How to Combat Anxiety and Stress: My Top Tips
5:00:00 AM
I've dealt with anxiety and stress for my whole life. It's something that runs in my family and has truly left me drained day after day when I'm not consciously working against it. Once I committed myself to wellness though, I've noticed that I can work through much more than I was able to previously. Stress leads to physical ailments like obesity, stress on your heart, unhappiness, premature ageing, and more. Stress is definitely a necessity- we need it for our drive and our fight or flight response; there's a fine line between beneficial stress and detrimental stress, however. More often than not, people in today's fast-paced society will be overstressed, not under stressed.
Anxiety is a whole other animal. Stress and anxiety are definitely closely correlated, but I know that anxiety can be much harder to ward off. Often-times, growing up, things as small as a phone call would cause me to panic inside. I'll be honest- that still happens sometimes, but I've made the conscious decision to not let it hold me back from where I want to be and what I want to do.
If you want to lessen your stress and anxiety, getting active is really a huge way to to this. As humans, we thrive off of activity- it helps our overall physical and mental state and helps with coming back to being centered. Even through small increments of going for a walk throughout the day, you can see your mood lift and your perspective start to take the relative unimportance of whatever is stressing you. There's a whole world of possibilities- one presentation or shortcoming won't hold you back from them.
Manifest your ideal outcome. Instead of visualising what could go wrong in your particular scenarios, visualise what could go right. See exactly what you want to happen, and how. Living your ideal life start in your head. Your actions align with your thoughts and your actions determine your reality, so really consider what goes on in your head.
Set aside at least 15 minutes of 'me' time in your day. Whether you spend this in meditation or doing something you love, it gives you space to relax and let go of whatever has piled up in your other waking hours.
Pare down. I'm a huge advocate of minimalism and feel that it can revolutionise your whole life. When you have less to worry about, your stress will plummet. Clutter will cloud your living space and your mind, so let it go. There will be someone who can utilise your unwanted things and appreciate it far more. Only take part in activities that are in line with your goals or interests. Only buy things you need. Only let positive thoughts control you; train your brain to ignore whatever negativity pops up in your head.
Do for others. Through volunteer work and helping out our friends/family, the stress to "have more" or "do better" or "meet this goal" is completely forgotten. We help ourself when we help others, and it cultivates connection with others.
Remind yourself of what you can do and what you cannot. When a situation is out of your hands, it's simply silly to continue to stress or be anxious about it. Instead, focus on telling yourself you can handle whatever does occur. You are resilient when you tell yourself you are. You can handle anything that comes your way- all you have to do is accept it.
Eat nourishing, healthy food. Unhealthy eating practices can wreck both your physical and mental well-being, contributing to heightened stress and debilitating anxiety. Take small steps every day to work up to a largely plant-based diet. Plant foods have the greatest nutritional density while filling you up and making you feel your best. When your nutritionally satisfied, your mind is more prepared to be clear and calm throughout the day.
1 comments
Thank you for these helpful tips! I suffer from anxiety and it gets hard at times. We need to fight it and know that we are stronger :)
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