by Karen Alexander, Sunshima guest blog writer
Do you find yourself worrying about the future, are you tense, finding it hard to sleep and difficult to relax? Well, you may be feeling anxious and while most of us feel this way sometimes, current world circumstances have many of us worried and uncertain. Anxiety can cause different symptoms both mental (such as overthinking, feelings of panic) and physical (like breathlessness, shaking). It can affect your daily life, making it difficult to focus or even look after yourself. What can you do to cope with anxiety?
Deep Breathing
One of the great things about deep breathing is you can do it anywhere and you can stand, sit or lie on the floor. When we are anxious our breathing becomes faster and shallower. Deep breathing slows you down and makes you focus on the moment. There are many techniques and the basics are get comfortable, breathe deeply without force through your nose into your belly and breathe slowly out through your mouth for about 3 to 5 minutes. And remember practising deep breathing on a regular basis will make the most difference.
Exercise
Any kind of exercise will help you relax, whether it be running, swimming or of course yoga. Yoga with its emphasis on breathing, meditation and listening to your body can help reduce anxiety. Going for a walk, even a short stroll will slow down your heart rate and boost your mood as well as helping you clear your mind. The rush you get from running the “runners high” creates feel good emotions and a general sense of wellbeing. And cold water swimming is said to reduce stress making swimmers calmer and more relaxed, it activates your endorphins similar to when you use an acupressure mat.
Talk to Someone
We are all now more aware of mental health so if you can, talk to a friend or family member. It will help to get some of the thoughts out of your head and of course do not be shy to seek professional help. Talk to your GP, they should be able to offer a range of treatments from talking therapies to medication and/or recommend lifestyle changes. You can also contact the Samaritans if you need to.
Sleep Techniques
Anxiety can make it hard to sleep, your mind just won’t switch off. You try to drift off but your thoughts are busy with what happened that day and what could happen tomorrow. Tips to better sleep are:
- Keep regular sleep hours, go to bed and get up at roughly the same times
- Make your bedroom a calm peaceful place – no devices. This is the place where you sleep not play games on your phone
- Write down your worries – if you keep thinking about what you need to do the next day, make a list before you go to bed
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime as they can stop you falling asleep
- Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique, which makes you focus on controlling your breathing and not the thoughts in your head.
These suggestions are only the start of what you can do to cope with anxiety. Look at what works for you and of course get professional help if that is what you need. We only have one life, don’t let anxiety take over yours.