5 ways to ease anxiety
We’ve all been there - our heart races, our chest feels tight, and we think and overthink about everything that could go wrong.
Most of us, on some level, know that anxiety and worry won’t change the outcome of an event or situation, however we hold onto the fear anyway, thinking there is no way to escape it.
I know this struggle well. For years, I struggled with anxiety. In fact, anxiety was the crux of why I first began to seek out hypnotherapy.
We often forget that we won’t feel one way forever - emotions are impermanent, meaning they’re always influx and moving through us.
With this in mind, here are five tips on how to ease anxiety:
Realize that it’s normal - and ok - to be anxious
Sometimes, what makes us the most anxious is the fact that we think we shouldn’t be anxious in the first place. This feeling that our anxiety is ‘wrong’ tosses us into a negative cycle of shame and guilt for feeling a certain way. Sitting with our anxiety takes a lot of courage; it can be scary to let ourselves feel it. But simply accepting where we’re at, and knowing that we have permission to feel whatever we’re feeling, can ease our tension.
Try leaning into your anxiety rather than resisting it, and see what comes up for you. If you can approach anxiety with a sense of curiosity and acceptance instead of judgment and shame, you may be surprised at how the sensations change. Every emotion passes, so keep in mind that you won’t feel anxious forever. Know that your anxiety is normal, and be open to what it may teach you.
Write it out
It can be tough to get out of your head and into your heart space. Journalling can be a powerful exercise to make sense of how you’re feeling, especially first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.
Research shows that reflecting on your emotions can help you navigate them with more mindfulness, awareness, and ease. Journalling can help you understand your triggers, and why you’re feeling a certain way, helping you to manage your stress and improve your overall mental well-being.
A great way to get clear about your anxiety is to follow these journal prompts:
I notice I am feeling…(describe the feelings you are noticing)
Thoughts/experiences that are triggering me to feel this way are…(describe the thoughts and experiences that are triggering the feelings you are noticing)
The way I would like to feel about this situation instead is….(explain how you WANT to feel about the situation - maybe you want to feel confident that life will work out for the best, maybe you want to feel that you are in control, maybe you want to feel that it is safe to take risks, etc.)
My new belief about this situation is….(declare a new belief that is supportive of the way you want to feel!)
The new action I will take is…..(come up with one or more actions you can take to solidify your new belief about the situation)
Get into nature
We often forget that nature is medicine, and is humans’ primal habitat. Spending time in nature is linked to reduced stress, anxiety, and even depression. Why? Because it helps reduce blood pressure and cortisol (also known as the stress hormone) to bring your body out of fight-or-flight mode and back into its natural state of relaxation. Nature helps you stay present, as all five senses are stimulated, and allows you to tune into your body.
Breathe into your belly
While stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, breathing helps supply the brain with oxygen and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, evoking a sense of relaxation. When you’re anxious, you tend to take short, quick, shallow breaths into your chests (which can actually make you feel even more anxious).
Next time you feel anxious, take a few moments to tune in and notice how and where you’re breathing into your body. Once you’ve become aware of your breath, do the following exercise:
Breathe slowly through your nose and into your lower belly (for approximately four seconds). You can place your hands on your belly if this helps you feel into your body and concentrate.
Hold your breath for one to two seconds. Notice the pause at the top of your inhale.
Exhale slowly through the mouth (for about 4 seconds).
Wait a few seconds before taking another breath. Notice the pause at the bottom of your exhale.
Repeat.
Make hypnotherapy part of your daily routine
Hypnotherapy is a powerful tool for effecting deep, lasting change. In hypnotherapy, we leverage deep states of relaxation and focused inward concentration to communicate directly with the most powerful part of the mind - the subconscious. The subconscious mind is where your beliefs, habits, thought patterns, emotions, and values reside. By communicating your conscious desires to the subconscious mind in ways that it can understand and accept, we can change old limiting beliefs, thought patterns, and habits to implement change. After my one on one sessions, I always provide a recording that my clients can listen to any time they may need relief from anxiety. I also teach my clients self hypnosis which is an extremely powerful tool for overcoming anxiety in just a few minutes.
Book a hypnotherapy session to heal subconscious beliefs that are causing anxiety, and to find deeper relaxation in your day-to-day.