Coping with anxiety can be incredibly difficult and often makes everyday life feel overwhelming.
There are some simple changes you can make to your lifestyle that can help reduce your anxiety and improve your overall quality of life.
If you’re looking for ways to help reduce your levels of anxiety and give you the chance to relax, I’ve listed some of the best ways to reduce anxiety and stress, by making simple changes to your lifestyle. Keep reading to learn more.
Talk It Out
Whether it’s talking to a professional counsellor, or just having a chat with a friend or family member, talking is one of the best ways to help relieve stressful burdens.
You’d be surprised how many people are in similar situations, with stress and anxiety appearing to be more on the increase than ever.
Sometimes if we keep everything bottled up, we can catastrophise scenarios or overthink things too much.
Discussing your worries with others could help give you some perspective on a situation which helps you to see things more clearly and reduce your anxiety.
Dietary Changes
The food we put into our bodies can unknowingly cause us to experience poor nutrition, which in turn can affect our mental health.
Getting to know the different nutrients that can help boost mental health and in which foods they can be found can be hugely beneficial. Some of the most important vitamins and minerals for mental health include:
- Magnesium- believed to alleviate symptoms of depression, found in spinach, almonds, and dark chocolate
- Zinc- found in meat, dairy, and whole grains
- Vitamin C- increasing intake of vitamin C can increase energy levels and reduce fatigue and can be found in a range of fruits
- B Vitamins- these range of vitamins are believed to help with increasing memory, clear thinking, and reducing depression, and can be found in brown rice, lentils, some seafood, and meats
Anxiety Reducing Exercise
Gentle, calming exercises can help with reducing stress. For example, yoga and Pilates are popular favourites both for the strength-building exercises involved, and the mindfulness and relaxation practices that go hand in hand with it.
However, any form of exercise that you find enjoyable will help to relieve stress. It gives you the opportunity to switch off from the rest of your life or the things that are stressing you out, and purely focus on the moment.
You can plan your exercise in so that it gives you time on your own to clear your head, or time to spend with friends and socialise – whatever feels good for you.
Exercising in nature is particularly beneficial, as the presence of greenery and fresh air are natural stress and anxiety relievers.
CBD Products
CBD products have increased in popularity in recent times due to their stress-relieving abilities.
The most popular form CBD products take is in the form of oil that can be ingested by placing a few drops under the tongue.
You can buy CBD oil that only contains CBD, or you can buy oil that has CBD and THC in it. THC will only ever be present in very low quantities in legal products so it can’t give too much of a high.
Make sure to research which product would suit your needs best if you’re considering full-spectrum CBD oil in the UK.
If CBD oil isn’t for you, then you can also find CBD in other forms such as creams, essential oils, and even lollipops.
Work-Life Balance
If you’re burning the candle at both ends at work and leaving little downtime for yourself, it can lead to it affecting your mental wellbeing.
Although it’s great to be passionate about your job, you need time for your brain to switch off and relax. Try and find a healthier balance between work and your own free time.
For example, try not to take work home with you. Have a set time that you finish up your work and then once that time has passed, you can take your professional hat off and start the evening for yourself.
- If you’ve got old hobbies that you no longer have time for, try and get back into them even if it’s once a week.
- If you enjoy cooking, take time over nourishing, homecooked food with your favourite ingredients.
- If you have a partner or family, try and boost your quality time together rather than replying to work emails all evening on your phone.
- If your boss has unrealistic expectations and it’s stressing you out, communicate this to them, they may be more understanding than you think.
- If you feel your job just doesn’t value you as an employee and it’s affecting your mental wellbeing, then start looking for something else.
No job is worth sacrificing your mental health.