Five Easy Actions You Can Make Right Now To Reduce Your Anxiety And Take Back Control Of Your Day.

Anxiety can be totally overwhelming and sometimes it can feel like you will never be able to get it under control.

I believe that there is always another way...

If you are 100% anxious and you can reduce that to 99%, then you can keep going until it’s reduced as far as you can. You might not shift all your anxiety in one go, but you can make steps towards feeling more relaxed and calm. 

Here are 5 actions you can take that will immediately help you to feel better:

1.  Breathe

It’s no secret that the way you breathe has a direct impact on how you feel. When you are anxious or having a panic attack, the breath becomes shallow. 

Place your hand on your tummy and breathe into it. Push your hand out with your breath. make sure your shoulders stay down and relaxed as you do this so you know you are breathing deeply and filling your lungs fully. 

2.  Drink water

The human body is 60% water and the brain is 75% water. When you are dehydrated, stressed, breathing - basically doing anything! - you are using up this water in the various processes the body has to do continually to keep you functioning. Drinking water will support all of these processes and will help you to relax. 

3.  Move your body

Stretching, walking, dancing, jumping - anything you can do to use up the nervous energy will help. Sometimes panic and anxiety can freeze the muscles which can restrict the blood flow to the head, which can add to the anxiety. 

Rolling your shoulders, standing up and stretching, going outside for a breath of fresh air, putting on your favourite tune and singing or dancing along to it - whatever you can do to shift will help. 

4.  Find something that makes you feel good

Look around for something that you like. This could be as simple as a colour or a tree. Focusing on it and what you like about it will take your attention away from the stressor and on to something you can build on. 

If you are panicking, then counting things that you can see can help to shift you too - numbers of window panes, bricks in a wall or clouds. When you start feeling calmer you can find more things that increase this feeling and help you relax.

5.  Thoughts

Your thoughts have a direct impact on your body and your emotions. Notice what you’re thinking and ask yourself if it’s helpful. If it’s not, choose more supportive and relaxing thoughts:

“I feel so anxious!” can become: “I want to feel more relaxed”

“I can’t do this!” can become: “maybe I can get some help with this”

“I’m so scared of what might happen!” could be: “maybe things will work out for me”

It sounds a little too easy but with practice you will learn the thoughts that help you and feel good. This is really effective over time.

The most important thing to remember is that a feeling is not a fact. Just because you feel anxious, it doesn’t mean you are in danger. 

Training yourself, step-by-step to have different responses will help you create new habits and to feel more confident. 

For more techniques, tips and information and support check out the Stress Free Life Academy Membership site. It’s a brilliant online resource packed with help and support for you. 

Take control of your emotions and feel better today!

I would love to hear your experiences about anxiety. What are your triggers? What helps you to reduce them? What makes it worse?

Please send me an email to info@jemimaeames.com and tell me your story.