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Today we will be talking you through tips for managing stress and anxiety.
It is normal to feel stressed or anxious amidst a global pandemic where everything seems tragic, drastic, and messy on our lovely blue planet.
The rising spread of COVID-19 and the fear it has brought about has taken a toll on several minds and bodies.
Even though stress and anxiety are not acknowledged as problems, they are very much real and have to be dealt with.
Let’s understand that whenever we feel anxious, it’s the body’s way of reacting to an emotional response to a perceived future threat.
What we’re dealing with right now is appropriate for that sort of anxiety response.
But despite the doom and gloom, those of us ‘in the know’ realise that this can be the best time to prioritise mental wellness, and transform into our collective creativity, thereby, turning the situation to be an absolute winner in this combat with the ‘fear’.
However, what we also know is that anxiety sometimes tends to go out-of-hand and hinder the day-to-day work and thoughts.
To combat such issues related to stress and anxiety, we bring to you, 18 effective ways that will give you strength and courage; and bring your state of mind and raging pulse back to normal amid this period.
Disclaimer: I am not in any way a certified councillor/therapist, therefore all advice given is from my own experience and should not be taken as medical advice.
If you’re living with high levels of stress and anxiety, you’re putting your entire well-being at risk. Both of these illnesses wreak havoc on your emotional equilibrium, as well as your physical health.
They narrow your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life. It may seem like there’s nothing you can do about stress and anxiety.
The bills won’t stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day, and your work and family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think.
Effective stress and anxiety management helps you break the hold that they have on your life, so you can be happier, healthier, and more productive.
The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun – and the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on.
But stress/anxiety management is not one-size-fits-all. That’s why it’s important to experiment and find out what works best for you.
The following stress and anxiety management tips can help you do that.
Try to identify your specific sources of anxiety by starting an anxiety/stress journal. You can write down the anxieties you experience and record the anxious thoughts you have.
This can also help you determine possible triggers. Once you’ve identified specific sources of anxiety and stress, you can take steps to avoid them or at least work to manage your feelings toward them.
This one takes no time at all really, but it does require a commitment to changing your mindset. A lot of the time we get stressed out by things that are totally out of control.
Because they are out of control it really becomes a waste of energy to constantly stress out over them.
For example, specific demands of your job, the fact that we’re living through a pandemic in 2020/2021, the weather, traffic, or the thoughts and actions of other people.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t stress at all over things like this, but you can’t let it consume you and cause you stress day after day.
For the sake of a simple example: getting really stressed out on your long commute home through traffic. Unless you go find a new job closer to home this is totally out of your control.
So as a stress management technique, accept that fact and then make the most of the situation. For example, listen to an audio book or podcast, call a friend (hands free of course), or find somewhere new to stop and explore on the way home.
If not, you’re just going to be stressed every evening and you’ll probably have no energy to do anything by the time you get home.
High energy levels in the mornings (although this may sometimes seem impossible) are essential to start the day and, hopefully, end the day with a positive outlook and a clear mindset.
Staying hydrated, avoiding coming to work on an empty stomach and aiming to be well rested overnight will all contribute to better mornings and more motivation.
You may also find it beneficial to give yourself a little extra time in the mornings to get ready for the day. This will prevent rush and panic and ensure you are fully prepared for whatever is thrown your way.
Sleep deficit has just about become an epidemic in contemporary society. Continuously pushed to accomplish and produce, practically every single person is accountable for depriving themselves of rest.
In a stressful situation, you may attempt to “pull an all-nighter” to fulfil a deadline or do some last second studying, but contrary to what your over-stressed mind is suggesting; a well-rested mind and body will be able to achieve far more, without over-taxing your system.
Grounding techniques such as these are a good way for you to stop, take a breath, and learn to control your anxiety and stress.
Deep breathing will work by taking 10-20 slow and deep breaths to calm down. Breathe in as deeply as you can, hold the air in for several seconds, and slowly let each breath out.
Employ the power of positive thinking. Rather than incessantly worrying about the same things over and over, break the cycle and train your brain to think in a way that is positive and uplifting.
When you have anxious thoughts or episodes, they are preceded by self-sabotaging or negative thoughts or behaviours.
To help with this, write down your negative thoughts once you feel them. Then, jot down the exact opposite of those feelings as well.
As you become more comfortable with writing down these positive thoughts/affirmations, you can start to visualise and believe the outcomes.
Having poor organisation can also be a source of anxiety and stress. If this is the case, learning good time-management skills could benefit you.
Manage your daily tasks with to-do lists, calendars, planners, reminder cards, action programs, and more, to make you feel more in control.
Research consistently proves that physical activity both reduces stress levels and helps to prevent many of the negative side-effects of stressful life events.
The great news is that you don’t need to run a marathon or devote all your days to the gym to enjoy the benefits of exercise.
Almost any type of physical activity will help purge you of tension and lead to the production of endorphins; those ‘feel-good’ chemicals that boost mood and energy.
Aim for 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week, but if your fitness levels are low then try starting out with just 10 minutes of activity.
As you exercise, tune into your bodily sensations and notice your own physicality; this is a form of mindfulness, which promotes stress control in itself.
Here are some fun and easy ways to get your heart rate up:
There are so many videos for free on YouTube that you can use as well. One of my personal favourites to follow is coach Sean Vigue.
A poor diet can bring greater reactivity toward stress.
Emotional eating and reaching for high-fat, high-sugar foods can provide a temporary sense of relief that adds to your long-term stress.
Refined carbs, like cookies and crisps/potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar. When your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety.
Consuming a healthy diet can help you combat stress over the long haul. Foods like eggs, avocado, and walnuts support mood regulation and energy balance.
Regulate and create routines as best as we can give our varying environments. Eat, sleep, work, and exercise as regularly as possible.
When in study or work mode, create mini-breaks away from the screen (e.g., a nice walk or a small snack) to combat digital fatigue, and that will energise or better prepare you to come back to a task.
Going to bed and waking up around the same time every day can help out more than you would think.
This helps your body get into what is known as a circadian rhythm, which helps you feel more refreshed and energised.
Almost everyone loves staying up late and getting to sleep in on weekends, but this alone could be causing major harm to how you feel and how much energy you have the rest of the week.
When you put Mindfulness into practice your anxiety and stress will reduce massively!
I can’t explain how much this practice has changed my life. When you’re mindful your life will transform massively.
By living in the present moment, you become at peace with your past thoughts and illusions made up in your mind.
Observe your thoughts, become at peace with them, take away the emotional attachment.
When you find your mind wandering, revert back to the present moment.
The more you live in the present moment, the mind quickly loses control over you. The mind is a tool that should be working for you, not controlling you.
This takes a lot of practice, as your mind has spent so many years in control. The mind has been projecting its illusions on you all your life.
Purchase a book, research it on YouTube.
The Mindfulness practice is life changing when used consistently and persistently!
I thought this was complete nonsense a few years ago, now I love it.
The one thing that calmed my mind beyond belief, if done properly, is meditation.
This helps you become at peace with your thoughts, and also mindful meditation helps you stay in the present moment.
Try to meditate before breakfast, if not, then late afternoon/early evening is a good time to do it.
Meditation will seem like a chore at first, but the more you practice, it will become more of an enjoyable experience that you will look forward to.
There are tonnes of videos on YouTube to help you get started.
Gratitude helps you recognise all the things you have to be thankful for. Whether you’re grateful for a sunny day or thankful you arrived at work safely, think about all the good things you have in life.
Gratitude also reminds you of all of the resources you have to cope with stress, which can be quite empowering.
Studies also show grateful people enjoy better mental health, lower stress and anxiety, and a better quality of life.
So whether you decide to make it a habit to identify what you’re grateful for as you sit around the dinner table or you decide to write down three things you’re grateful for in a gratitude journal every day, make gratitude a regular habit.
Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief.13
And while you’re likely to reap immediate benefits from a single yoga session, you’re likely to receive long-term benefits if you incorporate it into your life in a consistent way.
Yoga offers a variety of physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. To get started, you might take a class, enrol in an online program, or use an app to help you begin practicing.
When you ground yourself in nature, you discharge negativity, and even more importantly, you recharge yourself with the loving and nurturing energy from Mother Earth.
After grounding yourself you’ll feel renewed, refreshed, centred, and balanced. Whether you simply walk barefoot in your garden, or go to the beach or the wood, just get out in nature, allow yourself to be present by opening all your senses: see, taste, hear, smell and feel.
If you live in a big city or work in an office, you may feel you don’t have much opportunity to connect with nature.
Nature time could be:
This is also where crystals, essential oils and houseplants come in. You may want to bring little bits of nature with you and consciously tune into them at home.
A brain dump is simply the act of dumping all the contents of your mind onto paper as one might dump the contents of a purse onto a table.
You are spilling out stressors, your nagging thoughts, your pesky annoyances. Simply open up a valve in your mind and let all those thoughts flow out of your hand and onto some paper.
Write until you feel like the pressure inside of you is lessened and you can take a deep breath. Then you will have achieved a brain dump.
Be sure to listen to yourself and acknowledge when you’re feeling stressed/anxious. Recognising when your emotions are high can help you cope by signalling that it may be time to seek help.
Depending on the level of your stress/anxiety, that may mean trying one of the stress/anxiety-relieving methods above or finding professional help.
Sharing how you’re feeling with supportive friends and family members can help decrease feelings of stress, anxiety and loneliness.
It’s likely they’ve felt anxious about things in the past or may even be experiencing similar feelings. Call, text or email with those who are closest to you.
With stress and anxiety as a common struggle for many all over the world, it is important to find ways to identify where we think our stress/anxiety is coming from and how to use that information to better manage it.
When stress and anxiety is better managed, it improves the quality of life and gets us back to spending quality time with the important people in our lives and enjoying the things we like to do.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years!
If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
I really hope you found inspiration in this article.
Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, expanding your awareness, inner peace, self-care and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!
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Today I will be talking about overcoming morning anxiety and what measures I have put in place in the past to help with it.
Do you struggle with morning anxiety?
Are the first thoughts that enter your mind so negative and so dreadful that you regret waking up in the first place?
Morning anxiety is REAL, I would suffer from this terrible illness on a day-to-day basis.
If you suffer from panic attacks, dreadful morning fear, and of course depression, this post will come to your aid.
Of course, if you really need help and feel very depressed? Please seek the help of a doctor over anything else that you read today.
But if you do feel like you can combat this yourself or if mornings aren’t your thing, then this is your post!
Let’s help you wake up to pleasant and peaceful thoughts each morning with some effective and positive habits that helped me when overcoming morning anxiety!
Disclaimer: I am not in any way a certified therapist so all the advice is given from my own experience and should not be taken as medical advice.
According to Calm Clinic, “most people define (morning anxiety) as anxiety either immediately after waking up or anxiety that tends to build over the first hour or so upon awakening.”
As far as symptoms go, everyone experiences anxiety differently, but here are just a few signs of morning anxiety listed by Healthy Place:
Morning anxiety is caused by many different factors. For example, we produce higher levels of cortisol– which is a stress hormone — in the mornings. Aside from an increase in cortisol levels, Health Line adds that things like environmental factors and low blood sugar can contribute to morning anxiety.
Although waking up with these symptoms is devastating, there are steps you can take to relieve morning anxiety and still have a good day.
Here are some tips I have put together that have helped me overcome morning anxiety.
Before we get started, there’s one mistake you cannot afford to make. This morning mistake will screw up your entire day.
Go to bed early the night before!
Sleep is not only for the weak. It’s the best way to stay strong all day.
Are all-nighters worth bragging about? Maybe they’re fine once in a while when they can’t be avoided but otherwise – staying up late constantly isn’t a sign of working hard; it’s working too much, working inefficiently and mismanaging your time.
I use to be one of those people who stayed up to the early hours of the morning, then wake up like and zombie and head off to work feeling like I had just been dug up!
Not anymore though!
Without enough sleep, you’ll start the day with a mind that’s not 100% energised – no matter how many times you give yourself a good slap on the face.
The worst part? Imagine your brain failing in the departments of common sense and alertness.
Around 16 million Brits experience side effects of sleep deprivation every night!
And studies suggest they can range from less obvious stuff – like a lack of focus or attention – to crying over small things, or a lower reaction time while driving or pouring coffee!
Speaking of coffee – don’t rely on it to overcome sleep deprivation. I enjoy my morning coffee as much as the next person. But I also know caffeine has its limitations.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-8 hours of sleep (or 9 if possible) for the average adult.
I have about 6/7, which suits me fine.
One of the reasons you may feel anxious in the morning is because you feel rushed. Waking up earlier is a great way to get ready at a slower, more peaceful pace.
When you wake up earlier, you have more time to focus on things like self-care (which will be a part of your morning routine for anxiety relief).
If you are rushing around and then flying out of the door every morning, start waking up between 5:00am – 6:30am depending on when you have to leave.
You want to wake up a couple of hours before you need to be somewhere. And, remember, start small and build up
Exercise is one of those habits that everyone talks about. It makes you roll your eyes when you hear or read about it. Like what else is new? Exercise is good for you.
To me, exercise is a very important habit physically and mentally. I especially notice how much it impacts my life when I don’t do it. I become stressed, I’m also reactive and it shows in my relationships, in my work and in the decisions I make.
I can’t seem to stay clear and objective when I don’t do it. Plus, I just feel tired and ache all the time.
So, I try to make exercise a part of my day whether it would be by walking for at least an hour, going to the gym, stretching, running or doing an at home workout. It has become a part of my life and it fits naturally. If it’s still not a part of your daily routine, just try it.
Mindfulness meditation is practiced by focusing the mind on the present and keeping your thoughts from wandering into the past and future. It focuses on breath awareness to draw attention to your body, open up your senses and anchor you into the present and your immediate surroundings.
By implementing Mindfulness meditation into your morning, it will help calm down your mind. The more you practice, the more enjoyable it becomes and more benefits you see.
There’s no need to wait until stress rises to use breathing methods for well-being. You experience balance and harmony when your breaths are of equal length and depth.
As inhaling and exhaling uniformly are the natural response to inner peace, your brain thinks you are relaxed even when you breathe this way intentionally. Take deep, even breaths throughout the day to preserve well-being.
Since you are not rushing, you are now able to sit down and eat a healthy nutritious breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast as part of your morning routine before work will help you to be more productive.
Moreover, the breakfast will provide the energy needed to fuel your brain. Additionally, eating breakfast will keep you full for longer, eliminating the need for you to consume high and empty calories which will harm your body.
Furthermore, while sitting down to eat your breakfast you can read a few pages of a positive mental attitude book or any other self-development book.
Goals tend to add structure to our days. Having structure and routine may help anxiety.
What are three things you want to accomplish today?
Start off by making them simple, such as eating fruit with breakfast.
The more you set goals for yourself, the more they become ingrained into your habits.
I find that having a simple fitness goal every day is super beneficial. I recommend trying a 30-day squat or crunch challenge. You can find loads of them Pinterest.
Before or after your shower, your choice, take a short walk. I prefer to go after my shower because the shower wakes me up, while the walk gets me pumped for the day. Others may prefer to take a shower after the walk.
First of all, we all need exercise on a daily basis. Without it, we are way more prone to anxiety and depression. So, instead of going to the gym after your day is over, start your day with a little exercise.
A 30-minute walk is a great way to get out of the house, enjoy nature, and get your blood pumping. Not only does it do the body well, but it improves your mood as well.
Going to bed worrying that tomorrow will be another day of worrying and upset doesn’t resolve the issue what so ever – it will snowball into a huge problem that wasn’t there in the first place.
It’s time to switch up your attitude. Go to bed expecting to be upset in the morning, and tell yourself it will probably be there regardless of whether you worry or not.
Tell yourself that when you wake up and the anxiety hits, that it’s ok to feel worried, nervous, shaken. It’s not a big deal, you can handle it. You can do whatever you need to do, you can get through today. Believe in you.
It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? It’s easy to say: “tomorrow I will be positive”. Because sometimes, just sometimes, you will wake up and think: “I just don’t have the energy to do that today”. And that is when you’re most vulnerable to anxiety taking over your entire day.
So, whether it’s writing on a sticky note or leaving a reminder on your phone, have a backup option to help you out when you need that extra bit of encouragement and positivity in the morning. A gentle reminder that reads something as simple as “you can do this” can make all the difference.
It’s always great to start the day with gratitude.
This will help you start the day with a positive attitude.
Journaling has been shown to help manage anxiety, reduce stress, and cope with depression.
A great place to start is to write down three things you are grateful for, three things you hope to accomplish that day, and three things you were able to accomplish the day before.
Purchase a book, research it on YouTube. The Mindfulness practice is life changing when used consistently and persistently!
Imagine finally drifting off into a peaceful sleep in a dark room and cosy bed, to be woken up by a pounding alarm and harsh bright lights and the chill of getting out of bed.
Environmental aggravations like these can soon welcome you to your worst day ever. It’s vital to infuse positive energy into your home to wake up peacefully and ensure the best possible start to your day.
Minimise your chances of anxiety by making your surroundings more peaceful. Small alterations such as a soothing alarm clock instead of an ear-splitting cuckoo noise, having slippers and a comfy dressing gown to slip into in the morning instead of having to bear the freezing cold mornings and a dimmer switch on your bedside lamp instead of blinding spotlights.
A simple yet vital daily requirement, drinking water. This not only hydrates you but improves your bodily functions, preventing headaches, washes out toxins from the body, and helps with weight loss.
Drinking water can solve other problems such as clearing skin issues and providing mental clarity. One way to drink more water is to keep a water bottle with you at all times so you can hydrate yourself throughout the day.
I personally like to drink room temperature and hot water; this helps with digestion.
In an ideal world, your day shouldn’t begin with the phone. Reading about stressful news events before your day even begins compounds anxiety.
Be mindful of what media you ingest, especially in the morning. I recommend trying to keep your mind blank and your thoughts your own for the first hour of the day.
Morning anxiety can be beaten.
It’s nothing more than an extension of what’s going on in your life and what kind of lifestyle you lead.
If it happens consistently without any apparent reason, you should definitely talk to a medical professional.
Otherwise, a few changes to your lifestyle and better self-care can help you overcome morning anxiety easily.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years!
If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
I really hope you found inspiration in this article.
I would love to hear what tips you have to combat morning anxiety – please share them below!
Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, expanding your awareness, inner peace, self-care and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!
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