Living with anxiety that goes unregulated can be unmanageable. Just a few simple habits throughout the day can help reduce the impact of anxiety symptoms and make life easier by improving mental and physical health.
Sleep
Getting a full night’s rest is helpful in managing anyone’s emotions, not just those struggling with anxiety. Most doctors recommend 6-8 hours of sleep, while many mental health practitioners suggest 8-10. Stay off your phone late at night and create a nighttime routine for sleeping. Falling asleep when living with ruminating, cyclical and anxious thoughts can be a difficult challenge. Employ the use of relaxing music, meditation, and aromatherapy to help you fall asleep.
Don’t Snooze
The snooze button is humanity’s most attractive and destructive convenience. Though the eight to nine minutes can feel like a golden gift it is actually a self destructive bomb for the body. Your entire circadian rhythm for the day is better off without snooze. Keep anxiety off your plate about running late or not having enough time by waking up with your alarm and not risking the chance of sleeping through your snooze alarm.
Hygiene
In the morning, a refreshing shower can do wonders for someone with anxiety. Schedule enough time for a self-care routine that allows you to walk into your day feeling fresh, clean, and relaxed, as well as knowing you’ve already done a few things just for yourself today. If you haven’t showered in a few days, you’re doing everyone else a favor as well!
Meditate
Deep breathing exercises and mindfulness are two proven tools for anxiety management. Meditating first thing in the morning can help create a foundation of calm and awareness for your day. You don’t need any more than five to ten minutes.
Practice Positive Thinking
Practicing positive thinking might sound like wishful advice for someone living with anxiety. However anxiety is not unmanageable, it just takes some training. Practicing positive thinking through affirmations, journaling exercises, gratitude exercises, and more, actually help to rewire the brain, lessening the symptoms of anxiety.
Get Physical
Anxiety creates a lot of energy that has nowhere to go. Instead of letting it pile up in your mind, do something with it physically. Whether you take a walk, go for a run or participate in your favorite sport, getting twenty to thirty minutes of exercise each day is extremely helpful and good for your overall health as well.
Avalon By The Sea is one of California’s few treatment centers certified for providing primary care to both mental health disorders and substance use disorders. Anxiety is often co-occurring with substance abuse. If you or a loved one are in need of treatment, call us today for a confidential assessment, 1 888-958-7511.
