Tips to Manage Anxiety and Live a Healthier Lifestyle
All of a sudden your breathing speeds up, your pulse starts racing and your body begins to tremble. If you’ve been experiencing these symptoms, know that it can be anxiety. Although we all can feel anxious sometimes, if you’re experiencing persistent or recurring feelings of anxiety and the quality of your life is affected, you should take the right measures to address the condition.
Anxiety can be pretty scary when it sets in. Depending on its severity it can even be a debilitating condition, making it hard to carry out your normal activities. Fortunately, it is treatable, and you may make a full recovery. Not only is there anxiety therapy to help you cope, but there are also a variety of things you can do on your own to attempt to lessen your symptoms and get back on track. Here are some tips to help relieve anxiety and reduce its impact on your life.
Add the Right Supplements to Your Diet
Vitamins are essential for mental health. The absence of some of them in your diet could result in some mental health issues, including anxiety. Taking the necessary vitamin supplements regularly is one of the best ways to ensure that your body has what it needs to respond to external stressors on a daily basis.
What vitamins work best for anxiety? The following are some of the most effective vitamins for anxiety relief according to experts.
B Vitamins
B vitamins play an important role in mental and emotional well-being. In fact, a study has found that individuals who took B-vitamin supplements saw significant improvements in their anxiety and stress levels compared to those who did not.
Because they are water-soluble (which means your body doesn’t store them), you need to get them through food or supplements. Taking a B complex supplement can help you get enough of all the B vitamins your body needs to function in optimal condition.
If for some reason you don’t want to take a B complex supplement, vitamin B12 can be especially beneficial for managing your mood. Not only can B12 reduce anxiety and depression, but it can also benefit other brain functions, such as your ability to focus and remember information.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is not only a powerful immune booster, but it is also among the most efficient vitamins for anxiety relief. Vitamin C helps maintain balance in your central nervous system, hence improving your mood and reducing anxiety. Considering the fact that chronic anxiety can cause cortisol levels to elevate, vitamin C also helps your body to keep its cortisol levels under control.
Magnesium
Research has found that supplementing with magnesium can help reduce anxiety. Furthermore, magnesium has also been shown to improve symptoms of depression. The reason for this is that our brain and nervous system need magnesium to function properly and regulate neurotransmitters.
When supplementing with magnesium, make sure you take it several hours apart from other supplements. That is because magnesium can reduce the body’s ability to absorb other nutrients.
Learn How to Change Negative Thoughts to Positive Ones
Willpower alone won’t help you eliminate anxiety, but negative toughs can be changed. In fact, learning how to change negative thoughts and behaviours is one of the best things you can do to relieve anxiety. But how can this be done?
The first step in changing negative ideas is to become aware of them and find out what is causing them. Let’s suppose you’re afraid of going to that party because something embarrassing may happen to you and others will make fun of it. You can change that thought to something more positive like going to that party will give you a chance to see people you haven’t spoken to for a while, and if you really feel uncomfortable there, you can always leave.
It could take some time to get the hang of it. Note that the more you try to detect and modify the negative thoughts linked with your worries, the simple it’ll become to control and decrease anxiety.
Try Some Relaxation Techniques
Another important factor of a good anxiety treatment plan is learning how to induce relaxation. Being aware of different practical strategies can help you take instant steps in a stressful situation to relax the body and reduce anxiety. The following are some examples of relaxation techniques that can bring immediate relief at times when anxiety takes over.
Deep Breathing
Deep and calm breaths are used in this relaxation method. When anxiety levels rise, so does breathing rate, so deliberately slowing it down will help you relax. It helps to breathe in as you count to four, and breathe out again while counting to four.
Meditation
Even after only a few minutes, mindfulness meditation has been shown to lower tension and anxiety. Plus, it’s simple to practice. Tai chi and yoga are two great mindfulness-based stress-reduction techniques to try. Adding essential oils to your meditation practice can help make the experience even more relaxing and enjoyable.
Visualisation and Guided Imagery
This technique involves imagining a pleasant or quiet environment and concentrating on what it looks, sounds and smells like. It is usually done while listening to calming audio of someone describing a serene setting in a soft-spoken voice.
Adopt Healthy Lifestyle Habits
In order to minimise stress and anxiety, you may need to make some positive, healthy adjustments to your lifestyle. For example, if your job is the cause of your stress, changing your profession may help. Cutting ties with certain people may also assist. An unhealthy and unpleasant relationship may generate more stress than happiness, so you may need to reevaluate your connection with your partner.
Other habits that tend to promote a positive mindset are:
- Eating healthy – by replacing unhealthy foods with healthy ones, you’ll be providing your body with the important nutrients for overall well-being.
- Getting regular exercise – Exercise is known to be really beneficial for mental health.
- Sleeping well – Getting enough sleep gives you the energy you need to deal with challenging emotions and situations.
- Avoid smoking, alcohol and drugs – These substances can aggravate anxiety.
Ongoing Treatment and Care
When someone is hit by anxiety, one of their first worries is how can a person successfully live with anxiety? Striving to live well with this condition requires consistent and active care. With a solid treatment plan, practising self-care and using techniques that help you control anxiety and keep it at a manageable level, you should be able to continue to live your life.