How to Calm Anxiety

Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives. Let's talk about how we can deal with it.

Everyone experiences a bout of anxiety at some point in their lives. Scientists theorize that anxiety developed as an evolutionary response that helps keep humans safe and encourages them to assimilate into society. However, many times the anxiety people feel today does not serve them in any practical capacity and instead disrupts their lives significantly.

In fact, more than 40 million people in the United States now struggle with anxiety each year. Fortunately, there are some excellent tips and tricks that can help people calm down and enjoy a more peaceful state of mind. Keep reading for more information on coping strategies for mild to severe anxiety.

Limit Caffeine Intake

Coffee is a must-have drink for millions of people around the world, but it can be a major contributor to feelings of anxiousness. The reason for this is that coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant that increases the adrenaline levels in a person’s body. When adrenaline levels spike, people often report feelings of extreme anxiousness.

People who struggle with anxiety should monitor how they feel after drinking coffee or other liquids that contain caffeine, such as energy drinks. If they notice a link between their anxiety levels and how much caffeine they consume, then cutting back on the caffeine intake will help their overall anxiety levels.

Get More Exercise

Exercise is one of the best and most natural ways to calm anxiety quickly. Exercise makes this happen in two different ways. One way is by reducing the level of stress hormones in the body, such as cortisol.

The second way that exercise helps anxiety is by forcing people to focus on the task of exercising, rather than the thing that is causing them anxiety. Combining exercise with other anxiety treatments provides the best results for limiting the negative effects anxiety has on a person’s body and mind.

Listen to Relaxing Music

Music is an excellent way to calm anxiety and help people enjoy a more relaxed state of mind. Evidence suggests that music activates the brain’s reward system, which increases feelings of satisfaction and pleasure. These feelings counteract the negative effects of anxiety and help people relieve stress.

Try Breathing Exercises

One of the most recommended strategies for reducing anxiety fast is to practice diaphragmatic breathing exercises. These exercises reduce cortisol levels in the body, which results in reduced feelings of anxiousness. While this seems like a fairly basic concept, it is one of the most recommended techniques by doctors and therapists who treat patients with anxiety.

To practice diaphragmatic breathing, perform the following steps:

• Take a slow, deep breath in for four seconds.

• Hold the breath in for another seven seconds.

• Release the breath slowly for eight seconds.

• Repeat the process until the anxiety starts to fade.

Try Mindfulness Techniques

Mindfulness is a sort of meditation technique that works in a few different ways. Mindfulness asks people to accept emotions as they are rather than try to fight them. It helps them identify their emotions and process them in a healthy way.

Mindfulness can be done by taking deep breaths as mentioned above and then focusing on feelings, bodily sensations, and thoughts that a person is experiencing in the present moment. This helps prevent negative spiraling thoughts and allows them to view their experiences more objectively.

Guided Imagery Meditation

Another type of meditation that has been shown to help reduce anxiety levels is guided imagery meditation. This type of meditation asks people to visualize a peaceful place where they feel calm, accepted and loved to promote a relaxed state of mind. Studies have shown that guided imagery meditation combined with music has helped people overcome anxiety and experience a better sense of well-being.

Use Meditation Apps

There are several forms of meditation and mindfulness available for people to explore, but keeping track of them can be challenging. Mindfulness apps like Calm can be used to help people practice these techniques no matter where they are without having to visit a professional psychotherapist to help them. Studies have shown that these apps can help people practice meditation techniques more regularly through notifications and personalized settings, which results in lower levels of generalized anxiety.

Appeal to Your Senses with the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique

Doctors and psychotherapists often recommend using the 5-4-3-2-1 technique for patients with anxiety. This technique involves using a series of exercises that appeal to a person’s senses to help bring them to a more calm state of mind. These exercises are:

5. Look around and name five things that you can see. These can be objects, colors, animals, or anything else. Be sure to write them down.

4. Name four things that can touch. Examples can be the ground under your feet, the fabric of your clothes, or the paint on a nearby wall. Be sure to write these down as well.

3. Listen quietly and name three things that you can hear. These can be sounds outside, in the room you are in, or inside of your body. Write these down as well.

2. Take a deep breath through your nose and identify two things that you can smell. This could be perfume, the air outside, or an air freshener. Write these down on the same list as the items above.

1. Focus on your mouth and identify one taste you can taste. This can be the aftertaste of a beverage or the flavor of chapstick you are wearing. Write this down on the above list.

Explore Anxiety Relief Products

An excellent way to enhance any of the techniques listed above is to add an herbal supplement designed to promote anxiety relief, such as Nirvanic. Nirvanic uses the highest quality ingredients in a proprietary formula that helps people ease their anxiety and help them drink and unwind. Nirvanic comes in several pleasing flavors and is one of the finest anxiety-relief supplements on the market today.

It Takes Time but Anxiety Will Pass

Anxiety disorders are becoming a more common issue for people every day. Using the techniques listed above will help people remain calm and cope with many of the modern worries they may be dealing with. Try adding anxiety-relief beverages like Nirvanic to your anti-anxiety toolbox and you could notice a more relaxed state of mind fast.