Anxiety can be debilitating in many ways. It affects all aspects of your life: family, friendships, work, and pleasure. Continue reading for our five top tips, which could help you to improve your anxiety levels.
- Balanced diet
Everyone knows that a balanced diet is vital for your physical health. However, it is also intrinsic to ensuring you’re in tip top shape mentally too. Eating a balanced diet will leave you feeling much perkier and also better about yourself. Endeavour to limit the amount of alcohol and caffeine you consume. They can lead to worsened anxiety and even panic attacks as well as affecting your sleep.
- Increased activity levels
As with a balanced diet, increased activity levels will not only help your physical health and keep you trim, but will also have a positive impact on your mental health. Exercise leads to the release of endorphins, which act as a natural mood booster. All exercise is positive. Whether you choose to walk around the block twice or go to a Zumba fitness class, you’ll certainly reap the benefits.
- Improved sleep routine
Lack of sleep can be torturous. Literally. It’s a well-known form of torture and it’s easy to see why. We simply can’t think straight when we are shattered, so aiming for a decent sleep routine will have a positive effect on your mood. If you’re struggling to get comfortable, consider purchasing a memory foam mattress. We should aim to change our mattresses every 8 to 10 years, so perhaps you are ready for a new one. Should you be happy with that side of things, try establishing a pattern and sticking to it every day of the week. Heading up to bed at and setting your alarm for the same time each day are really important. It is important that your bedroom is a calming space, free from distractions. Furthermore, avoid using your mobile phone or doing work just before bed as it prevents you from switching off fully.
- Grounding techniques
If you are prone to anxiety attacks (panic attacks), try to have some grounding techniques prepared in advance. They work by focusing you on something else other than your own anxiety and the physical symptoms you may now be experiencing. A really simple one to remember is ‘Rainbow Grounding’. Look around you and find something which is red, then orange and so on. If once you have reached the end of the rainbow, your anxiety is still heightened, repeat until you feel calmer. Just knowing that you have these tricks up your sleeve can really help stave off your darker moments.
- Find a smile or laugh
Have a go-to bank of photos, video clips or memes, which make you laugh without fail. Photos of your favourite people and films of silly comedy routines are perfect choices. Whenever your anxiety takes hold, look at one of them and force your body into thinking you’re feeling better than you actually are. Scientists believe that laughter can reduce anxiety and depression.
