Nearly 40 million Americans and others around the globe suffer from an anxiety condition, which can take many different forms, from panic attacks to generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which is characterised as “severe worrying you can’t manage.”
Whether you are experiencing mild or severe anxiety, there are steps you can take right away to relax and soothe yourself. Here are some of the top ones:
1. SEIZE A FIRM POSTURE
Stand up, draw your shoulders back, place your feet equally and widely apart, and open your chest to experience immediate relief from worry. then take a deep breath. Your body will remember that it is in control and not in danger with the help of this posture and deep breathing (not helpless). Pull your shoulders back and open up your chest if you can’t stand up (for example, if you’re in your car). The most crucial thing is to relax your posture and take a few deep breaths.
2. PLAY THE GAME OF 5-5-5
You frequently find yourself in a (dark) mental cycle when you’re anxious. Play this to quickly reduce anxiety and get back in touch with your body: Name 5 objects you see when looking around. Identify five sounds you can hear. Move the five limbs you can feel (i.e. rotate your ankle, wiggle your ears, nod your head up and down). Despite its absurdity, this actually works.
3. BEGIN TO BREATHE SOME LAVENDER OIL
Many different medicinal qualities exist in lavender oil. It encourages serenity and helps long, deep sleep. It even alleviates headaches. Keep a bottle of lavender oil by your desk to aid with anxiety (or in purse if you have one). When you require an increase in serenity, breathe it in or massage it into your temples. You get extra points if you sniff while taking even, deep breaths.
4. WATCH A FUNNY CLIP
Yes, I do. You can quickly feel less worried by watching a blooper reel or a comedy clip of your choice. Why? Physiologically, you can’t laugh and feel anxious at the same moment. After a period of laughter, your body relaxes in a way that eliminates anxiousness. Additionally, laughter draws in oxygen-rich air, which stimulates your heart and lungs and raises endorphin levels.
5. TAKE A LITTLE STROLL
Exercise has long been known to reduce anxiety. A fast walk not only increases your levels of feel-good neurotransmitters but also clears your mind and encourages deeper breathing, which is important because anxiety is closely associated with shallow breathing. Additionally, research indicates that persons who regularly engage in strenuous exercise have a 25% lower risk of developing an anxiety illness.
6. RECOGNIZE YOUR FEAR
It makes little difference if you acquired your anxiety from your family, your way of life, or both. You can learn to manage it if you accept that it is here and don’t 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 work best for you.
7. PLAY THE CALMINGEST MUSIC
Songs are designed with the intention of calming your nervous system. It has been shown to lower anxiety by up to 65%.
8. LABEL THE SCENARIO
When your heart is beating and you are experiencing a panic attack, it is simple to think, “I’m going to die.” Put a new title on this false belief rather than accepting it. Think about it: “Panic attack, that is. I’ve had them before, and while they pass me by, they don’t actually kill me. I don’t need to do anything; this will soon pass.” In reality, panic attacks are the body’s fight-or-flight response coming on, which doesn’t actually kill you; it only keeps you alive.
9. TAKE ACTION
Do something. Remove a few items off your desk. Go to the kitchenette and fetch a glass of water for yourself. It doesn’t matter where you find a flower to sniff outside. Anxiety frequently begins with interrupted cognitive patterns, which are what action does.
In actuality, self-soothing is a profound act of self-love when it comes to reducing anxiety.
