7 ways to manage anxiety and improve wellbeing

Anxiety, of whatever kind, can be crippling. When anxious, you’re seized by uncertainty, and your body, mind, and heart are pushed into crisis mode. It makes it hard for you to function normally, let alone at your best. If left unaddressed, anxiety can worsen and wreak havoc on your relationships, work, and life in general. 

Fortunately, anxiety isn’t the end of the world. It can be managed and minimized. Below, our guest blog contributor Dorothy Watson offers 7 tips on how to manage your anxiety and improve your well-being: 

Try the Ed Can Help sound therapy app 

Sound-based therapy uses sound – and sonic waves – to destress and promote feelings of harmony and well-being in your body. It’s an immediate antidote to anxiety. A single session can give you results and can put you in a better headspace. Sound therapy is a great way to manage your anxiety when you have important (and stressful) things to do – like attending a meeting, public speaking, or going for a performance review. 

Tackle the root cause 

Why do we feel anxious? The general answer is anxiety is caused by uncertainty and the loss or lack of control associated with said uncertainty. The truth is that life, including everyday situations, comes with change and uncertainty built in. When faced with that uncertainty, you become anxious as a response. Understanding and tackling the root cause – the uncertainty and lack of control – is key to managing anxiety. Understanding that you always have a choice (however limited) can give you a sense of control. For example, you can always do something constructive to mitigate your anxiety (like practicing your pitch before a meeting). 

Allow the anxiety to run its course 

When experiencing anxiety, people naturally want to “fight it off”. Many do their hardest to resist it. This is not a good way to tackle anxiety and can hurt more than help. What you resist, persists. Consider allowing the anxiety to run its course – much like you would a cough or a sneeze. Feel your anxious feelings, sit with them, and don’t resist. You’ll get through to the other side in one piece, and the act of “allowing” will reduce the potency. Joanna Hardis offers some useful tips about this concept.

Do something constructive or creative 

When gripped with anxiety, you’ll find that doing something constructive or creative will go a long way toward easing your anxious feelings. Even the silliest of activities – dancing a jig (just because), doodling, or playing a game – can help. This puts you back in the driver’s seat, so to speak, and reminds you that you always have the capacity to choose and create. 

Believe in good things 

Good things don’t cause anxiety, bad things do. As such, make an effort to be more positive and think more optimistic thoughts. For example, instead of entertaining notions of how everything could go wrong, entertain notions of how it could all work out. If you can’t find it in you to believe in positive outcomes, at least make an effort to be realistic. Also, don’t forget to believe in yourself. You’ve got this! 

Look after your health with better choices 

When you’re in sound physical, mental, and emotional health, you’re more likely to feel empowered. You have higher self-esteem and more capacity for self-belief. As such, do everything you can to be healthy, and address all aspects of your well-being. Some suggestions are going out in nature, exercising, eating well, connecting with positive people, and meditating. Even if you’re always busy with work, you can still find clever ways to look after yourself – like drinking more water, eating healthier snacks, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. 

Give yourself structure

Last, but not least, giving yourself a sense of structure and order can be helpful. Having a healthy routine to follow, for example, gives you a sense of control over your life. Also, you may not be able to do anything about an upcoming anxiety-inducing situation, but you can make a plan to do something afterward. For instance, you could treat yourself to something nice after a stressful meeting. 

In the short term, you can use sound therapy to bring your anxiety under control. For the long term, make sure you have a healthy routine going and do your best to look after yourself – anxiety can be hard on your mind and body. Keep in mind that professional help is always an option. If your anxiety is serious, don’t hesitate to seek out a mental health expert. 

Thank you to Dorothy Watson from mentalwellnesscenter.info for this guest blog post.