If you have been dealing with anxiety for a long time, then you should have already been to book a session for dealing with anxiety and depression with a professional. This step is important, and provides you with a much-needed structure and framework to your therapy and assistance.
When you’re attending regular sessions, you should start to feel some progress and improvement, but let’s say you’re only seeing your therapist once a week, what can you do on all the other days? What if between sessions you’re having a bad day and anxious thoughts are starting to take over and dominate your headspace? You can and should ask your therapist for advice, of course, but you can also try the EMDR Therapy Toronto to help calm anxiety when you’re managing things yourself.
Cut Down on Caffeine and Alcohol Intake
You may have always considered coffee to be your calming force in life. It was that first cup of coffee each morning, you thought, that restored your humanity, your patience, and your best qualities. If you’re suffering from excess anxiety, however, then it’s quite possible that too much caffeine will do more harm than good.
Start Writing
If you’ve never tried the therapeutic effects of writing on your anxiety, then now is the perfect time to start. Buy yourself a nice journal to write your thoughts and feelings in, or open up your laptop and just start typing into an empty word document, it doesn’t really make a huge difference. Writing allows you to process your thoughts, engage in reflection, and gain clarity on exactly what you’re feeling and thinking.
That clarity can very often lead to anxiety-relieving solutions coming to mind!
Try Breathing and Relaxation Techniques
Have you ever been stopped by your Apple Watch to engage in a minute of breathing and relaxation? You might have laughed or scoffed the first time you saw that, but you should know that being able to take a pause, close your eyes, and focus in on your breathing even for just a minute or two can have a very powerful, centring effect.
If you have longer, learning to lay down, or sit comfortably and relax your muscles and body parts one at a time can be another powerful weapon against anxiety when it threatens to take hold of your mind or body for yet another day. Just 15-30 minutes or relaxation can set you back up for a productive day.
Use Lavender
One of the best natural allies you’ll have in your battles with anxiety is lavender, a plant which has an incredibly natural calming effect. Lavender has been used across many cultures for centuries, with many long since understanding its unique properties for creating calm and serenity.
Prepare a Bath
If you’re setting up a lavender-rich atmosphere to help yourself calm down, why not combine that with a nice relaxing bath? Running a bath with some soothing Epsom salts or similar products can really help bring anxiety to heel.
Switch Off Electronics and Be Alone for a Moment
The constant beeping and buzzing of our smartphones and other electronic devices is just another force that serves to fuel out anxieties. The constant division of our attention as different media companies, games, news organisations and others compete for our likes and shares is actually a very unhealthy thing. Take time to turn off all your devices and return to a few hours of silence, and you’ll feel that anxiety start to wane.
Fix Yourself a Healthy Snack
Finally, you can make yourself feel better during a period of anxiety by preparing a healthy and nutritious snack, perhaps something you can eat while watching an episode of your favourite show. Try trail mix, dried fruits, celery or carrot sticks with hummus…the list goes on.
