Manage Anxiety With These Tips

Reduce Your Caffeine Intake 

You can effectively calm anxious thoughts by reducing your intake of caffeinated beverages. The body’s fight or flight response is influenced by a hormone referred to as adrenaline. 

The consumption of caffeinated beverages can cause some people to feel tense or anxious because it causes a spike in adrenaline. 

One of the most preferred sources of caffeine is coffee. It is worth noting that even decaffeinated coffee contains caffeine, around 2 to 12 milligrams. 

Caffeine is also found in: 

Chocolates – with the dark variety containing higher concentrations 

Breakfast Cereals and Desserts that are chocolate flavored  

A number of pain medications are sold Over-The-Counter.

It is best to avoid the consumption of caffeine altogether, especially if you notice a link between its consumption and rising anxiety levels. 

However, to avoid caffeine withdrawal, this should be done gradually. Physical symptoms that can be likened to those attributed to anxiety can be caused by withdrawal.  

Work Out 

According to the New York Meditation Center there are two ways in which working out helps reduce anxiety. For starters, it helps reduce the body’s level of stress hormones. Furthermore, it helps distract you from dwelling on negative thoughts by drawing your focus towards the task of working out.   

The effects of working out on the body were investigated in a 2013 study. In the study, exercise was compared to regular anxiety treatments through 8 randomized controlled trials.  

In the absence of conventional treatments for anxiety-like talk therapy and medications, exercise was found to be less effective. But, a combination of both the treatments and exercise was found to be more effective than using the treatments only. 

The nature, duration, and regularity of exercise that will yield the best possible results when it comes to reducing anxiety will require additional studies.   

Practicing Yoga 

One of the most beneficial forms of exercise when it comes to treating anxiety is considered to be yoga. 

The effects of yoga on mood and the performance of the nervous system were investigated in a 2015 review. 

Everything from cortisol, blood pressure, and heart rate levels were decreased as a result of yoga, as observed across the 25 studies included in the review. Anxiety can be intensified by having high levels of cortisol in the bloodstream.   

Symptoms of anxiety and depression can be effectively reduced by yoga. Blood levels of molecules referred to as cytokines are also reduced by yoga. Cytokines are released in response to stress by the immune system.  

A variety of negative health effects, including long-term inflammation, can be caused by chronically high levels of cytokines. 

Listening To Your Favorite Tunes  

Anxiety and stress can be reduced by simply listening to music. 

The brain’s reward system, which relieves anxiety and stress by increasing feelings of pleasure, can be activated by music. 

The effects of music on physical and mental health were investigated in a 2013 review. Immune system function can be enhanced and stress reduced by listening to music, according to a small group of studies considered in the review. 

When it comes to reducing levels of stress, a study found that the most important factor was music preference. As such, you can listen to one of your favorite tunes as a way of reducing stress in the short term.  

Use Calm to try out new calming exercises.

Use the award-winning Calm app to manage your stress levels. To help you relax and focus, experts have put together stretches, guided meditation, and a sleep story that you can try out separately. Get your free trial now. 

Practicing Mindfulness 

One of the most popular forms of meditation is considered to be mindfulness. 

In this form of meditation, you are encouraged to pay attention to things that are happening in the present, including bodily sensations, thoughts, and feelings. This shift in focus can help you avoid negative thoughts.