Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your to-do list or have difficulty slowing down your thoughts? If you answered “yes”, you may struggle with anxiety. Many people all over the world experience anxiety in their daily lives. It’s normal to feel anxiety when experiencing life changes and other obstacles. Sometimes, anxiety can begin to affect all areas of a person’s life. Thankfully, practical, expert-recommended strategies can be used to manage stress. Everyone is different, so one strategy may work better than others. Trying different coping skills can be a great way to learn what works best for you.
The first step in managing your anxiety is trying to recognize triggers. Some examples are stressful situations, relationships, or environments. Your triggers will likely be different from other people’s triggers. Identifying your triggers can be done through reflection or keeping an anxiety journal. Anxiety journals (and journals in general) are a great way to record your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding different situations.
What are Strategies for Managing Anxiety?
There are several self-help strategies for managing anxiety. These can be helpful when someone is experiencing levels of anxiety that can be managed. If you find that your anxiety levels are too high for self-help strategies, you may consider seeking professional help.
Breathing and Relaxation Techniques
Learning how to control your breath is a great tool for mental and physical relaxation. There are many different techniques for deep breathing, which allows you to find the one that works best for you. One of the most common techniques is Diaphragmatic Breathing.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
- Step one: Lie down with your knees in a bent position
- Step two: Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach
- Step three: Breathe through your nose and try to send your breath to your stomach
- To check if you’re doing it correctly, make sure the hand on your chest remains still while the one on your stomach moves with each breath
- Step four: Allow your stomach to return to the original position as you slowly exhale your breath out of your mouth
- It can be helpful to try these exercises for 10 minutes each day. If you are able, you try them multiple times per day
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a technique that involves tensing up specific muscle groups (while taking in a breath) for about 10 seconds. After this, you relax your muscles as you exhale. It’s good to give your muscles about 20 seconds before repeating the exercise. This is a great way to promote mental and physical relaxation.
Guided Imagery
Guided Imagery can be practiced to provide relaxation. When partaking in guided imagery, you will close your eyes and imagine a peaceful place. By imagining you are in this place, you can imagine what it would be like to see, hear, or feel the sensations of that environment. Usually, guided imagery is recorded, or someone is reading the prompts to you. However, if you can’t do either of those options, you can record yourself reading a guided imagery script to play back.
Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness is the practice of being in the present moment without any judgment. This can be challenging for people with anxiety or busy minds. However, mindfulness is proven to help ease the symptoms of people struggling with anxiety and depression. Mindfulness can be practiced through both meditation and day-to-day routines.
Meditation is the practice of focusing your body and mind to reach a state of calmness, peace, or relaxation. There are many different meditation practices, but all of them train your mind to be non-judgmental of your thoughts. These techniques teach the importance of being aware of the present moment and observing it.
When you are first starting a meditation practice, you can begin with simple exercises and work your way up. For example, breathing exercises (like the ones mentioned above) are a form of meditation. Another type of meditation is Mantra Meditation, which incorporates quotes of affirmations. The person partaking in the meditation then focuses on that quote throughout the meditation.
Meditation practices are usually done in a specific place, but mindfulness can be practiced anywhere! A helpful way to add this into your day is to incorporate it with activities you already do. For example, you can practice mindfulness while walking or listening to music. Mindful eating is also a practice that you can adopt into your meal times. This practice involves eating food slowly and appreciating all of the aspects of the food. Mindful eating can be helpful for people who have trouble eating too much or too little.
What are Lifestyle Habits for Reducing Anxiety?
Lifestyle habits are often contributing factors to a person’s anxiety. Small actions or patterns that might seem insignificant could be affecting your anxiety levels more than you realize. The main lifestyle changes we would recommend have to do with physical activity, nutrition and hydration, and sleep hygiene.
Regular Physical Activity
Exercise is proven to be beneficial for people struggling with mental health because it releases endorphins, boosts mood, and reduces anxiety. It’s recommended to partake in some sort of aerobic exercise if possible. However, if you are looking for something a little more gentle, walking and yoga are great options, too.
Nutrition and Hydration
Nourishing your body with nutritious food and adequate hydration is important to our physical and mental health. Staying hydrated is key to maintaining a healthy mind and body, so it’s important to drink enough water each day. Some nutrition groups that have been linked to improved mental health are proteins, whole grains, antioxidant fruits, and omega-3s.
Sleep Hygiene
Getting enough quality sleep is incredibly important to our mental health. Poor sleep hygiene is linked to a variety of mental health struggles. Some ways to improve sleep quality include setting a sleep routine, trying to avoid napping throughout the day, exercising regularly, and limiting caffeine in the afternoon/evening.
Time Management and Organization
Staying on top of your responsibilities and tasks is a great way to reduce anxiety. If you are finding that you are not staying organized or optimizing your time, there are some tips that you can utilize.
Prioritizing Tasks
When planning out tasks for the day, you can prioritize tasks that might be larger or more complicated. Creating to-do lists, whether on paper or your phone, allows you to track progress and feel accomplished as you check things off. Checking items off a list is satisfying and will likely lead to more motivation. In addition to to-do lists, planners are a great tool for this as well. Planners can be helpful if you have trouble remembering due dates or other day-dependent tasks. Planners come in so many designs and formats, so there is something for everyone.
Setting Realistic Goals
Setting realistic, measurable goals can help you to avoid getting overwhelmed or disappointed. When goals are clear, you know exactly what you are working for and measure your progress accurately.
Avoiding Overcommitment
If you struggle with pleasing people, you may also struggle with overcommitment. Overcommitment can lead to stress and heightened anxiety. It’s imperative to know when to say no to others. It can be hard, but becomes easier with practice.
Building a Support Network
Having a support network is essential to maintaining your mental health. Support networks provide meaningful social connections and allow you to share your feelings.
Connecting with Loved Ones
Staying connected with your loved ones can be helpful during your mental health journey. This is a great way to share feelings and experiences that you might be going through. Some of your loved ones might even relate to whatever you are going through and offer unique and valuable insights.
Joining Support Groups
Support groups are helpful to relate to other peers who are going through the same struggles as you are. This communal support provides not only advice but also a sense of belonging and shared understanding.
When Should I Seek Professional Help?
If you have been trying self-help measures on your own but still experience ongoing symptoms, it might be time to consider therapy.
Utilizing Technology and Apps
Technology can get a bad reputation because some negative effects can stem from it. However, some forms of technology can help manage your mental health.
Anxiety Management Apps
There are many mental health management apps available for free or purchase. Two of the most popular apps are Calm and Headspace. Both have tools for sleep, music, guided meditation, and practices for mindfulness.
Online Resources
When looking for online resources for your mental health, it’s important to use reputable websites and forums. This ensures you are getting accurate and safe information.
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): NAMI is an organization that spreads awareness for mental illnesses, provides resources, and facilitates online support groups.
- Verywell Mind: Verywell Mind is a platform where mental health professionals can share information on their field. This can be a helpful site to educate yourself on different concerns related to mental health.
- Happify: Happify is a website that has exercises and games that promote relaxation and calm. These activities help users reduce negative thoughts and anxiety.
When is Self-Help Not Enough?
Self-help strategies are great ways to improve your mental health and usually don’t cost much. However, there can be times when symptoms are too overwhelming and professional help is needed.
Recognizing Persistent Symptoms
One way to know if professional intervention is needed is if you recognize persistent symptoms over some time. You can ask loved ones to help if you are looking for an outside opinion.
How Our Practice Can Help
Our practice offers comprehensive care for many different mental health struggles. We are here for you and want to help you on your mental health journey!
Our Services and Programs
Individual Therapy
We offer individual therapy, which includes personalized one-on-one sessions with a therapist. Individual therapy is an incredible tool for managing anxiety and working through other mental health struggles.
Group Workshops
We also offer group workshops as a part of our practices. These workshops teach skills (related to a specific subject) in a supportive group setting.
Educational Resources
In addition to individual therapy and group workshops, we also offer educational resources on our website. These include blogs, newsletters, and webinars.
We hope that you were able to learn some practical strategies to manage your anxiety. It’s normal if certain strategies work better for you than others. This is part of the process of finding out what is the most beneficial for your anxiety. Bookmark this page so that you can easily refer back if you need it.
We know that it can be scary and vulnerable to seek help for your anxiety or other mental health struggles. But we want you to remember that recovery is possible! Living your life without (or with less) symptoms of anxiety is possible. You deserve to put the time and effort into proactive steps toward your well-being. We welcome you to reach out to us directly if you are interested in using any of our services. We are passionate about helping people use these strategies to improve their lives, and we are here for you whenever you are ready.
If you would like to reach out to us, you can do so here:
Email us: chad@calmingtransformations.com
Call us: (813) 437-9098
Our website: https://calmingtransformations.com/
FAQ
- Can these strategies replace professional therapy?
- While helpful, they are most effective when combined with professional guidance.
- How do I stay motivated to practice these techniques?
- Set reminders, start small, and celebrate progress.
- Do you offer workshops on anxiety management?
- Yes, check our events page for upcoming sessions.
Online Therapy in Florida, Idaho, South Carolina, and Utah
At Calming Transformations Counseling, our therapists understand that it can be difficult to cope with anxiety, stress, depression, or relationship issues. We can help through online therapy in Florida, Idaho, South Carolina, or Utah or walk and talk therapy in Hillsborough County, Florida. Book an appointment or contact us today to schedule a session and take the first step toward a healthier, happier life. Remember, your mental health is important—take the time to care for yourself.
