As you start your anxiety treatment and learn ways to cope with your anxiety, you will also determine that your anxiety is deeply affected by the way you live day to day life. There are things in your life that you can't control, but you can certainly do something in your daily life that helps reduce anxiety.
These are habits that you can start practicing right away to help make an impact on your anxiety responses. These habits will not make your anxiety disappear but will help decrease your anxiety.
Practice Deep breathing
Changing your breathing can help you reduce your anxiety. When you are anxious, you breathe in a shallow manner. Deep breathing increases the oxygen levels in the brain and activates the parasympathetic system, which brings a state of calm. They are many ways to practice deep breathing, choose the one that feels the most comfortable for you, and practice it regularly.
Stay active
There is a lot of research behind the benefits of physical exercise to reduce anxiety symptoms. When we exercise, we release endorphins in our brain that have anti-anxiety effects. Even 10 minutes of exercise a day has an impact on reducing anxiety. No need to be a regular at the gym, also a short walk can affect us positively.
Good sleep
Anxiety can prevent you from getting a good night's sleep or sleeping problems that can trigger you to have anxiety. Sleep is essential since it helps all body systems restore after a long day. During sleep, protein production helps repair the damage that resulted from stress. Lack of sleep can affect our emotional processing and also activate excessive worrying. It s very importantly to have a good sleeping routine to help maintain a good sleep.
Eat a healthy diet
Food can not cure your anxiety, but studies say that certain foods release certain chemicals in your brain that have a calming effect (complex carbohydrates is one of them). A well-balanced diet will help get the nutrients that can help you manage your anxiety. There is a growing number of studies that are focusing on the benefits of certain foods to manage mental health symptoms. Some of the nutrients that are associated with anti-anxiety benefits are foods containing zinc, magnesium, fatty fish, Omega-3 acids, Vitamin B, tryptophan. The latest research is also emphasizing probiotics.
No alcohol, no caffeine
Alcohol and caffeine are substances that can trigger your anxiety. Some people may use alcohol to ease their anxiety. Still, you may feel more anxious after the effects of alcohol wear off. Alcohol changes our levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain that can trigger your anxiety. Caffeine can cause insomnia and enhance some of the secondary symptoms of certain medications (antidepressants often used to treat anxiety). Increases stress hormones, and stress can cause anxiety.
Meditate
Anxiety has a way of making you worried about what is yet to come; it places you in the future and usually a fearful future. Meditation can bring you to the present, helps you be in the moment. Meditation has a positive effect on our brains, increasing our serotonin levels, and decreasing our cortisol hormones associated with stress. It also reduces the arousal signal that so often gets triggered with anxiety.
If you can introduce these habits in your everyday life, you will be able to control it better. As with everything in life, I recommend a gentle start to add these into your new life. This way, you can make sure to maintain them over time.
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