How to Calm Anxious Feelings

Anxiety is defined as an unsettling feeling of worry and agitation. It usually includes a sense of dread or fear of something that may happen. People who struggle with anxiousness deal with not only combating anxious thoughts, but controlling the physical symptoms that occur with anxiety. Anxiety sufferers may experience lightheadedness and a rapid heartbeat, as well as the urge the bolt from the situation. They need to retrain their thoughts and behaviors and practice relaxation techniques to ease their anxiety.

Instructions

• 1

  Acknowledge you are worried. Ask yourself if you have been anxious about the same situation before and what the outcome was and how you typical respond in this situation. If every time you experience abdominal pain, you fear you need your appendix removed and you rush to the car to drive to the doctor. But you find out it's only indigestion; this shows a pattern of anxiousness. After analyzing patterns, make a new choice of how to respond.

• 2

  Allow yourself to have a "worry period." Worry periods are a set time of about 10 minutes each afternoon, devoted to just worrying. Prepare a list ahead of time of your current stressors so you can focus on your problems for those 10 minutes, asking, "What if?" questions and creating possible scenarios. Just focus on the problems; do not participate in any other activities during the worry period.

• 3

  Talk about your feelings. Confide in a close friend or family member about the problems that are causing you distress. Isolation and loneliness feeds anxiety so social support eases some of the pain.

• 4

  Practice relaxation techniques. Slow down your breathing and try some deep breathing exercises by inhaling a deep breath through your nose and slowly letting it out through your mouth. Deliberately tense and relax different muscle groups to release painful tension. Try meditating --- regularly scheduled meditation heightens activity on the left side of prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that prompts joyful feelings.

• 5

  Practice healthy habits. Exercise for at least 30 minutes daily to increase your mental and physical energy, burn off adrenaline and alleviate anxiety symptoms. Eat healthy by eating small meals every few hours since, if you feel hungry, you may become irritable and anxious. Select foods with lean protein and complex carbohydrates like whole-grain pasta with meat sauce. Avoid caffeine and drink herbal teas, especially chamomile, which is often relaxing.

• 6

  Pamper yourself to relieve tension. Treat yourself to an extra long soak in the bath tub, or ask your spouse for a massage to relieve the tension spots in your body.