When anxiety begins to take over your mind and body you may feel helpless, scared and even frustrated by what is happening and where this may lead.
Whether you suffer from anxiety on a regular basis or just at certain times, or in certain situations, there are steps you can take to help you reduce the symptoms of anxiety, which may include:
- Increased heart rate
- Tight chest
- Difficulty breathing
- Sweaty palms
- Unjustified fear
- Obsessive thinking
- Social avoidance
- Panic attacks
- Restlessness
Below I have listed some of the things you can do anytime and anywhere you begin to feel anxious. These tips will help you regain your calm, bring clarity to your current situation and give you more options and control when anxiety begins to appear in the future.
4 Ways To Reduce Anxiety Fast
1. Focus On Your Breathing
The breath is always with you. As we go about our day to day life we rarely think about our breathing because it just happens on autopilot. When you start to feel anxious one of the first symptoms is usually a shortening of breath. By focusing on your breathing and trying to do long, drawn out inhales and exhales your body will send a signal to your mind that it is OK to relax.
By focusing on this deep, diaphragmatic breathing you will also take your focus from whatever was making you anxious in the first place, which will allow you a moment’s clarity to assess the situation from a new more relaxed perspective.
Action Step:
Any time you feel the first signs of anxiety stop and inhale deeply through your nose to the count of 4. You want the breath to go right down into your belly so you actually see and feel your belly, and then your chest inflate.
Gently hold this breath to the count of 4 and then exhale slowly through your nose to the count of 4. If you find it hard to focus, point your attention to the feeling of the air as it passes in and out the tip of your nostrils.
2. Be Aware That Your Are Anxious
In reality anxiety is simply a feeling that is created in your brain. If you are anxious simply try to accept that this is a feeling that is in your body and mind right now and try to be at peace with it.
Yes anxiety can be extremely debilitating but trying to fight it or run from will only makes the symptoms worse.
Anxiety is really just your brain playing trick on you. Making you excessively worried or scared of something that doesn’t exist or isn’t as scary as your brain has tricked you into thinking it is. When you realise anxiety is just brain playing tricks, then accept that fact it can often begin to relieve the feelings of anxiousness immediately.
3. Objectively Question Your Thoughts
We can become anxious for many reasons and everybody is different. Some common triggers include:
- Financial worries
- Social situations
- Public speaking
- Fear of the unknown
- Being alone
- Work duties
As we think about these situations we start to invent scenarios that are often extremely unlikely or unrealistic and often extremely negative. When we step back and look at what is really happening and what the actual consequences could be we start to realise that it’s not as scary as we first thought.
Asking yourself a few simple questions can help bring some clarity and objectivity to the situation and reduce your anxiety.
When you begin to feel anxious ask yourself…
- Am I being realistic?
- What is the worst that could happen?
- If this happens, what would be so bad about that?
- How would that affect my life?
- What could I do about it?
- If something bad happens, what might that mean about me?
- Is what I’m feeling or thinking really true or does it just seem that way?
- What can I do to prepare for whatever may happen?”
4. Focus On The Here And Now
When we are anxious many of the thoughts are based around some future event that might happen. By directing your attention to what is going on in this very second you will stop worrying about some unlikely future outcome and seem that in this moment everything is fine.
Focus on the sounds you can hear, how your feet contact the floor, what colours and sights you can see.
Also trying to be grateful for something in your life right now is a great technique. Even the fact that you are breathing or can see and hear is something most of us can be grateful for at anytime.
These are just some of the techniques you can use anytime you begin to feel anxious. But if these tips don’t help to alleviate your anxiety then it’s probably time to talk to a mental health professional who can give you the personalised help you need.
There is no reason to go on living with anxiety when there are proven treatments, with high success rates available right now. Here at Blissiree Pty Ltd we offer an all natural solution to solving Anxiety and we have a 98%* success rate in treating all of our customers.
If you’re struggling with anxiety, don’t suffer alone, come in and see our friendly team at Blissiree Pty Ltd for your first consultation.