10 Anti-Anxiety Strategies You Need to Try Now

Feeling anxious? You are not alone. COVID-19 has put everyone on edge. Brain scientists tell us that even those of us who do not have the virus are affected because of how we respond. Our brains go into fight or flight mode, and before you know it, people are doing irrational things, like hoarding toilet paper!

Some anxiety is not unexpected. But, what do you do when your anxious thoughts start affecting the quality of your life? If you are experiencing anxiety symptoms over 6 months, you may have an anxiety disorder. Signs of anxiety disorder include:

• Excessive worrying
• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping
• Feeling agitated
• Panic attacks
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability
• Irrational fears
• Avoiding social situations

Let’s look at some ways to relieve your anxiety:

1. Breath

Anxiety can cause our breathing to become shallow and short. By using easy breathing exercises, we can physiologically slow down our heartbeat and quickly restore a sense of calmness. Try this breathing exercise:

Breath in for 4 seconds

Hold your breath for 7 seconds

Exhale for 8 seconds

Repeat 3 or 4 times (or more)

This breathing pattern will cause your nervous system to switch from a fight or flight state (sympathetic) to a normal (parasympathetic) state.

2. Move

Take a walk – if you can get outside – go! Even a short 20 – 30 minute walk can be beneficial by releasing the feel-good endorphins that can ease your anxiety.

While you are out, pay attention – give your mind things to focus on:

• Listen for 3 different sounds and name them (birds singing, wind blowing, a car driving by).
• Notice how many different things you can see.
• Consciously, think about each thing individually.
• Pay attention to smells. Smells are strongly tied to emotions. Seek smells that give you good feelings (flowers, freshly mown grass, rain).

Even if you don’t have 20 – 30 minutes, just 5 – 10 minutes is better than nothing. Start with one step and then work more time in your schedule as you can. While you are out, you can also soak up some sun which can boost your Vitamin D levels, which can also help with stress and depression, according to a study reported by the Journal of Affective Disorders.

3. Try these feel-good foods

Food should help us, not hurt us. Avoiding highly processed food and focusing on whole foods is a good step in helping anxiety. Here are a few foods that can help reduce anxiety.

• Bananas –  a good source of magnesium and it also contains GABA which can also be helpful for anxiety.
• Pumpkin seeds – a good source of potassium that can help manage blood pressure and balance electrolytes.
• Dark chocolate – a study by the International Journal of Health Sciences suggests that dark chocolate reduces the perceived levels of stress. Consuming small amounts of at least 70% dark chocolate, you may boost your mood and lessen your stress.
• Turmeric – with the active ingredient curcumin, this herb that is popular in Middle Eastern dishes can help fight inflammation and oxidative stress that are often elevated in people with anxiety.

Seek foods that heal and avoid foods that hurt your progress.

4. Listen to music that makes you happy and inspires you

Music has unique healing abilities. Music that makes you happy and inspires you, can raise your endorphin levels and enhances tissue healing and repair. Light classical, meditation, and worship music are especially helpful. Did you know that babies as young five months old can distinguish between happy tunes and gloomy tunes. Here are links to a few of my favorites:

5. Pray/Meditate

Traditionally,  meditation concentrates on clearing the mind, while prayer involves communication with God and working through thoughts and circumstances. Prayer involves a relationship and studies have shown that prayer reduces feelings of isolation, anxiety and fear. 

Christian meditation, unlike traditional meditation focuses on filling our minds with scripture and the things of God. 

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Pilippians 4:8

6. Laugh 

Laughter really can be the best medicine. Laugher has many benefits including:

• Activates and relieves your stress response
• Soothes tension
• Improves immune system
• Relieves pain
• Improves your mood

But, let’s face it, when you are anxious and stressed, you really don’t feel like laughing, right? Unfortunately, our brains can tell the difference between real laughter and fake laughter. However, there are laughter exercises that can get you started laughing  – even though it may be fake at first – that turns into real laughter.

Others things that may encourage laughter:

• Watch a funny movie
• Read a funny book
• Watch funny youtube videos like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L49VXZwfup8

7. Live in the moment

None of us are guaranteed another day (or even another minute). Live in the now. Many things that cause us anxiety never come to fruition. 

The Bible tells us about the Isrealites in the desert. God provided manna for them each day. Trying to hoard enough for the future caused the manna to go bad. God was teaching us to stay in the moment and depend on Him every day. 

When Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray, he told them to pray, “give us this day, our daily bread”. 

We need to train our minds to not worry about the future or fret about the past, but live today. His grace is sufficient!

8. Write down at least 3 things that you are grateful for every day

When you are anxious, it may seem difficult to find things to be thankful for. When you take the time to write down at least three things you are grateful for each day (only repeating one if necessary), in time, it can create a shift in your mental and physical health. 

Once you start this habit, you will start noticing things to be grateful for and incorporate them more into your life. According to Positive Psychology, “Gratitude is positively correlated to more vitality, energy, and enthusiasm to work harder.”

9. Realize you are not alone 

Millions of people suffer from anxiety and right now, there is much in our world that causes anxiety. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

Even though anxiety is very treatable, less than half seek help for dealing with anxiety. One quick tip: turn off the news and enjoy the people and things around you.

10. Get help 

If anxiety is affecting the quality of your life, talking with a friend who will not judge you can help. There are also psychologists, counselors and coaches who have been trained to help people with anxiety.

Next Steps

These are just a few things that can help you get past an anxiety attack or quiet anxious feelings. As a certified professional empowerment life coach, I visit with people regularly who are experiencing anxiety. We’re in this together! Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you need more help or would like to visit.