Anxiety — it’s the great equalizer. No matter how talented one is, how confident, how knowledgeable, anxiety can hit anyone at any time. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, anxiety disorders affect 40 million Americans ages 18 and older. They also report that anxiety disorders are highly treatable yet only 36.9% of those who suffer with it get treatment. In addition, those who suffer from the disorder are five times more likely to go to the doctor compared with individuals who do not have anxiety.
Suffering, however, is an option, not a given. Depending on the severity of your anxiety there are a number of ways to calm it from prescribed medications to natural remedies. But for the purpose of this post, I’m going to focus on how exercise and meditation techniques can be used to calm your anxiety during stressful situations.
Exercise
Anxiety can get the adrenaline pumping. Rigorous exercise depletes some of the extraneous energy caused by nervousness. Spend 45 minutes to at least an hour doing a home fitness routine. This routine should be cardio-based. This means you’ll be doing a combination of exercises like burpees, jumping rope, jumping jacks, jogging in place, and running the stairs (in a stairway if you live in a complex).
The reason working out will help calm your anxiety is because according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “exercise and other physical activity produce endorphins — chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers — and also improve the ability to sleep, which in turn reduces stress.” In addition, scientists have also found that working out decreases tension, stabilizes your overall mood, improves your sleep and self-esteem.
It is recommended that you work out with a friend but with social distancing being our new normal it’s impossible. As an alternative, you can link up with your friends on Google Hangouts or Zoom. This has a two-fold effect as it will allow you to motivate one another as well as avoiding isolation. Preventing the latter is crucial as isolation will cause your mind to wander to scary places thus increasing your anxiety.
Check out some of my at-home fitness workouts. Use these videos as a guide to creating your own fitness routine. *Remember to consult with your physician before you begin a new workout routine.
Breathe
Deep breathing is a proven method for reducing anxiety because it sends a message to the brain to calm down. Those who suffer from anxiety tend to take shorter breaths and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood—almost causing hyperventilation. This shorter, quicker breathing is usually the first sign of a panic attack. If you feel this coming on John Hopkins recommends this breathing exercise:
Lie on your back and shift to an abdominal breath.
Place your hands on your abdomen and breathe deeply through your nose or mouth.
Hold that breath and then slowly exhale it through your mouth.
Take 2-3 normal breaths following that deep breath.
Take another deep breath.
Continue this exercise for 5-10 minutes.
Meditate
Meditation is a practice where an individual focuses the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity. This is done to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. This is also known as practicing mindfulness. You may have an idea that meditation is only for yogis or a mystical enlightened person but that’s not true. Meditation is for everyone.
So how does one meditate?
Find a nice quiet place to sit. It can be the floor, a chair or on the bed but the point is to be comfortable.
Set a timeframe of 5 to 10 minutes for beginners longer those who are more advanced.
Once in a comfortable position take note of your body.
Close your eyes and feel your breath.
Notice when your mind wanders and bring it back to your breath.
Don’t judge yourself for allowing your mind to wander, it’s natural.
End the session by closing with kindness to yourself.
Read more on meditation for beginners on Mindful. If meditating alone really isn’t for you Youtube has great guided mediation videos. Here’s a 10-minute one from Goodful to get you started.
In addition, here is a list of meditation apps that offer a variety of ways to help you meditate that are worth checking out:
Calm (I use this one and I love it!)
Headspace
Stop, Think and Breathe
Inscape
Relax
Look towards activities that will help you relax this can include but not be limited to yoga, meditation, reading, coloring books, or listening to upbeat music. This technique is all about keeping your mind occupied with healthy activities. Meaning, your concentration will be focused on the present moment thus preventing you from having catastrophic thoughts about what’s happening around you. Another thing you can do is turn off the news. Yes, you want to stay informed about what’s happening around you but consuming too much negative news will increase your anxiety. Instead, watch an uplifting movie or listen to a podcast.
Extra Tip: If you’re really looking to relax then you should cut back on your caffeine intake. Does this mean that you can’t drink it? No. It simply means that you should limit how much of it you consume. Why? Caffeine will make you jittery and as a result, it can trigger your internal fight or flight which will be enhanced by what is happening in the world around you i.e. global pandemic (Coronavirus), mass tragedies, and/or natural disasters.
Do you have any fitness tips that have helped calm your anxiety? Share with me in the comments below.
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I love your blog and definitely your mask pattern! thankyou again for posting it on youtube too????
you are awesome person????
always, donnadoo