#1 Find natural anxiety aids in food:
Certain foods contain natural calming agents that help reduce anxiety.
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- eggs
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- soybeans
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- cheese
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- atlantic cod
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- milk
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- sesame seeds
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- bananas
- chamomile tea
#2 Exercise:
Exercise can help reduce anxiety and tension by tiring the body, and relaxing muscles. Running, walking, yoga and swimming are especially good for anxiety. Competitive sports take the mind off of stressful material and onto the sport itself, and so very good for reducing anxiety temporarily.
#3 Breathing:
Take a long deep inhale and tighten your fist at the same time. Exhale and release your fist, relaxing your hand. Do this 10 times either continuing with your fist, or some other muscle in your body that you feel is especially tense. Tighten the muscle and inhale at the same time, then release both your breath and the muscle. Do this every morning and every night for a week and notice if your anxiety starts to lessen in general.
#4 Games:
If you have access to video games, chess, any other kind of game, give it a try in tense and stressful moments. Games help to take your mind off of whatever is bothering you, and engaged in something else.
#5 Stay away:
from nicotine and caffeine!! they make anxiety much worse, sometimes causing flutters of the heart and elevated blood pressure! This is a must do for anyone who is chronically anxious.
#6 Conversation:
Expressing how you feel to someone else and listening to their story is very helpful in managing anxiety. Pick up the phone and call someone, or start a conversation with someone you don’t know. This will not only take your mind off your own stress, it will help you form a connection.
#7 Be Assertive:
Swalling your anger can make anxiety worse. Just letting things happen that you don’t agree with and going with it will create a state of helplessness and anger, worsening anxiety symptoms. Asserting yourself, saying “no” and expressing your needs will reduce anxiety.
#8 Focus on the goal:
Often we get anxious in situations where we are there for some purpose or other. Try to focus on why you are there, and what you are doing, rather than on your insecurities, and fears. Keep your eye on the prize, in other words, and focus on that instead of your anxiety.
#9 Books and movies:
These are a distraction method from anxiety. They work to keep you engaged in something else and not focused on your anxiety.
#10 Sit with it:
sometimes anxiety is just there, and is not planning on going away for anything. Sit with the feelings and remind yourself that they are not harmful. Anxiety is just another feeling. Feel the sweat on your palms, the racing of your heart, even counting your heart beats. Notice your breathing, notice your physical sensations. Stay in the feeling, and don’t try so hard to make it end. Remind yourself that it is just a feeling and that eventually it will pass. Sometimes, the only way out is through