How to beat anxiety?

A good friend asked me to post about anxiety and I realised how terribly common this condition is these days.

Feeling anxious and nervous about life is a common symptom of modern lifestyles. So many people go through the day dodging various levels of unease by finding sanctuary in distraction.  These days we are on sensory overload with screens, sounds and advertising infiltrating us without the need for trying.  This means that sitting with ourselves and focusing on our needs, is something which rarely happens.  

It is so much easier to put on the latest episode of your favorite programme than to sit on the sofa in silence and focus inside on your pain, your dreams and what you really want to do with your days. This means that so many people are pushing their feelings back down into the abyss of the psyche where they can fester for a while before they reappear to be dealt with or ignored.

If your feelings are constantly being ignored and pushed down out of sight, then sometimes they appear as simply a feeling without any apparent root cause.  This is a feeling of anxiety or panic.  A sudden feeling of not being able to cope or manage your day, or possibly even that minute.

This is much more common than people realise and symptoms of anxiety can be anything from biting your nails to full blown panic attacks.  The key here is to notice your behaviour.  Once you realise you are displaying physical or mental patterns of stress then you are already in a place of power to do something about it.  Once you recognise that you are suffering with stress then you can take steps to dismantle it, starting with the outside layers and moving into the middle to find out what is really going on!

Here are my five top tips to beat anxiety:

1. Exercise.  Getting yourself to the gym or on a long walk is a great way to release the build up of adrenaline which builds up during the day.  Sometimes adrenaline can make you feel panicky.  Take yourself outside and get some fresh air.

2.  Meditation.  This is a great tool for lowering your heart rate and finding a place inside yourself where you can relax and retreat, honing this skill is probably the most useful tool you can ever have.

3.  Chamomile Tea.  This wonderful herb has great carmative properties.  Drink this to get a feeling of total calm and reassurance. 

Read more about how to drink chamomile here: http://therealfoodcoach.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-benefits-of-chamomile-tea.html

4.  Kick Caffeine.  This substance actually mimics the stress response.  Needless to say that if you are already feeling wired and anxious, this is not a good idea.  Switch to herbal teas!  

5.  Count your blessings.  Spend as much time as you can focusing on what is going right in your life.  This is a great way of dispelling negative thoughts which can lead to anxious behaviour.

Everything is going to be fine, it always is in the end.  Finding a way to manage the times when you feel like things are far from fine, is a very useful tool in life and everyone will have a different pathway to get to that place.  

Just keep trying different techniques and remember that life is a magical journey which goes up and down, the lows are always followed by highs, allow yourself to recognise both and embrace the roller coaster instead of fighting it.  When this feels impossible, then try the techniques above to get you through.

Good luck!

Josie Was this useful?  Like My facebook page... :)