Stress and anxiety “Life Hacks”
Do you suffer from occasional anxiety or does anxiety rule your life?
Does it feel like anxious thoughts run through your brain with no “off” switch available?
Anxiety is a reaction to stress, which is in itself an overdose of pressure on your mind and body. Anxiety can get in the way of living a healthy, happy life. Life hacks are all about keeping it simple.
Think about changes you can make to your routine to lessen anxiety triggers. What can you change or avoid in order to avoid or cope with anxiety?
Here are a few life hacks to cope with stress and anxiety.
- Physical exercise helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression. Keeping your body active is good advice for a happier healthier life. Exercise releases ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters both during and after exercise.
- Reduce Caffeine intake. Too much caffeine can turn into a pounding heart, inability to focus, or “the jitters.”
- Shut down your social media for some daily quiet time. Social media can heighten anxiety, especially when overused.
- Do Yoga. In a small 2007 study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the study’s participants who participated in yoga classes experienced “significant” reductions in depression, anger and anxiety.
- Learn the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. During TM your body automatically and naturally shifts into a style of functioning that is the opposite of the body’s stress response. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in 2014 showed that the Transcendental Meditation program reduced anxiety far more significantly than other relaxation and meditation methods.
Once you learn the TM technique, you can do it on your own; the relief from anxiety and stress is felt right from the start.
Find out about courses with a TM teacher in your area
About the Author
Vanessa Vidal is the national director of TM for Women in the USA
