When you are dealing with the anxiety disorder regularly keep in mind that medication will not be the only line of treatment available to you. Here are some tips for calming your mind and reducing stress. Try to incorporate these self-care habits into your day-to-day routine.
1. Exercise: You need to move your body as exercise is a significant part of your mental and physical health. This helps in the treatment of anxiety disorder and supplements a sense of well-being. You can opt for 3-5 sessions of exercise which will last for 30 minutes each every week. Ensure that you pick exercises you like so that you will look forward to enjoying them.
2. Get good sleep: Always pay attention to getting proper sleep both in terms of quantity and quality. All doctors recommend good sleep of 8 hours every night. When the anxiety disorder is making it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, develop a routine that will help in getting adequate sleep. Some of these activities will help. Keep to a schedule, ensure that the bed is comfortable, maintain the room temperature on the cooler side, and keep the screens behind before hitting the bad.
3. Avoid alcohol and coffee: Try to avoid coffee and alcohol which is an “upper” and “downer” respectively. These beverages can push anxiety disorder into an overdrive. Try to cut back if you cannot avoid them. Keep in mind that soda and coffee are not the only things that contain caffeine. It can pop up in tea, chocolate, and some medicine as well.
4. Deep breathing: Deep breathing sends a message to the brain that you are alright. It helps in relaxing your mind and body. For achieving maximum results, lie down on a flat surface, place one hand on the belly and the other on the chest. Take in slow breathes. Ensure that it fills the stomach in such a way that you feel it rising slightly. Hold it like that and then let it out slowly.
5. Learn to control your thoughts: Try to be the boss of your mind. Ensure that you turn the negative thoughts into positive ones. Try to envisage yourself facing these fears head-on. The more you try this in the mind the easier it will be in real life. Pick a time to think about your fears. Take 30 minutes away from your schedule to consider what is worrying you and what you can do to rectify the issues. Keep this “worry session” at the same time each day. Do not dwell too much on what-if. Concentrate on what is making you anxious.
6. Subdue the tense muscles: You can ease the tension in the muscles by doing this simple exercise. Select a group of muscles, tighten it for a period of a few seconds and then let it go. Concentrate on a single section at a time and repeat the procedure throughout the body. This is also termed as progressive muscle relaxation many times.
7. Take part in community activities: Spend time for performing good acts for the others. It will help you get distracted from what is happening in your head. Volunteer for the activities in your community. It helps in feeling good when you are giving back and also helps in making connections that can be good support at difficult times.
8. Mental health care centers: At these mental health care centers such as The Advantage Mental Health Center they treat the whole being and take care of both your mental and physical health. There are many mental health care service providers available that provide counseling, therapy, and other services for anxiety disorder.
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