Calm Your Anxiety Now
Everyone deserves to be happy. This is how life’s meant to be lived. But today, we live in a world where people are losing their jobs, or if they have, are being forced to hold two or even three jobs just to make ends meet, where there are more broken relationships than there are people willing to hold them together, or where the seemingly simple realities of day-to-day living cause so much anxiety and stress, it is hard to stay calm and be at peace with yourself and with the world. If you are feeling down or feeling overwhelmed, try these simple these simple things to pick yourself up and start feeling good once more.
Get some sleep
A lot of Americans suffer from sleepless nights. It’s then no surprise this nation’s the world’s leading gulpers of sleeping pills in the world. Instead of taking drugs to help you sleep, try massages or bubble baths, instead. You can even consider acupuncture as it’s known to help cure chronic insomnia and calm the mind and is natural and extremely safe. Or you can simply just hop to bed at 9 PM with a good book in tow. Any one of these helpful tips can help better your outlook in life and enhance your mood. Getting a good night’s sleep is really good for your body. It will allow you to cope with anxiety and stress much, much better.
Laugh
Laughing is still the best medicine and this is just as true when it comes to the amelioration of anxiety and stress. Just looking forward to a funny and happy event can boost the levels of pleasure-inducing hormones such as endorphins and enkephalins that in turn reduce the amount of stress hormones in your body.
Sing along
Research efforts have consistently found that music stimulates areas of the brain that produce happiness — the same areas stimulated by sex or food. Listening or singing to your own kind of music is definitely fun and therapeutic. In one recent study, seniors undergoing outpatient eye surgery who listened to their brand of music experience significantly lower blood pressure, heart rates, and cardiac workload (this means that their heart didn’t have to work as hard) compared to those who had surgery in a silent environment.
Practice mindfulness
Rather than worrying about tomorrow’s work while you’re having dinner with your family, focus on the here and now (the moment, the people you’re with, and the food).
Give time for yourself
Oftentimes, the best way to overcome stress is by having a good relationship with other people. But from time to time you may also need time alone to reflect and reenergize. Give yourself the time to do whatever it is you’ve wanted to do for a long time. This can involve playing a PC or video game, reading, watching a good movie or a video alone, going out to lunch, fishing, or simply spending the afternoon doing nothing.
Visit a quiet place
In today’s fast-paced world, oases of peace and quiet such as places of worship, gardens, museum, and libraries can help you relax and calm your mind down. Search for a location near your home and make it your secret hideaway.
Be thankful for your blessings
Some people experience an increased sense of well-being when they stop briefly each day to reflect on the positives they are blest with in life (their education, freedom, family, partner, health, etc.).
Tend to your inner goodness (spirituality)
You need not religion in order to be spiritual. Religion actually destroys spirituality. For some, following a good and sound moral philosophy can broaden their understanding of life, imbibe a sense of empathy and compassion towards others and most importantly learn to accept life as it is and even find a way to uplift it.
Help others
Volunteering to help people in some way can be uplifting and make you feel good inside, which is actually good for your health. Helping others gives you a chance to reflect on your own problems and socially interact with other people. While people who are happy are more likely to help others, helping others actually boosts one’s own happiness. Research has shown that volunteer work improves all six facets of well-being: physical health, happiness, depression, sense of control over life, self-esteem, and satisfaction in life.
Aromatherapy
Studies show that the benefits of smelling good scents do indeed help alleviate stress. In one study the scent of rosemary by the test subjects led to certain benefits that included a faster ability to solve math computations, heightened alertness, and lower levels of anxiety. Adults who scented lavender manifested a boost in the type of brain waves that implied elevated relaxation. Nowadays, there is a huge variety of room-scenting products available in the market from scented candles and potpourri to essential oil diffusers and plug-in air fresheners.
Walk the dog
The benefits of having a pet are so many. One of those benefits is that pets help calm down the mind and relieve stress. One experiment proves that the health of the heart improves when you have a pet. A total of 240 couples participated in the experiment and half of them had pets. When exposed to stressors, the couples who owned pets experienced significantly lower blood pressure and heart rates compared to the the couples who have no pets. Moreover, the experiment showed that the pets helped lower stress even better than the spouses did.
Don’t multitask
People who do more than one activity at a time are likely to develop high blood pressure. So instead of conversing with someone on the phone while cleaning the kitchen or ironing the clothes, grab a chair and turn your entire attention over to the conversation. In the same manner, while you’re finishing up on a research or a project, turn off your e-mail function so your mind focuses only on the task at hand.
Be organized
Create a list in which to write down your tasks. This will calm your anxiety and help organize your thoughts. Checking something off a list can give you some sense of accomplishment.
Stop watching the news
It’s good to be preoccupied with happy thoughts. Avoiding the newspaper or the TV news will allow you stay clear of stress and worry. Take a sabbatical from the misery and trauma of the world that the media brings into the living room of Americans each night and day. Write a journal, meditate, or do some walking instead.
Garden
Aside from knowing that you’re doing something productive, gardening gives you the opportunity to breathe some fresh air and exercise, which are all great ways to calm anxiety, alleviate stress, and experience a great sense of well-being and accomplishment. Besides, watching seeds turn into bright beautiful flowers is a cool way to make you happy and light.
