How to reduce anxiety: Tips to calm anxious feelings | Wave
How to reduce anxiety: Tips from a therapist
If you’re looking for ways to cope with anxiety, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll find Wave coaches’ proven techniques for soothing anxious thoughts and stopping an anxiety attack in its tracks. You’ll also explore natural remedies that can help prevent anxiety over time.
How to quickly reduce anxiety, naturally
There are many healthy, everyday ways you can cope with anxiety. Many of them only take a few minutes and can be surprisingly effective.
Take a few deep breaths.
When you’re having anxious thoughts or feeling panicked, it can be hard to take a full breath. That’s because our breathing naturally becomes shorter and more shallow when we’re stressed. Wave’s guided breathing bytes (in the app) are a quick and effective way to get through an anxious moment.
Try a guided meditation.
If you want to take your mind away from future thought spirals and focus on the present moment, meditation can help. And don’t worry if you usually find meditation tricky to stick with. Even taking one or two minutes to be in the “here and now” can make a big difference. Wave coaches recommend taking a moment with RAIN.
Go for a short walk outside.
Fresh air can work wonders for anxiety relief. When you change your surroundings and get your body moving, you’re giving yourself a natural reset from an anxious moment. Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask yourself, “Have I been outside yet today?” If the answer is no, even a 10-minute walk around the block can help you shift your mindset.
Write down your feelings.
Getting your emotions out of your head and onto paper can help you feel more organized and in control. Wave’s daily emotional check-in can help you do just that. You’ll keep track of your mood, energy levels, social life, self-care, sleep, and more.
Reach out for support.
Anxious thoughts can make you feel like you’re alone. But the truth is, support is at your fingertips. Reach out to a trusted friend or family member and let them know how you’re doing. Also, professional support can make a world of difference. Wave Coaches are specifically trained to help you overcome anxiety, get through a panic attack, and set up your day-to-day life to reduce anxious feelings over time.
Daily activities to help prevent anxiety
We’ve explored how to get through a high-anxiety moment. Now, let’s talk about preventing anxiety over time. Here are a few changes you can make to your daily life and habits that can stop anxiety before it starts.
Build a strong sleep routine.
Poor sleep and anxiety go hand-in-hand — anxious thoughts can keep you up at night and a sleepless night can make you feel more anxious. (It’s a vicious cycle!) Creating healthy sleep habits can break the cycle and help you feel more rested and emotionally balanced.
Try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Keep your sleep environment cool, dark, and free from distraction. And, possibly the hardest of all: limit screen time before bed. Placing your phone out of your bedroom can keep you from disrupting your sleep before bed and when you wake up during the night.
Try massage or acupuncture.
There are many natural remedies for anxiety to explore. Massage and acupuncture are two powerful ways to address physical tension that can result from anxiety. You might notice that after a session your body and mind are feeling relieved.
Eat a balanced diet.
Anxiety causes us to crave sugary, carb-y foods. If you turn to comfort food to self-soothe, you’re not alone. But those comfort foods can often make us feel even more anxious. Your body needs high quality, nutritionally dense foods to support your physical and emotional health. Think veggies, healthy fats, protein, and hydration. If you can build healthy foods into your everyday routine, you might notice a big impact on your anxiety over time.
Become aware of your emotions and triggers.
It’s powerful to understand your feelings on a deeper level. Getting more information about your patterns — like when you tend to feel anxious, what thoughts you tend to have, what soothes your anxiety — puts you in the driver’s seat. Wave’s app has a daily emotional check-in that can serve as your dashboard for your emotional wellbeing. And your Wave coach can help you start to notice patterns and make connections over time.
That leads us to our top tip for anxiety management: Download Wave today. Why Wave? It’s affordable, effective, and built for you (it’s not your parents’ therapy). With Wave, you have anxiety management at your fingertips and a dedicated coach who’s there to get you through tough times.