5 Steps To Relax Anxiety and Calm Stress
Recognize Sneaky Anxiety
Anxiety can creep up on us and start interfering with our life’s work before we even realize it. By recognizing symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety, we can cut them off and reduce their harm, allowing us to maintain focus on what we want and need for our lives.
Overtly stressful situations aren’t the only ones that can start us on a cycle of negative thinking. An odd thought popping into our head can lead to a rabbit hole of connected distractions and suddenly, we’re thinking the worst of everything, for no reason at all.
Our brain wants to solve problems and, we like drama, so turning simple problems into existential crises comes naturally to us.
Step 1: Recognition And Detachment
Fortunately, like many bad habits, we can change these thought patterns with consistent, positive action. The first step is early recognition and quick detachment.
Whether you’re cut off in traffic or just trying to get out of a crowded shop, a minor incident can cause a cyclone of irritation to spring up and infect the rest of your day. No one can avoid an immediate reaction if someone is rude to them, but recognizing, owning, and then consciously letting that reaction go will stop it from influencing your attitude.
Use an affirming phrase like, “My life is too valuable to be distracted with random chance. This does not matter and I am happy it’s over!”
Step 2: Pausing And Breathing
However vigilant we may be, it’s possible to end up wrapped in a bad attitude and seeing trouble everywhere. Anxiety and depression feed off any negativity and if you’ve found yourself stuck and frightened, it stops mattering how you got there - you just need to get out! So, take a minute and breathe.
Think of a good place you’ve visited and know well. Breathe in and visualize a specific part of that place you especially like and remember how you felt when you were there. When other thoughts come in, return to that place, no matter how often you have to.
Give this a couple of minutes to settle in, continuing to breathe fully. Tell yourself the good stuff overwhelms the bad stuff and you deserve to enjoy it.
Step 3: Appreciate, Reaffirm Your Life
However old you are, you’ve survived until now. Life is difficult, demanding and unpredictable, but you’ve made it this far and you have to appreciate it.
We are constantly bombarded with negative, whiny messages that we’re missing out, not getting it and failing somehow. On some level we know it’s nonsense designed to sell us things we don’t want, but it can be effective at hurting our outlook and self-image.
So, spend some time every day defining your self image. Think about who you are, what you’ve accomplished that day and what you want to accomplish going forward.
It’s so easy to get thrown into a negative loop that obscures what we truly want from life; check yourself every day to restore your vision and focus on your purpose. Write down and reference these goals!
Step 4: Meditate On Your Goals
These steps are numbered, but not necessarily in order! Meditating every day, focusing on your goals and health, is an essential practice to make the first two steps get easier and more natural over time.
Each time you meditate, go over your mindset and look for any negative thoughts and self-doubt. The more you understand your fears, the better you can manage them any time they show up during your day.
Having a journal to track your progress and reference your goals is the most practical and effective means toward progress. As you get better at controlling stress and anxiety during any given day, the clearer and greater your goals can become!
Step 5: Gratitude
You are a unique part of a universe that is beyond our abilities to measure, understand or control. The preciousness of life is up to us to decide, just as it’s up to us how to live it. You have certainly got plans for yours, or you wouldn’t be reading this.
So, be grateful for what you have! Nobody has anything more than the current moment and nobody knows exactly what will happen in any given day. Our only real control is over our own minds, so take advantage of that and make your mind become your friend.
Focus on the good, find more good to enjoy and never deny yourself love, truth or happiness. Please, never dwell on past grievances and, learn from your mistakes to turn bad experiences into good memories.
Anxiety, stress and fear can not control your life if you control your mind!
Mark Schneider
After a full, but empty career of writing, editing, producing and directing, Mark has settled into a life of sharing and learning, hoping to make many experiences into a teachable wisdom.
What do you want to believe? The power to choose is both wonderful and terrifying - this is a space for clarity and self-discovery. Thanks for visiting!
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