Anxiety is a normal human emotion, it causes us to drive with caution, thankfully, in order to keep ourselves and our passengers safe, so some anxiety is useful. However, in other areas of our lives, this same principle about being cautious to protect ourselves can become limiting and torturous, making ourselves a prisoner of our worries and preventing us from achieving our goals.
Anxiety may arise from this feeling of a need for self protection, as if some port of ourselves, perhaps from an earlier past is saying a firm ‘no’ to any course of action that seems too risky. Yet it is these risks we need to take to grow ourselves into making the most of the opportunities life presents to us.
Here are some methods to calm oneself down .
Inhale deeply and consciously count up to 5 before you exhale, this has an immediate relaxing effect.
Pick up a routine of moving around, taking exercise, walking or cycling, this will engage you with your body and is helpful in distracting you from worrying thoughts, can help you to feel more positive too.
Reading develops concentration, depending on the content can help you to feel good and exercise more control over your thoughts.
Find ways to practice relaxation techniques daily, listening to relaxation videos, and doing creative visualisation on the internet are easy ways of training your mind to switch off. Yoga, Pilates, Qi Jong, Tai Chi and meditation all help relieve stress and go much deeper providing huge rewards with daily practice.
When you go to bed make a conscious decision not to mull over the events of the day, this is the time to relax and give yourself positive self talk about everything you have accomplished today, and/or in the past week.
Any persisting problems need to be written down in a journal, tackle them at a different time when you feel more ready, but make sure you do address them.
Look after something that’s alive, it might be a pet or even a plant, it doesn’t matter; the act of giving love and attention to something else changes the way we relate to the world, and can feel massively rewarding.
Give yourself goals that involve a degree of risk, whether it is shopping or trying out a new activity, online group or a new routine, try doing something creative like writing poetry, painting, or picking up an instrument. There are so many resources available now to help anyone pick up the skills and confidence needed to learn practically any ’skill’. The feel good factor afterwards is amazing.
If you feel like you need help and support with relationship issues and want to find effective strategies to bring you together, then you are welcome to contact me to arrange a one to one consultation: alanbrucecounselling.com
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