How I Calm My Anxious Mind
Practical tips that have helped me to cope with my genetic propensity to feel anxious.
Anxiety is a word we hear a lot these days. The daily stressors of life — whether it’s work or relationships or traffic — constantly add more and more to the anxiety bucket. If someone has suffered trauma, that may have a big impact on their mental health. Our physical health, food habits and genetics also contribute to our likelihood of having anxiety and also decide how we manage stress.
I have been tested positively for a gene that makes me prone to anxiety. Does that mean I will live my life in fight-or-flight mode? No. I have accepted that anxiety will always be a part of me. It is simply just the way my brain is and I can learn to work with it, like everything else in life.
I have spent the last few months experimenting with several things and below are a few that work for me when it comes to coping with anxiety.
1. Walks
Taking walks for at least 30 minutes has made a huge difference in my state of mind. One element of it is the endorphins that are produced as a result of moving our body. Another was the me-time; walking gave me time to unwind, step out of redundancy, and simply be with myself.
Some days this means being alone with my thoughts, on other days I'll listen to some podcasts or audiobooks. I prefer audiobooks because once I have loaded it on my phone, I don’t need to reach for the phone again for the whole walk. It’s there, ready to go.
Being in nature is a cherry on top. Greenery can provide a refreshing break for the eyes and mind.
2. Routine
People with anxiety tend to overthink a lot, which can be exhausting and unproductive. Having a set routine allows me to be free of mental load, eventually to a point of becoming a habit that I don’t have to think about.
I started waking up at a set time and decided on an order of things I’d do next. For the first few days I had to check my calendar to remind myself, but now I just do those things without additional thought.
A lot of things still come ad-hoc, but having a structure to my day gives me extra headspace and helps me feel more comfortable with handling the things that seem random.
3. Meditation
You must have heard this one a lot already, but there is a good reason for that. Exercising our mental muscles and creating new neural pathways is not an easy job, though it’s definitely important when it comes to cultivating emotional awareness and inner strength.
I still am not wholly comfortable with my meditation practice. My mind runs amuck the whole time, but there are days when it does silence the chatter, even if only a little bit, and makes my mind seem much calmer.
When I feel really anxious, just the simple act of focusing on my breath helps me re-centre myself. There are a lot of free apps available that can be really helpful for beginners, too, if you’re new to the practice and aren’t sure how to get started. Smiling Mind and Insight Timer are two great ones.
4. Engaging Senses
When anxiety is really bad, I have found distracting my mind a great relief. I use this easy exercise of engaging senses:
Look around and name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can smell, 2 things you can feel and 1 thing you can taste.
This simple distraction gives my mind a break, helps me breathe easier, and then get back on track with a much calmer headspace.
5. Weighted Blanket
I read a lot about weighted blankets and several people vouched for their anxiety-reducing effects. Anxiety sometimes causes insomnia, and the weighted blanket helps me sleep like a baby.
It acts as a swaddle and calms me enough to make me sleep. It also makes tossing and turning really hard, and in a way forces me to lie still and drift off.
Mental health is a very personal thing and every one of us is different. You may assume that some of these methods are not for you, but don’t shy away from giving them a real try. Always experiment until you find the methods that best suit your preferences.
It took me a while to understand my mind and my anxieties, and with my emergency-anxiety-kit in my back pocket, I go through life a little calmer every day.
Mind Cafe in Your Inbox
Want to stay up to date with our top-performing posts each week? Sign up for email updates by following this link.
