5 Tips to Help Reduce Anxiety

W e all know what anxiety feels like because we have all felt it at various points in life. It’s literally our body’s natural coping mechanism when we are called to jump into action--but constant anxiety can be debilitating and take its toll on your life. So here are five tried and tested; research backed tips to help with anxiety.

1. Do breathing meditation with apps

Believe me when I say this but I have only ever been grateful for being able to breathe when standing in the spotlight; my throat as dry as the Sahara and my trilingual tongue stuttering at the thought of uttering even single syllable words.

I know I’m not alone though because breathing meditation existed thousands of years before the dawn of the Roman Empire. I thought it was pretentious to sit in a room and practice breathing; like really feel your body inhale and exhale, thank it for doing this basic chore of keeping itself alive.

But research says anxious people tend to breathe superficially which keeps their blood under-oxygenated. Perhaps that’s why dizziness is reported by anxious people. There are many apps available now both, free and paid, that guide sessions of meditation centered breathing to help relieve anxiety. 

2. Drink Tea To Calm Your Nerves

Fighting anxiety is all about making your body surrender to the peace in the present moment. A cup of tea does just that; the aroma makes you want to stay with your day a little longer. 

Warm beverages besides tea also cause the brain to release happy chemicals that are released when people feel safe. You can always hope that a warm cup of tea becomes a recurring self-care ritual that helps you relax your nerves, realign with your goals and restart your day.

Sometimes knowing that a ceramic handle of a teacup is all you have a grip on is enough. 

3. Have A System That Helps You Prepare

When I was in high-school, I was always anxious and one contributing factor that I can trace back now is that I started the day with hundreds of decisions I had to make.

I was picking my outfit for the day in the morning, deciding and making my breakfast(then leaving it uneaten so I wouldn’t miss the bus), reading texts, packing my lunch for the day and so much more. I was overloading my brain with tasks on a short deadline; most of which could have been done in advance.

If you find you’re anxious a lot, try to plan ahead in time. Decide your outfits for the week in advance; then keep an emergency outfit for unexpected weather. Meal prep for the week ahead. Keep your mornings empty by making overnight breakfasts. Let yourself breathe when you start the day, you’ll thank yourself in the morning for it. Trust me.

4. Read About The Stoics 

Not everyone likes to read but if you worry about the future, if you’re always feeling like you’re out of your body and looking down at yourself with disapproval for every action, if your hands are clammy just wondering how I know exactly what you’re always feeling-- you need to read about the stoics.

Stoicism is a school of philosophy that’s based on dealing with adversity in life and maintaining a content and informed view of the world at all times. The disciples, called “stoics,” regard anxiety as a “silent destroyer of life”. No wonder that so much of stoicism is centered on acquainting yourself with the worst outcome in every situation.

If you really take stock of life in this manner; you’ll realize that very few things can actually destroy you. You’ll always be ready and have a plan B, plan C, or well-- at least, you’ll have faith that you’d have learned something new from the experience.

5. Seek Professional Help 

I’m guessing you’re reading this article because you don’t want to seek out a professional therapist to help resolve your anxiety. I would tell you to do points 1 to 4 a couple of times before resorting to this last but most important piece of advice but I would urge you to do it.

Sometimes, it can be impossible to understand your own behavior patterns or identify triggering situations by yourself. Learning to give your fears a name and understanding your own psyche through the help of a therapist can help us make years’ worth of progress in a short time.

Once you release your inhibitions and effectively reduce anxiety, it’s as if you have unlocked a whole new dimension of life that didn’t exist previously. We hope that these tips on how to help reduce anxiety give you access to another world!

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