oIf you’re left anxious from the busyness of life, take heart, you’re not alone. Many of us get caught up in our busy day-to-day lives. It’s understandable.
There’s work, making sure the kids get to practice, getting dinner on the table, and squeezing in a workout when you can.
For some, however, all the busyness creates stress, contributing to anxiety symptoms.
You probably feel overwhelmed by the number of things on your to-do list. As you may have realized, anxiety isn’t healthy.
Thankfully, there are ways to remain mindful, relieve stress and calm your anxiety.
1. Make Time for Yourself
One of the biggest reasons why people experience anxiety is that they’re constantly trying to meet someone else’s needs.
Naturally, you want to ensure your children are taken care of. Or, you love the work you do, so you tend to go the extra mile. It’s important though, to make time for your needs, too to help ease anxiety symptoms.
Having some private time—even if it’s just half an hour—makes a big difference in how you’re able to manage your anxiety. You have time to let yourself think, or to at least breathe. Plus, having some “me time” helps to slow things down, allowing you to reflect.
You may be thinking, “I don’t have any time to spare!” That’s why it’s important to take a serious look at what you do each day. Most likely, there are at least 30 minutes you can devote to personal time.
2. Practice Meditation and Breathing Exercises
You’ve probably heard of the benefits of meditation and breathing exercises. There are many breathing techniques to choose from with science to back up their validity. They help you to be more present and increase your focus.
Rather than daily life drawing your attention away, these practices concentrate on your breath.
Taking deep breaths also has a physiological effect. Breathing more deeply lets you take in more oxygen to saturate your bloodstream. This helps you to stay calm and present, even during difficult situations.
You don’t have to be a meditation master. Just sit quietly and focus on your breathing. That’s it!
3. Slow Down Your Morning Routine
A great way to stop anxiety symptoms before they start is to revamp your morning routine.
This may be asking a lot, but can you wake up a little bit earlier than you already do (gasp!)?
A quiet morning can be very relaxing. You could do some journaling, or read from an inspirational book.
When you start the day managing stress and experiencing less anxiety, this helps you to get into the right mindset before you set off for your day.
4. Get Moving
Exercise has many well-known physical benefits. Yet, you might not be aware of how exercise contributes to mindfulness and mental health.
When you work out—especially strenuous exercise—you naturally become more present. Causing you to narrow your focus, exercise helps you to exclude other things that are distracting. No wonder when people feel stressed, they work out to blow off some steam!
Also, exercising causes you to breathe harder. Which, is beneficial when you’re trying to manage stress in your everyday life. Instead of panicking, your body knows to breathe deeper, helping you to stay calm.
5. Know When to Step Back
It’s easy to get sucked into the busyness of our daily lives. When you notice things are getting to be too much – feeling those anxiety symptoms or having trouble dealing with stress – take a moment to step back.
This can occur mentally or even physically stepping away from a situation. Take a moment to regain your composure (deep breathing helps!). Then, take a look at the situation from an outsider’s perspective.
What’s really happening here?
Make a plan to address the problem and then when you’re ready, step back in. These little “time outs” will allow you to gain perspective and not get drawn into the drama.
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therapy columbus ohio
If you struggle with anxiety or have trouble being mindful, that’s okay. Anxiety treatment can help you, teaching you mindful skills that will benefit your daily life. You’ll find that it’s possible to cope with anxiety and live a meaningful life amidst all the busyness triggering your anxiety symptoms.
If you decide you’re in need of a high quality counseling practice in the Columbus, OH area, please reach out and contact Blue Boat Counseling today. Our skilled anxiety counselors can help you with stress management and mindfulness techniques to help you work on how to be you again.
