9 Little Habits That Neutralize Anxiety | Health

By Ryan Rivera*

1) Exercise:

If you feel anxious or depressed, exercise may seem like the last thing you want to do. But once you motivate yourself to do it, exercise can make a big difference to your mood.

Research on anxiety, depression shows that exercise:

1. Releases feel-good brain chemicals such as encephalins, endorphins and other neurotransmitters that can act as natural anti-depressants and natural anti-anxiety agents.
2. Reduces immune system chemicals that can worsen the mood
3. Increasing body temperature, which may have soothing and calming effects

In addition to the above mentioned benefits exercise can make you feel better about your appearance and staying fit promotes confidence.

Exercise can provide you with a much needed break and takes your mind off worries. Exercise can break the cycle of negative thoughts that cause anxiety.

Exercise provides a healthy way to cope with anxiety.  The negative habits such as drinking alcohol or taking up to substance abuse to cope with anxiety only provide a temporary relief from pain but their long term effects can be devastating and it never solves the underlying problem. The situation causing the anxiety may get worse over time.

In contrast, a healthy life style and exercise provide an excellent alternative to coping and eventually overcoming anxiety. It can also make you stronger and give you the mental toughness to handle and survive difficult situations in the future.

Even something as simple as a brisk walk or a few push ups and situps (squats) for at least 15-20 minutes a day can help immensely by clearing up your thoughts and lifting your spirits. Better yet, listen to your favorite music or watch a video program while you work out. Follow up with a warm bath and fresh linen. You will feel like a new person after the routine!

2) Meditation:

Even if you have never tried meditation before, it can be a great exploratory experience into your subconscious thoughts and feelings.

Some of the benefits of meditation include lower stress levels, a strong immune system, lower respiratory rate, calm mood and relaxed sleep at night.

Some people find it difficult to meditate because they think meditation requires extended periods of concentration, but the opposite is true. Meditation is letting go of all your worries and thoughts and allowing the mind to takes its journey while you stay relaxed and guide it subtly.

You can meditate at any time in the day. Start with five minutes and then you can work your way up to 15-20 minutes.

Sit in a comfortable spot where you are least likely to be distracted and begin to breathe in and out slowly through your nose. Become aware of the sensation of your breathing and how it feels as the breath enters and leaves the nostrils

The mind will be occupied with many thoughts at first, this is normal and this signifies that you are becoming aware of your thoughts. You may be tempted to follow these thoughts but resist the temptation and remain focused on the feeling of your breath.
 

You will experience various thoughts, memories, and incidents from your daily life. Eventually you will face your passions, worries, fears, doubts, frustrations and desires arise. Do not resist these thoughts, but remain detached and observe these thoughts, become a watcher. As you become more aware about the pattern of your thoughts you will be able to observe and detect undesirable content in your mind and thoughts that are causing trouble in your life.

As you practice the mediation, the goal is to slowly move from thoughts that bother you to thoughts about what you want in the future.

3) Deep breathing exercises:

One of the greatest fears of man is the fear of drowning, because it is accompanied by the inability to breathe. Whenever we are anxious, our breathing becomes shallow, this inturn sends signals of distress to our brain and our thinking becomes more muddled and anxious.

The next time you feel anxious, recognize it as a cue to breathe deeply, breathe in for 5 counts, hold your breath for 5 counts and exhale for 5 counts. Repeat this breathing pattern 10 times everytime you feel anxious and gradually this will turn into an automatic response to anxiety.

4) To do list:

A key and learnable skill that can help you cope with balancing many different roles as a professional, lover, parent etc is the habit of writing “to-do” lists.

A to-do list is a list of tasks to be completed, such as work assignments, chores and responsibilities. With a to-do list you don’t have to rely heavily on your memory ... this reduces the stress on you and you feel less anxious when you know that everything you need to do is written on paper.

When one of the items on a task list is accomplished, the task is checked or crossed off. Take a moment to write your to-do list on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil.

5) Socializing:

Studies in social psychology have revealed that people who have more social connections and socialize more, tend to have lesser levels of anxiety.

When two people are on the same wavelength and seem to have much to talk about, their levels of anxiety naturally diminish. The key to socialization and developing good relationships is to identify what one's interests and talents are and then communicate to that.. real connection happens when the interests and talents of two people are aligned and they begin to communicate on  shared values.

6) Writing a letter to friend:

 Writing a letter to a friend works on the same principle as above, when we write a letter, we often express our complete feelings as a monologue, this brings about the effect of catharsis and letting go.

7) Cooking:

Cooking can be a great stress and anxiety buster, the spices, aromas and taste of cooking can take the mind off pointless worries and diminish anxiety.

8) Shopping:

Shopping has been known as a great anxiety and stress buster for it combines the element of strolling, experiencing outdoors and getting in touch with the objects of desire. Shopping can provide a quick relief from anxiety and promote a feeling of wellbeing as long as you keep your spending in check.

9) Comparing misery:

When you realize how lucky you are to have the little things that comfort you in your life and compare yourself with less fortunate individuals who suffer more than you, it can provide an instant relief from fear and anxiety and make you feel grateful towards life. This habit can elevate your mood instantly. To understand more about the joy of little comforts in life, read the book “Man’s search for meaning” by Victor Frankl.

*About the Author: Ryan Rivera writes about anxiety symptoms, treatment and other topics related to anxiety at http://www.calmclinic.com.