Remedies for an anxious mind.

Remedies of an anxious mind......

Uncertainty is one of our greatest fears and anxiety is rooted in it. Insignificant points or conjured-up thoughts race through your mind. We all feel anxious about something but when it starts to hinder our daily lifestyle, then it becomes a disorder. The daily struggle to calm yourself and the physical strains such as fatigue, restlessness, palpitations, and irritability wrings your complete being like a sponge.

So, I have listed down a few methods that have helped me to structure my brain and soothe my mind.

1. Meditate / Exercise

Take deep breaths and think about happy thoughts that will regulate your breathing and bring your racing heart to its normal speed producing a sense of relief and relaxation.

You can also try some other methods of meditation like doodling or coloring or whatever else that works for you the best.

Physical exertion improves self-image and projects positive feelings. It releases endorphins in the brain that are natural painkillers. Know your body limit, start slow; don’t overdo it, or you will feel more tired and exhausted that will worsen your anxiety.

2. Indulge in some music

Music is a very powerful universal language. Try listening to some of your favorite music to distract yourself. Listen to some classical music or sounds of nature as it relaxes your muscles. The world’s most relaxing music “Weightless” by Marconi Union, is said to reduce anxiety by 65%.

Others that are also effective in reducing anxiety are-

Airstream – Electra

Dj shah – Mellomaniac (chill-out music)

Enya – watermark

Coldplay – strawberry swing

Barcelona – Please don’t go

All saints – Pure Shores

Adele – Someone like you

Mozart – Canzonetta Sull’aria

Cafe Del Mar – We can Fly

This list was provided by the MindLab Institute and thus you can trust them and try it for yourselves if it works for you or not.

3. Talk to yourself in the mirror

The logic behind taking to oneself in front of the mirror is that we don’t want to look lame in our eyes. It may be weird in the beginning but it is very helpful in bringing out the positive in ourselves. You can reinforce yourself positively by telling yourself that the situation is under control; you are calm and confident and you will feel a lot better. This trick not only makes you more confident but also enhances your cognitive function, making you smarter than the other. The thing said enough times becomes the truth, so if you say positive things to yourself enough time, you will start believing it and act the part.

4. Grounding effect

Sometimes you may feel like you are losing control of everything. This tool will help you to come back to the present moment. Our brain is very good at detecting any present danger. It has been evolved to keep looking out for potential dangers like a CCTV camera. Sometimes our brain will make up scenarios where we assume that we are in a predicament but is all in our head.

By refocusing on your physical body, you try to break the cycle of these stressful thoughts. It helps you to focus on reality than worrying about future problems.

So, this is how the grounding effect works - It concentrates all your five senses in the present. This is how it works-

Look around you and name

5- things that you can see.

4- things that you can feel

3- things that you can hear

2- things you Can smell

And lastly

1- a thing that you can taste.

5. Eat/chew gum

You can only have food when you are calm. So, if you feel anxious have some snacks or chew gum and it will condition your brain to calm down.

Though this thing may be a double-edged sword. Eat healthily and don’t overeat. If you are not careful, you might end up overeating. Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Exclude alcohol, caffeine, sugar, processed foods that aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks.

6. Reminder

Remind yourself of all the previous times you had felt anxious and you got over it. If it was something useful, see if you can use it in your current situation. If something not so good happened then you know what to avoid in the current situations.

Accept your anxiety. Realize that your brain is playing tricks on you and don’t be upset because of it.

Hope this helps.