I know, everything in the world seems like a nightmare lately and we’re all struggling to wake up. Dealing with everything we are facing has definitely taken its toll on our emotional and mental health. This guide only comes as fitting to the times of high stress we are all going through.
1. Practice Breathing
Breathing techniques help you avoid the sudden kick into high-alert response to stressful situations. In these situations, your body’s automatic systems signal your heart to beat faster and breathing rate to increase. By consciously becoming aware of your breathing and regulating its depth and rate, the likelihood of spiraling into a panic or anxiety attack is lowered.
The internet offers some great breathing methods, find your preference and practice it until it becomes your natural reflex to triggering situations. You can practice and perform breathing exercises as often as needed. It can be done standing up, sitting down, or lying down. If you find an exercise difficult or believe it’s making you anxious or panicky, stop for now. Try it again in a day or so, and build up the time gradually.
2. Be aware of your triggers and their effect on your anxiety
On a personal note, acknowledging and identifying my triggers have majorly helped me be aware of an anxiety attack building up & coming through. With the help of my therapist, we identified my triggers, and I learnt to shift my focus from the mental situation to what triggered it. This helps drastically limit down the negative reaction and contain the emotional collapse. Figuring out what that is helps to make how you will react more predictable. Commit to growing through your most common triggers; it is almost impossible to live an extraordinary life if you get fired up all the time over the same things.
3. Give your anxiety a name
Think of your anxiety as something that comes and goes. Naming it gives it an identity, and allows you to recognize you have anxiety and that your anxiety is separate from you. When it starts to take over, imagine it as a thing or a person. Give it a personality and accept that you’ll always have some kind of relationship with it. This technique can allow you to stand up to your anxiety and show it who is boss.
What would be a good name for your anxiety? Be creative! You can choose a name you don’t like, a name you loathe or do the exact opposite and choose something silly to take the anxiety less seriously.
4. Take Breaks
Give yourself the permission to unplug. A full schedule doesn’t mean more value or importance. Remember to keep some personal time on your calendar, and schedule a few 10-minutes breaks throughout the day to breath or stretch. Learn to read the signs that you need a break, and prioritize your mental health.
5. Grab a Pencil
There really is no right or wrong way to journal. Your goal is to put pen to paper, and write with the purpose of moving into a more positive mindset.
Embrace your anxious thoughts, write down what’s making you anxious, and then write down what you are grateful for, use words as your fuel. Make it a habit, write after you wake up, or before you sleep, grab your journal and vent all those negative thoughts into the page. You will immediately feel lighter, happier, and more relaxed.
