-the-counter pain medications.
Reducing those should be done gradually to prevent caffeine withdrawal. Physical signs of withdrawal can resemble those of worry.
2) Walk It Off
Anxiety can occasionally be brought on by an accumulation of adrenaline. Even a short walk can help burn off some of the additional adrenaline.
Walking is a great way to burn off extra energy, as you tend to frequently feel anxious when you haven't been active enough during the day. Your well-being can also be enhanced by taking a walk outside in the sunshine.
According to a study, people who went on a walking trip in a woodland region produced fewer stress hormones than those who stayed in the city.
3) 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
This five-step practice can help you stay grounded in the here and now when your mind is racing with worried ideas during times of worry or panic.
Be aware of your breathing before beginning this exercise. You can stay calm or get back to a calmer condition by taking slow, deep, lengthy breaths. Follow these steps to help ground yourself once you've found your breath:
5. Identify five surrounding observations. It might be anything in your immediate environment, like a pen or a point on the ceiling.
4. Identify four objects around you that you can touch. It might be the ground beneath your feet, your hair, or a cushion.
3. State three things you overhear; quietly listen to a ton, and name three things you hear. These can be internal sounds like the sound of your breathing or exterior sounds like the fan in the room.
2. Name two items that you can smell. Perhaps you're smelling a pencil in your office or a pillow in your bedroom. You might detect soap in your shower or the scent of the outdoors if you need to take a little stroll to find a scent.
1. Name one flavor you can detect. What tastes better in your mouth — gum, coffee, or the lunchtime sandwich?
4) Recognize your Fear
While it may seem paradoxical, recognizing your anxiety rather than feeling humiliated or annoyed by it can make you feel less worried.
It makes little difference if you acquire anxiety from your family, way of life, or both. You can learn to manage it if you accept that it's here and not try to resist it. Accepting it is not the same as giving up.
It implies that you stop berating yourself for having anxiety and instead figure out what self-soothing techniques can work best for you.
5) Think about Therapy
If you regularly suffer from anxiety, it could be a good idea to think about counseling. When a person experiences chronic stress from their work or relationships, therapy can be a crucial component of their life.
With the aid of various therapeutic techniques, a good therapist can assist you in exploring your options, setting limits, enhancing communication, practicing emotional control, and encouraging brain plasticity. You're completely free to select the type of psychotherapy you receive. You might want to think about scheduling visits with a few therapists to explore your chemistry and rapport with them.
Takeaway
Mental health concerns cannot be cured, and they frequently seem like an uphill battle.
However, you can manage your symptoms by being aware of what's causing them and seeking medical assistance. The most essential thing is to keep trying, whether some of these techniques immediately work for you or have no effect at all.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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