5 Ways to manage anxiety
The rise of anxiety is on a high and it’s not surprising. We live in a hectic fast paced life and even if we dont choose it anxiety can creep in to our worlds.
It is one of the most popular issues that clients come to me for and request either healing or coaching or both to bring them calm and harmony
So what exactly is anxiety? Anxiety can be described as panic, worry or fear. We can all feel anxious at times but when its continuous it may mean it’s more of an issue.
In my working experience as Reiki Master and Mindset Coach I have found the triggers for anxiety vary from person to person. The cause could be due to a number of reasons for example; life experiences, physical health, personal life, work life, relatives may also suffer anxiety and it can leave you feeling restless, worried, can cause sleep problems, dizziness and palpitations.
One of the most common reasons that I found is that most people are either fixated in the past (stress) or in the future (mainly worry) and so they actually are not living in the present moment. The present moment is all that there is. Our Now is our present and our future.
1. BREATHING exercises, this is a beautiful natural way to alleviate anxiety because you are using your own body & your breath to calm yourself down. There are many breathing exercises you can use, my clients find this technique useful; take a deep breath in through the nose hold for 5 seconds – 5,4,3,2,1 and then release through the mouth (continue right till the end of your breath). Repeat 5 times as a minimum and if you feel you could do with a few more do it! This your ‘reset’ button and it’s very powerful.
It is important to address the causes of anxiety and also find people to help and manage it so that you can enjoy your present moment.
Thoughts influence the way you feel and feelings influence your behaviour. The key is to try and stop this cycle, so when you feel anxiety creeping in shift your energy before it gets out of control.
Here are 5 ways to keep on top of anxiety:
1. BREATHING exercises, this is a beautiful natural way to alleviate anxiety because you are using your own body & your breath to calm yourself down. There are many breathing exercises you can use, my clients find this technique useful; take a deep breath in through the nose hold for 5 seconds – 5,4,3,2,1 and then release through the mouth (continue right till the end of your breath). Repeat 5 times as a minimum and if you feel you could do with a few more… do it! This your ‘reset’ button and it’s very powerful.
2. A great MINDFULNESS exercise: use your senses to ground you and bring you into the here and now
Find 5 things you see
Find 4 things you can hear
Find 3 things you can feel
Find 2 things you can smell
Find 1 thing you can taste
This process encourages you to concentrate on switching your mind and bring your awareness to the now
3. Go out in NATURE & move from where you are, into another space or room, This is called breaking state. Being outside in nature refreshes and grounds you connecting you back to your self your inner Core. Feel the fresh air, hear the birds, look at the sky and allow nature to calm you. Take deep breaths.
4. Make a list of energy shifters. These are things that you enjoy doing, things that make you happy! When you start to feel anxious and pick one of your shifters to change your focus. It could be to listen to music, dancing, going for a walk, talking to someone you trust, yoga, meditation, exercise etc.
5. Practice SELF CARE. Self care is priceless, it is vital to nurture and love yourself. We take care and love of everyone else but often forget to take care and love ourselves. Self care can mean, having massages, having a relaxing bath, make your favourite food, treating yourself to something nice, looking after yourself, resting well, being around positive people that make you feel good.
I always suggest to see your GP if you feel extremely unsettled.
You now have some tools which you can memorize to help you when feeling anxious. I tell my clients to have an imaginary tool box in the mind and depending where you are, you can reach within yourself and choose the right tool to help you.
