Worry, in small amounts, is a normal and necessary part of life. This is the body’s natural reaction to moments of stress, it warns about possible dangers and helps to calculate risks.
However, people experience anxiety in different ways. Being anxious about something new or stressful is considered normal, but if it becomes uncontrolled or excessive, anxiety can start to affect quality of life and become a problem.
Below, we show you five simple changes to habits and lifestyle that can help ease anxiety. However, if you feel that you are feeling overly anxious and it is negatively affecting your life, be sure to seek help from a mental health professional.
Table of Contents
1. Be Active
Practicing regular physical exercise is not only good for physical health, but it can also be very helpful for mental health. In fact, it has many interpretations. Physical activity is able to divert attention from something that causes anxiety, increase concentration and produce neurochemicals in the brain, such as serotonin. All this favors reducing the symptoms of anxiety.
2. Limit Caffeine Intake
If you suffer from chronic anxiety, caffeine is not your friend. Consuming large amounts can cause nervousness as its natural effects stimulate the acceleration of bodily functions, make the heart beat faster, the body heats up and the heart rate increases. In any case, if you want to reduce your caffeine intake or eliminate it completely, the best way is to start slowly by reducing the amount you consume on a daily basis.
3. Make a Good Night’s Sleep a Priority
It has already been proven that sleep is an important factor for good mental health. To get a quality night’s sleep, certain actions can help, such as avoiding using mobiles or other technology at bedtime, keeping the room dark and at an ideal temperature, as well as going to bed at the same time every day. to try
4. Follow a balanced diet
Low blood sugar, dehydration, and chemicals in ultra-processed foods can cause mood swings in some people. Apart from this, a diet rich in sugar is also capable of affecting the temperament.
Therefore, if you find that anxiety becomes worse after eating, it is worth reviewing your eating habits. Staying hydrated, reducing your intake of processed foods, and following a balanced diet containing carbohydrates, fruits, legumes, and protein can help reduce symptoms of anxiety.
5. Practice Deep Breathing
Rapid breathing is very common in people who suffer from anxiety. In fact, it can cause an increased heart rate, dizziness, or even panic attacks. Thus, deep breathing exercises—that is, the process of trying to breathe slowly and evenly—can help you return to normal breathing patterns and reduce symptoms of anxiety.