In this article, we will talk about how to reduce stress and anxiety so that we can relax, be more productive and live our life more fully. Too much stress in our lives over a long period of time can lead to anxiety disorders like panic attacks, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It can also lead to physical health problems and avoidance behaviors. It can impede our ability to live like more authentically and enjoy the present moment. The first step in reducing stress is to understand what is anxiety and how does it impact our lives.
Anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation that includes the feelings of worry, nervousness and apprehension. Mild anxiety can be uncomfortable while more severe anxiety can dramatically impact our ability to live everyday life. It's also important to notice here that sometimes anxiety
goes alongside depression so both need to be addressed if this is the case. Anxiety impacts us on three levels so let's start with the physiological level.
Anxiety can produce headaches, heart palpitations, muscle tension, stomach aches, diarrhea, irritability, difficulty concentrating, trembling, sweating, being clammy, restless, difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, frequent urination, being easily startled, Panic attacks can include shortness of breath and dizziness, while PTSD can also include flashbacks, hyper-vigilance and hopelessness. The second way that anxiety can impact us is through out behaviors. We might avoid everyday situations to try and minimize our stress level. It can also get in the way of our ability to act, to assert our needs, and to express ourselves. The third category is psychological. It can actually increase our ruminations and obsessions about our fears, We might learn to catastrophize and prepare for the worst case scenario. And it can increase our self-judgments and harsh Inner Critic. So I put together a list of ways to reduce our stress that we can take on ourselves. So feel free to include things that help you out and put them in the comment section below. So let's start off with the breath. Oftentimes when we're stressed our breath is contracted and we need to take a deep breath, fully into our lungs and abdomen and then release it. That can make a huge impact on our stress level. The next steps can be to make sure that we're getting adequate exercise, good nutrition and adequate sleep. We need to make sure that we're balancing our work and life,taking breaks along the way when we need to, and also using relaxation techniques that we might have learned. Some people taking yoga or meditating really helps a lot.
It's also important to make sure that we're avoiding any kind of caffeine or uppers that can increase our stress or anxiety and conversely not taking depressants or alcohol too much to get in the way of our sleep or exacerbate our depression. Whatever ways of getting out in nature and hiking, listening to music to calm our nerves, creating or seeing art, taking a warm bath, whatever helps you to calm down and relax can be incredibly important to reducing stress.Ways to reduce stress by utilizing outside resources can include getting support from trustworthy people. You might want to receive acupuncture treatments or talk to a psychotherapist. You might wan to see a medical doctor or naturopathic physician, begin taking anti-anxiety medication for a period of time or herbal homeopathic treatments. The key here is that you don't have to go it alone. You can utilize the resources of other people in your life, even providers, especially if your anxiety feels like it's out of control and you need extra help and attention to address it.
Anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation that includes the feelings of worry, nervousness and apprehension. Mild anxiety can be uncomfortable while more severe anxiety can dramatically impact our ability to live everyday life. It's also important to notice here that sometimes anxiety
goes alongside depression so both need to be addressed if this is the case. Anxiety impacts us on three levels so let's start with the physiological level.
Anxiety can produce headaches, heart palpitations, muscle tension, stomach aches, diarrhea, irritability, difficulty concentrating, trembling, sweating, being clammy, restless, difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, frequent urination, being easily startled, Panic attacks can include shortness of breath and dizziness, while PTSD can also include flashbacks, hyper-vigilance and hopelessness. The second way that anxiety can impact us is through out behaviors. We might avoid everyday situations to try and minimize our stress level. It can also get in the way of our ability to act, to assert our needs, and to express ourselves. The third category is psychological. It can actually increase our ruminations and obsessions about our fears, We might learn to catastrophize and prepare for the worst case scenario. And it can increase our self-judgments and harsh Inner Critic. So I put together a list of ways to reduce our stress that we can take on ourselves. So feel free to include things that help you out and put them in the comment section below. So let's start off with the breath. Oftentimes when we're stressed our breath is contracted and we need to take a deep breath, fully into our lungs and abdomen and then release it. That can make a huge impact on our stress level. The next steps can be to make sure that we're getting adequate exercise, good nutrition and adequate sleep. We need to make sure that we're balancing our work and life,taking breaks along the way when we need to, and also using relaxation techniques that we might have learned. Some people taking yoga or meditating really helps a lot.
It's also important to make sure that we're avoiding any kind of caffeine or uppers that can increase our stress or anxiety and conversely not taking depressants or alcohol too much to get in the way of our sleep or exacerbate our depression. Whatever ways of getting out in nature and hiking, listening to music to calm our nerves, creating or seeing art, taking a warm bath, whatever helps you to calm down and relax can be incredibly important to reducing stress.Ways to reduce stress by utilizing outside resources can include getting support from trustworthy people. You might want to receive acupuncture treatments or talk to a psychotherapist. You might wan to see a medical doctor or naturopathic physician, begin taking anti-anxiety medication for a period of time or herbal homeopathic treatments. The key here is that you don't have to go it alone. You can utilize the resources of other people in your life, even providers, especially if your anxiety feels like it's out of control and you need extra help and attention to address it.
