Quickest Way to Reduce Anxiety

Anxiety can be a debilitating condition that can strike randomly or be a recurring problem for anyone. It is an emotional state that has no set duration or intensity, but it can affect you both mentally and physically. Fortunately there are many ways of dealing with anxiety so it does not become completely controlling over you. One of the quickest and most often recommended ways to deal with the onset of anxiety is a type of meditation and relaxation called mindfulness.

Mindfulness

• Anxiety can be triggered by stress or a feeling of being overwhelmed. The thought of having too much going on and being buried under the pressure of so much activity can bring on feelings of anxiety that will cause you to grind to a halt.

  Mindfulness is a form of thought and meditation designed to eliminate the anxiety that comes with having too much going on around you. It is a mindset that puts you "in the now," so to speak, so that your immediate position and actions are what receive your full attention. By requiring you to make both a physical and a mental effort to slow down, you reduce the panic and stress that come with the onset of anxiety.

  To accomplish this frame of mind, take a deep breath and force yourself to focus on only the immediate task or activity at hand. Do not focus on anything that has to happen later or that might happen but instead focus only on what is immediately occurring. Try to pick out a specific event or object around you and mentally take note of all the details of it. Breathe slowly and make an effort to notice parts of what you're focusing on that touch all the senses. Recognize the sights and sounds of it, the smell or taste if they apply.

  In essence what you are doing is clearing your mind of any external concerns that may be triggering your anxiety. You are meditating in order to put yourself in the moment and by focusing on all the minute details of a single thing you are preventing yourself from focusing on the larger elements that may be bringing on your stress or fear. At the same time you are reconnecting with your emotions and feel like you have regained control of them.