5 Ways to Instantly Ease Anxiety
Those not suffering from an anxiety disorder typically cannot distinguish their few-time individual experiences from the overwhelming excitement others, such as myself, wake up to face every single day.
Anxiety is real…not everyone has it...and it sucks!
Managing daily anxiety is a full-time job, and one we often don't give ourselves enough credit for.
Here are 5 tips that provide instant relief for anxious minds:
1. Meditate
Take a few minutes to get out of your head and into your body. Oftentimes we don't realize the stress effects anxiety has on our bodies.
Meditating puts the body back into perspective, and cancels the white noise of worrisome thoughts clouding the mind. The after benefits of meditating are present immediately in mental clarity and mindful action. I learned my meditation practice here.
2. Go for a Walk
Get up, get out, put your headphones in, and get moving! You can have a set destination in mind, but don't overthink it. Steer clear of a set path and just walk.
Address the thoughts that come into your mind with each step, and in the end you should discover you've found solutions to a plague of problems without panicking. Don't forget to take in the fresh air of your surroundings, and you may also find a small something that speaks to you along the way.
3. Attack On Sight
Stop avoiding whatever's making you anxious and just do it without second thought! If it will continue to haunt the back of your mind, then getting it done sooner will allow you to feel better faster!
Don't get wrapped up in the order or previously set path for working this through! Even if tackling this task wouldn't be a priority to someone else, it's likely because it doesn't bother them! Attacking the problem area without thought will keep you from feeling overwhelmed with another item on your to-do list.
4. Enjoy Self-Care
And I do mean enjoy it! Those who suffer from anxiety tend to find self-care a chore vs. a basic necessity - which it is!
Exercise, eating right, and leading an overall healthy lifestyle are things we are all told from an early age to implement at any age...forever! Fatigue and stress do great damage to our bodies and avoiding these issues now will only cause more anxiety, stress, and costs for fixing in the future! Find ways to make self-care fun and more luxurious because you deserve to always look and feel good!
5. Stay Grounded with a Scent that Speaks to You
When feeling out-of-mind, out-of-body, or both during an anxious episode, reach for something that grounds you to stay sane. For me, I reach for my perfume bottle; strong with just one spritz, I've definitely been known to overspray! It wasn't easy to find a perfume I could claim as my signature, but finding such scent makes me a little more special, even if I'm the only one sniffing it.
Your "stay grounded scent" doesn't have to be perfume; it's simply inhaling a smell that takes you back to a time or moment you didn't feel so overwhelmed. Like they say in that commercial, scent is the strongest thing tied to memory, so this is a quick fix for snapping back to reality.
To my fellow anxious friends, I just want to let you know that I feel for you, am here for you, and I hope these tips prove helpful!
“People really mistake what anxiety is…it’s a physical feeling...you just worry about anything; it could literally be anything from the smallest things to the biggest things.” Natasha, First Dates, Season 4