Close your eyes. Breathe in. Let go of any stress.
Anxiety is something most people will experience at some point in their life. Yet we don’t really talk about it or how to manage it in order to calm it down. If your worries or fears become your daily life, they are likely to hinder your ability to relax which will create more anxiety as the mind is unsettled.
Long-lasting anxiety is less easy to identify than a panic attack for instance, but it will have an impact on your mental and physical well-being. From sleep deprivation to worrying constantly and unnecessary tensions, anxiety can take over your life.
While you can’t turn off your anxious thoughts and control when your anxiety flares up there are many things you can do in your daily life to calm down your anxiety and manage it to protect your emotional wellbeing.
We all do it, five more minutes, maybe 10, or 30. In fact, the moment we hit the snooze button our brain is partially awake and no longer resting. The time spent snoozing is either a loss of 30 minutes of sound and restful sleep, or a loss of precious productive time. It is better to set the alarm a little bit later and fully commit to waking up than leaving the mind in this in-between state which is neither fully awake nor resting.
Create a moment to pause
Anxiety is like a snowball falling off the mountain. If you let it roll down it only gets bigger and bigger. The idea is to stop it before it gets too big and while it is still at a manageable size.
Managing anxiety can seem complex but giving yourself the space to pause and your mind the opportunity to address those worries will help you find solutions and restore your mental health.
When you start feeling worried, tense, and nervous about something or if you snap at people and find yourself frustrated, try to take a step back. Here are three ways to help you take control and calm down when your anxiety seems to be taking over.
Take a deep breath
Breathing is by far the easiest and most important exercise you can do when anxiety starts to bubble up. It physically brings more oxygen to the brain which helps it function better but it also fixates the mind on the task itself, keeping it away from wandering off into worrying thoughts.
To control your anxiety, sit in a comfortable place, close your eyes, breathe in slowly through the nose and breathe out just as slowly through the mouth. Repeat this exercise 10 times focusing the mind on the breath. The scent of Essential Oils can be a powerful tool to enhance this practice as their scent will help unlock positive thought and guide you to find inner peace.
Our MĀ Secret: Dilute two drops of Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil in a carrier oil. Rub your hands together. Breathe in the aroma as you complete the breathing exercise. Breathe out and let the anxiety go.
Visualize yourself in a better place
Ever felt like thinking of a warm place in the winter makes you feel a little bit less cold or picturing something positive makes you feel a little happier? Visualising is a great way to divert the mind and redirect it towards a more positive perspective.
If you start feeling very anxious or worried, take a moment to start imagining a place when you would feel calm and relaxed. It can be imaginary or real but try to describe it to yourself in detail, until it brings you peace. Close your eyes and take a moment to enjoy this space that you have created for yourself. And when you’re ready, open your eyes, take a deep breath and notice how calmer you feel.
Break the anxious thought
Anxious thoughts can be very overwhelming and difficult to get past. A bit like a mountain, they seem very high and getting over them can seem challenging.
When dealing with anxious emotions, find a way to break the thought by first addressing it. If it is a genuine concern, it’s good to notice it. Don’t let it get any bigger for now.
Simple things such as listening to some music, singing a song, choosing to focus on something more pleasant for a moment will help you get around the anxiety mountain and see what’s on the other side of it.
Notice how the attention has now shifted and what seemed like an impossible situation has now become a bit more bearable.
Create a daily routine for self-love
Knowing what to do when faced with anxiety is useful and important however there are many other steps to take to avoid those situations altogether and protect your mental well being ahead of those nervous moments.
Keep a diary
Scribbling down your thoughts on a daily basis is an excellent way to spot patterns but also to give the mind a chance to think about how the day has gone. Creating a safe space for your brain, where it can pour out its thoughts, will help the mind untangle issues as it gives it a place to reflect on them.
Keeping a journal can also help address difficult situations more easily as the mind is being given a chance to look back on challenging moments to analyse them, maybe subconsciously, and be more prepared to tackle them in the future.
Our MĀ Secret: Diffuse fifteen drops of MĀ Calm Master Blend. Allow the ground warm aroma comfort the mind and melt away anxiety as you write down your thoughts in a journal.
Exercise regularly
Physical health goes hand in hand with mental health. If one of them is feeling a bit fragile, the other can act as a support to protect your overall well-being.
Moving your body releases hormones, such as endorphins, essential to the brain to find a happy place as well as cortisol which is responsible for managing stress.
While you do not need to be running a full marathon every day, integrating a 20-minute workout a few times a week will allow your mind to find a calmer place and keep anxiety under control.
Find the right support
Feeling anxious can be highly overwhelming and even feel isolating as well, especially as people don’t tend to openly say they are anxious. Yet we are social creatures and do better when we are part of a group.
Creating a strong support system where you can be surrounded by loved ones will provide tremendous benefits and have a genuine impact on how you can calm down anxiety.
Find people you can trust and count on to be there for you when you need it and talk to them when you feel very anxious. They will bring a different perspective to the issue and saying your worries out loud will help your mind process them differently too.
Let the melody guide you
Music has a tremendous effect on the brain and the body. It is commonly said music soothes the mind. When dealing with anxiety, listening to your favorite song has a unique effect on the way you view things and the way you react. When you start feeling those worries bubbling up, take a moment for yourself, put on a song that makes you happy and brings in bright memories and explore other activities which will distract the mind from what causes those anxious thoughts.
Taking your mind off your worries completely will help have a new perspective on things. Music can even help your mind unlock its creativity often hindered by anxiety. It can be painting, drawing or even pottery, allowing the body and the mind to focus on a completely different topic while being guided by the sound of calming melodies is the best way to bring down unpleasant emotions and develop a way to have a calming response in the future.
