Anxiety can drag your entire life down. Instead of wholeheartedly believing in yourself and making decisions that are best for you, you may tend to live with a fear-based mentality that has you trying to control things that have not yet happened – and either stalling to progress forward or taking steps forward, but at the same time, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Fear no more! This anxiety-ridden struggle does not have to be your reality anymore. You simply have to learn to re-commit to a lifestyle that has you stare anxiety in the face and make the conscious decision to not be a victim to it. If you’re ready, keep reading to find out five ways you can beat anxiety today…
1. Make sleep a priority.
In today’s stressed-induced world, it’s easy to forget that we’re humans who have basic survival needs that fuel us daily – sleep being one of them. Putting sleep at the top of your priority list can make all the difference in your relationship to anxiety. It’s a common need we humans take for granted until it becomes a critical health problem. Science proves time and time again how sleep directly affects your mental, physical, and emotional well-being, directly impacting your relationships, productivity level and overall quality of life. If your motto is, “I can sleep when I’m dead,” consider switching it to, “I sleep therefore I am alive!”
2. Visualize positivity.
Running from place to place, juggling family responsibilities, being on your A-game at work, and squeezing in a social life gives you little to no space to center yourself, thus leaving you anxious when you start and end your day rather than feeling grounded. Visualization can become one of your most powerful tools, even if you set five minutes of your day aside for this process. Simply find a comfortable place with minimal distractions and close your eyes. Begin to think of the things you enjoy doing. Retrace old memories. Open your mind and dig out the strengths and talents you may have once buried – the things that come most naturally to you – and you’ll feel positively elevated and excited for your future.
3. Use aromatherapy.
Aromatherapy is a holistic, non-invasive method of reducing anxiety that helps to regulate your overall bodily functions and promotes a natural healing process for the body and mind. Fragrances like lavender (my favorite!), rose, vetiver, ylang ylang, bergamot, chamomile, and frankincense evoke emotional or psychological triggers to the brain, which is then stimulated to release hormones and neurochemicals reducing anxiety and bringing healing changes in the body and to your psychological reaction to life. You can find these natural plant oils in many Yon-Ka Paris products.
4. Use breathing exercises.
As your local yoga teacher might vocalize, “breathe in the life-force that is all around you and breath out the life-force that makes you come alive.” Focusing on the way you breathe is severely underrated. Instead of properly breathing, we tend to cut our breath short and end up experiencing anxiety-attacks as a result. Simply set a timer for 2-4 minutes a day and take 4-second count breaths in and out of your nose. Learning to breathe fully and exhale completely will improve your ability to focus your mind, restore balance in the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and rejuvenate your nervous system.
5. “Declutter” your surroundings.
Physical storage equates to mental storage that tends to keep your energy low and anxiety high. If you keep things for years and never use them, you may want to consider setting some rules for yourself to declutter your space!
I love the idea of a “12-12-12 Challenge”, where you have the simple task of locating 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate, and 12 items to be returned to their proper home. This challenge could turn out to be a fun and exciting way to declutter and organize your house. When you learn to detach from material objects, you immediately make room for something even better to come into your life.
Make the decision today and don’t allow anxiety to rule your life anymore. Put yourself back in the driver seat, and take control of your life today.
