Contrary to popular belief, stress is necessary to have in life to continue growing and changing in ways that push you to be better. Yet, when stress becomes more than just “everyday” stress, it can cause anxiety and wreak havoc on your nervous system.
Taking Inventory
It can be helpful as a part of a healthy lifestyle to take inventory of what your stress and anxiety levels are like on a weekly, if not a daily, basis. What things cause you stress? How does it affect you?
Checking in with yourself about how you are feeling with self-honesty can build self-trust, bring self-awareness, and point you in the direction of what you may need to do or shift to decrease anxiety.
Energy Givers & Energy Depleters
Another helpful tool in learning what you need to decrease anxiety due to high levels of stress is to create a list of things that give you energy and things that take away your energy.
Bringing awareness to the people, places, things, and routines in your life that give you energy and those that take away from it can help you set boundaries around what you think about, what you do, and who you hang out with. Some energy depleters are unavoidable, but you can learn to strike a more healthy balance with energy givers.
Creating Space
Regardless of what you fill and spend your days with, one of the things that can create the most built-up stress that manifests as anxiety is not having time to slow down. Being able to rest and fill your cup up after being caught up in the “doing” of the day is vital.
Carving out time to rest and having time to do nothing may feel challenging, but it is an essential piece of decreasing the stress you put on your body and mind each day by allowing yourself to recharge. Learning to manage a healthy level of stress in your life without causing yourself anxiety is an ongoing process that ebbs and flows with different seasons of life.
Beginning practices like taking inventory of your stress and anxiety levels, being mindful of what gives and takes away your energy, and creating space to rest are critical parts of finding overall wellness.
Lowering stress levels to decrease anxiety can be challenging, especially if stress is your baseline of functioning. To experience wellness and find balance, be intentional in doing what you can to decrease unnecessary stress to decrease anxiety levels that cause you suffering. At Avalon Malibu, we can help you learn what builds stress for you, and how to set boundaries around those things for managing anxiety to feel inner peace. If you are ready to begin healing anxiety and finding peace, call Avalon Malibu today at (844) 857-5992.