With the breakneck speed at which life is advancing in today’s time, it is no surprise that with itself, it brings stress, anxiety, and a slew of other negative emotions. Human beings are ill-equipped to deal with a barrage of negativity, and so it makes a mark on their health!
Anxiety, sadly, has become a very common complaint to the modern Indian. Amidst the piles of bills, responsibilities, and burdens, we rarely have time to cultivate good mental health habits, and this leads to a deterioration of not only our psyche, but our body as well!
If you suffer from anxiety and stress, here are some things you can do on a daily basis to lessen the negative impacts and become more functional in daily life!
1. Manage Your Sleep
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Anxiety can cause insomnia and vice versa. It is important that you take your sleep seriously. Try to make a sleep schedule and adhere to it. It is very hard, especially with gadgets all around us, but try to limit screen time after dark so that you can have a restful sleep. Napping through the day can also affect your advised eight hours of sleep at night, so be careful.
2. Bring In Some Activity
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Being active is the key to staying healthy. This does not mean you go out of your way to spend most of your time trying to exercise, even when you don’t feel like it. It just means that you need to move your body and breath in fresh air from time to time. Regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and fresh air are the dear trio when it comes to easing your mind!
3. Take Time Out
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Sometimes, it is okay to take a break when you are not feeling your best. Don’t wait till you are feeling overwhelmed, schedule your week/day in a way that you get ample amount of rest between demanding tasks. Working from home can become a little chaotic, so make sure you give yourself some me-time between the office and home.
4. Say Goodbye To Caffeine
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Coffee helps a lot of us stay awake and catch up to those deadlines, but it might not be the best thing for anxiety. Caffeine gives a jolt to your nervous system, and when your system is nervous already, it might lead to anxiety attacks and worse. Caffeine is said to have negative impacts on stress as well. Perhaps it is time to look for alternative options for your morning coffee. However, you don’t need to stop cold-turkey, you just need to restrict your intake of caffeine.
5. Learn About Your Triggers
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The most important thing to do to make sure your anxiety doesn’t get the best of you is to find out what causes it. We all have some triggers which exacerbate our stress and emotional turmoil. It could be work, family, time management, etc. The first step is figuring out the trigger, and the next is managing it. This is a long-term solution that you can figure out with your therapist as well!
6. Practice Deep Breathing
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Breathing in a certain way can help you break out of your anxiety attacks faster. Breathe in for four seconds and breathe out for four seconds. Concentrating on counting the seconds will help you relax and concentrate. You can also use aromatherapy to help ground yourself. Learn how to do pranayam, and make sure you have fresh air!
7. Trust Your Senses
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When you are going through a panic attack or an anxiety attack, often it becomes very hard to break out of a certain way of thinking. At these moments, you should concentrate on locating your senses, one by one, and this might help you calm down. Find something you can hear, something you can smell, something you can touch, something you can see, and something you can taste.
8. Talk To A Professional
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Do not forestall your visit to the doctor’s office either! A lot of people dismiss mental health as a weakness of character rather than a genuine problem. This narrative is not helped by the bleak portrayal of mental illnesses by the media as well. Make your way around the stigma and help yourself by heading to a professional if you feel you are unable to cope.
If you are facing stress and anxiety on a daily basis, you can try these little hacks. However, most importantly, you need to find out what is causing the problems.
When you get to the root of your turmoil, you should change your lifestyle and routines, so that you can get rid of the problem once and for all.
Good luck!
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