5 DIY Methods to Ease Your Anxiety

Consider the scenario: You are busy leading a good and productive day, have been working on the important tasks on your to-do list, and something triggers your anxiety. That may be a news item, a social media post, or a conversation with your friend that reminded you of a stressful time.

We all are humans, and something or the other may cause these symptoms. This occasional feeling is a normal reaction to the uncertainty of what’s to happen next, whether in the next few days or even months. The relieving part here is that you can manage your symptoms if you become aware of the situation early on.

Now the obvious question on your mind might be: “How can I stop these symptoms?”  The methods discussed here will help you deal with the occasional anxious thoughts you might have. For more severe cases, or if you experience panic disorders and go through extreme anxious thoughts at a frequent rate while also facing difficulties in your everyday tasks and social life, is when one should consider seeking treatment. 

There is a certain sense of achievement that we can feel if we are able to find a way through our problems in our own unique ways. Although not advisable in serious cases of this condition, therapists suggest that while facing occasional anxiety, people can manage their symptoms by practicing certain techniques. These can be the simple activities like taking a walk or talking to a loved one, as well as many more things of this nature.

Though there are many methods that can help in relieving your symptoms, here, we are going to tell you about 5 simple methods that you can do yourself to relieve your symptoms of anxious feelings. Read on to know more about those ways, and help yourself before things get out of control.

1. Accept Your Feelings

We know this is something you may not want to hear, but in reality, when we face our feelings and fears, especially those that arise during the occasional bouts of anxiety, we can be in a better situation to handle the symptoms. Accepting that we are anxious about an X or Y thing without fighting those thoughts will help in reducing our anxious feelings. On the other hand, if we resist or run away from those feelings, they will keep being the bully in our heads, and we will always be afraid of them. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “The thoughts you resist, persist.” 

Accepting our feelings is the first step to taking matters into our hands, and the next step is to understand the cause of our anxiety. When we don’t fight our feelings, we become calm, and then we are able to ask ourselves, “what is bothering me, and why is it bothering me?” When we are able to first accept the existence of our anxious thoughts and then have a better understanding, we are also able to find the solution to the problem, if at all that is needed. Most of the time, we also get deeply concerned about some things which are not even in our control; understanding this also is important as we can then let go of the situation.

2. Talk to Someone You Trust

One of the easiest ways to relieve your symptoms is by talking to someone you can trust. We all have that one person in our life who we know is always there for us. Reach out to them and share your feelings. This will help you unload the heavy emotions, and you may also be able to gain a new perspective from the other person’s viewpoint on that situation.

3. Take a Break to Focus on Something Else

At times, anxiety can act as a motor revving, says Lisa Henderson, a licensed professional Counsellor in Nashville. She suggests that we should try and take control of that energy to put it someplace else. If you are sitting and thinking about those anxious thoughts, get up to go for a walk or do some cleaning, even if for 5 minutes. Those short bursts of activity are great to release the anxious energy. 

You could also try to do other things that may be a part of your hobbies; for example, if you like to paint or dance, the energy put into anxious thoughts can very well be diverted to do any of those other tasks that provide a sense of relief to you.

4. Reconsider Your Diet, Especially Caffeine and Alcohol

Some food items are notorious for worsening your symptoms. Coffee which is an “upper,” and alcohol, which is a “downer,” can make your mind go in directions it doesn’t need to go. Caffeine in tea, aerated drinks, diet pills, headache medicines and chocolate can also be harmful if you know you tend to get anxious. Also, an overload of sugar is not healthy when anxiety is lurking around. 

Having a healthy diet full of fresh vegetables and fruits, with nuts and legumes taken regularly, can also help keep both the body and mind healthy.

5. Build a Reflective Practice, Like Yoga or Journalling

When faced with the fear of anxious thoughts ruining your sanity, looking inward can provide many answers. Reflective practices such as yoga and journaling can help calm these bad feelings. Yoga, with its fluid movements and focus on the breath during meditation, is helpful in getting away from anxious thoughts in a calm, yet active manner because your body does move during the asanas. 

Whereas, while journaling, you put all your thoughts to a paper with a pen, and that dumping of anxious energy in the form of words lets you release the heaviness; plus, you may also be provided with a perspective that was earlier nowhere to be found, as the thoughts were running in all directions. But, when you put those worries out through words, some level of organizing is needed, which helps in the sorting of thoughts to even finding solutions to your problems.

Seek Anxiety Treatment from a Trusted Provider

The points discussed above are great to tackle occasional anxious feelings, which can come at any time. One more thing to note here is that you may very well be able to function with those occasional anxious bouts also. Remember when you used to have those feelings before an exam? Yet you wrote the answers well and used to score as well. So, handling those types of feelings by yourself is very much possible and encouraged. 

But, if you have a severe case where you have those thoughts and fears nearly constantly, are afraid of things that don’t even happen, or if you are unable to function in your everyday life properly; all that is an indication that you need professional guidance to handle this disorder. 

A certified mental health professional will be able to help you through medications and other therapies to reduce the symptoms and eventually treat this condition to live a healthier and happier life. At DocVita, we have an incredibly compassionate team of mental health professionals to help you in your treatment process.