Anxiety reduction strategies

Anxiety reduction strategies:

Anxiety, whether it be generalised anxiety disorder, panic attacks, OCD, phobias, or any other anxiety issue, can be hell. Let's not beat around the bush - it robs you of so much, it can limit your life and start to control the way you think and the way you live.
I personally know the hell of anxiety having battled anxiety disorders, agoraphobia and OCD. Now able to live a happy, healthy life I really want to share a few things that I learned. I have personally found that anxiety is best tackled from three angles; 1) ensuring your lifestyle is conducive to good health (eating well, sleeping routinely, and exercising), 2) learning some day to day stress reducing techniques so your anxiety does not get to 'fever pitch', and lastly, 3) having some fail safe anxiety reducing strategies for crisis time.
Here I give you some examples of excellent strategies to help you manage your anxiety over the longer term. In my earlier article I suggest specific 'crisis' time strategies, because at different levels of anxiety we have different physical and mental needs and capabilities.

Some ideas for you to try implementing into your day-to -day routine during low to medium levels of anxiety:

• Get fresh air - It is amazing how much even a stroll around the garden can help lift the mood and relax us. It is inbuilt in our very being to react to nature - just as anxiety is inbuilt to protect us from nature's dangers, so too is the ability to respond calmly to the tranquillity and beauty of nature. Sunlight, wind, the smell of outdoor air, even plants have all been linked to stress reduction.

• Deep and controlled breathing - It is good if you can learn to control your breathing on a regular basis so it feels natural at times of high stress. Breathing in for the count of 4, holding for 4, and out for 4, is a really easy and quick to learn way of regulating your breathing. Next time you are in the bath or lying on the bed try it. You may feel slightly dizzy when you first learn to control your breathing but this is natural (and why I suggest being led, or at least sat).

• Eat a piece of fruit, a hand full of walnuts or another healthy, nutritional snack to balance blood sugar. It is amazing how your diet can be linked to your mental health.

• Kick boxing, martial arts or other aggressive sport - getting out stress, building fitness levels and boosting endorphins means that all round this is a great idea!

• Tense your muscles, clench your fists, screw up your face, then relax them and shake them out, repeat this 10 times at periods of rest throughout the day, this can help you un-tense muscles and get the blood flowing freely.

• Shout and scream into a pillow or towel - letting off steam on a regular basis is a great idea

• Keep a diary - this will help you know that a) you have come through similar before, b) help you get out and order thoughts and feelings, and c) allow you to view your personal journey more subjectively.

• Have a bath or shower - OK, I am sure you do this any way, but make an occasion of it, feel the water on your skin, enjoy the smells, indulge and feel your body relax. Making something 'every day' into a treat can help you enjoy and destress.

I would love to share more about my journey from being housebound with agoraphobia, to becoming a successful entrepreneur. If you would like to find out more about me and my story, please visit www.mentalhealthy.co.uk