By Ryan Light, Anxiety Coach
If left unchecked, chronic stress can have a major impact on how your body feels and functions. It can also diminish your overall health. People who suffer from persistent anxiety are prone to problems like adrenal fatigue, high blood pressure, heart disease, muscle tension, digestive upset, and sleep troubles among many other things. Fortunately, stress isn’t an emotion that you’re powerless to control. With the following stress-busting activities, you can maintain a calm, focused and completely relaxed state of mind.
Try Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing is the act of breathing with your diaphragm, rather than doing the majority of the work with your lungs. With this type of breathing, you have the ability to take in far more oxygen with each breath. This allows for optimal oxygen distribution which has an immediate, calming effect on the mind. In fact, when practiced for ten minutes or more, diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to positively alter brain wave patterns. It does this by balancing the autonomic system after the “fight or flight” response and by slowing down the heart rate.
To start, sit upright in a comfortable position with your palm pressed flat against your belly. Breath in deeply through your nose while expanding the abdominal cavity, rather than making your chest and shoulders hitch. You’re doing it right when your hand moves outwards and your shoulders remain neutral. Hold your breath for ten seconds and then exhale slowly through your mouth. After several minutes of this exercise, both your body and your emotions will feel infinitely more relaxed.
Moderate Your Diet
You can’t expect to feel anything but nervous, jittery and anxious if you’re constantly loading up on sugar and caffeine. Take stock of how many caffeinated beverages you drink each day and gradually work on lowering your caffeine dependency. Replace sodas, juice-flavored beverages, sports drinks, and energy drinks with fresh, pure water. You should also limit your intake of real fruit juices. Although these beverages are commonly perceived as being healthy, most adults don’t need more than just four to six ounces of real fruit juice each day.
Address Nutritional Deficiencies
Many adults are suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies. This is due in large part to changes in food production and overall food quality. There are also many people who subsist primarily on highly refined, processed foods. One of the most common deficiencies is magnesium deficiency. This mineral that is easily obtained by cooking meats with the bone in. Given that consumers are now investing in leaner, boneless cuts of meat or eschewing meat entirely, the average diet has far too little of this essential mineral. One of the first and most noticeable signs of a magnesium deficiency is severe and chronic anxiety. Thus, you may be able to regulate your moods by eating more bone-in cuts of meat and plenty of dark, leafy vegetables. Coconut water is also high in magnesium.
Use Supplements To Alleviate Stress Naturally
There are also a number of supplements that you can use to alleviate chronic stress and anxiety naturally. If you believe that you have a nutrient deficiency that’s causing your anxiety, try investing in a high-quality multi-vitamin to ensure that you’re getting everything your body needs. You can also find a range of all-natural supplements that are rich in powerful, calming agents. Products like Natural Redicalm can quickly balance the moods without causing any unpleasant side effects. Redicalm is comprised of five, natural compounds that work seamlessly together to quickly alleviate stress.
Fix What You Can And Leave The Rest Alone
One of the best ways to beat stress is by taking quick and concerted action to resolve the problems that you’re capable of resolving. Anxiety can make a person feel like a deer that’s trapped in headlights. Be as proactive as you possibly can about changing the circumstances that are causing your stress rather than letting these spiral out of control. When you’re done, give yourself permission to relax. There will always be problems that lie outside of your control. Bear in mind, however, that you’ll always have the best ability to rise above these negative circumstances when your mind is clear, focused and steady.
Looking for an anxiety coach? Please reach out to contact me as I’ve helped dozens of people beat their anxiety and get back to living life.
Somatic coach (therapist) in Canton, GA, and Worldwide Life Coach dedicated to inspiring and assisting people worldwide through candid conversations about anxiety. Having personally battled general anxiety, panic disorder, and OCD, I understand the daily challenges those grappling with anxiety face. My journey involved searching for the right therapist, medication, and natural supplements and undergoing various tests. It was only after deciding to reclaim my life that I finally overcame anxiety’s hold. I’m passionate about helping others conquer their struggles and discover their life purpose.