How to Calm Down When Feeling Anxious 

Anxiety can make it very difficult to handle daily tasks. It can disrupt your life and it’s important to find ways to help you handle it. One of your first approaches can be trying to help you feel calmer when your anxiety sets in. 

Breathe 

Your first step in helping you calm down is to breathe. Breathing is extremely helpful because deep, controlled breathing delivers more oxygen to the brain. This stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps your body to relax and feel calmer. When you’re feeling anxious, you can try some breathing exercises to help you feel calmer. There are specific exercises you can try or you can simply focus on taking several deep breaths. It can also be helpful to do some focused breathing every day. Regularly doing this can help you to feel calmer and feel less stressed in the long run. 

Label and Acknowledge Your Feelings 

When you’re feeling anxious, it can make things worse if you try to push down or suppress your feelings. Instead, you need to acknowledge them. When you are feeling anxious, take a moment to label these feelings and recognize them for what you are. Accepting your feelings can make it easier to process them. You can label your feelings to yourself and this can be enough to help you acknowledge them. You could also talk with a friend or trusted individual and explain what you’re feeling. 

Release Your Feelings 

Once you’ve labeled and accepted your feelings, you then need to release them. Expressing your feelings is important because it allows you to process them and move on from them. Otherwise, your brain can send your body into fight or flight mode and you end up holding onto the stress and other negative emotions. There are plenty of ways to release your feelings and express yourself. Often being creative is a helpful method. You could also do something physical like going for a walk or playing a sport. It’s important to find the best way for you to release your feelings. 

Everyone experiences anxiety in their own way. If you experience it, then you should find ways that are most effective for you. Helping yourself to feel calmer is an excellent place for you to start. 

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