How to reduce stress and anxiety

How to reduce stress and anxiety

We’re all exposed to stressful situations on a daily basis whether it’s related to work, home, relationship, health, financial situations, etc. Stress is inability to cope with perceived threat whether it’s real or imagined. Whatever the cause to your stress may be, here are some tips to how to cope with it:

Educate yourself about stress and anxiety–read, learn and be an expert about it in order to be able to recognize it when you experience it. Many of us can’t tell when we’re under stress. Increase your awareness about how your body reacts when in stress and anxiety; the pace of your heartbeats, your breathings pattern, the sound of your voice, behavior pattern. This will allow you to be able to feel when it’s coming, so you'd be able to calm your body and mind before it completely takes control over you.

Breathing techniques-as a yoga teacher I always open my class with a breathing technique, to reduce stress and relax the body. When you’re under stress take a deep breath, hold your breath for 4 seconds and exhale 6 seconds. Repeat 8 -10 times. You may increase holding your breath to 5 and 6. Start your day with this breathing technique.

Water– water has healing properties. F. Batmangheligj M.D writes about all the diseases that can be prevented and cured (anxiety as well) simply by increasing the daily water intake to 2-3 quarters. Coffee, tea, alcohol, juices don’t count as water.  DRINK WATER to reduce anxiety. 

Yoga– Make time for yourself to practice yoga every day or every other day. Yoga Vinyasa teaches you to breath while moving into different stretches. When we breathe into the stretch we release tension in the body.  Some of the poses could be very helpful in reducing stress such as: brigde, wheel, shoulder stand, triangle, extended side angle, camel, downward facing dog, Savasana. You can use them as a tool to reduce stress whenever and wherever you need it.
Choose Yoga classes that combine mindfulness and focus on adopting new patterns and habits into your life that will promote peace and relaxation.  

Meditation is a powerful tool to quiet your mind and is very similar to cleaning or removing viruses in a computer. Once you quiet your mind, it can perform better. There’s many youtube posts that can teach you how to meditate. Dedicate 10-20 minutes a day for meditation. The more you practice, the better you get at it. You can not go wrong with meditation, so don’t be judgmental about yourself, some days will be better than others and it’s perfectly ok. 

Physical activity– any physical activity helps to reduce anxiety and stress. Taking a walk when you’re stressed also helps to reduce stress immediately. 

Nutrition– Change your nutrition. Less sugar. Less fast food. Less processed food.  More vegetables, more fruits. More fermented food to support your guts and immune system. More herbal tea with herbs that reduce anxiety such as: Chamomile, peppermint, lemon balm, Echinicea, passion flower, turmeric tea. 

Ayurveda herbs– there are some healing herbs in Ayurveda that can be found in special herbal stores (also online such as Banyan) :  Brahmi, Bhingaraji, Jatamas, Ashwaganda and Vacha. 

Essential oils– essential oils has a calming effect on the body; lavender, chamomile, vetiver, ylang ylang, sandalwood, and marjoram. Use it with a diffuser in your bedroom before going to sleep or anywhere else in your house.

Massage and sauna– if you have the time and the money, squeeze massages and sauna in your schedule. It’s reducing stress, anxiety and detoxifying. It keeps our mind and body healthy.

Reducing anxiety and stress require you to adopt a new life style where you are coming first on your priority, and take care of yourself! remember: when you're relaxed the people around you will be relaxed as well. 

Relationships

The quality of the relationship that you have with yourself determines the quality of the relationship that you have with others.

ask yourself theses questions: 

· Do you appreciate yourself?

· Do you feel worthy?

· Are you being hard on yourself?

· Do you listen to what your body       

  communicates to you?

· Do you listen to your inner voice?

· Do you have quality time with yourself?

· Do you feed your body with healthy    

  nutrition?

· Do you love and trust yourself?

· Do you constantly judge yourself? 

Your reality will always mirror the way you feel about yourself. If you ignore your feelings and emotions, the people that surround you will ignore your feelings and emotions as well. If you disrespect yourself, you will find yourself in situations where the people that are surrounding you will disrespect you too. If you position yourself at the bottom of your priority list, others will put you at the bottom of their priory list as well. Learn to treat yourself the way you want others to treat you.  

Do not confuse self love with selfishness. Self love is filling your own cup in order to be able to give others. self love is choosing joy for yourself, and honor your needs without disregarding others. 

If you wish to change the quality of the relationship that you have with others start with changing the quality of the relationship that you have with yourself;  love yourself, take care of yourself, rest, meditate, eat healthy, and be kind to yourself.  Trust yourself.  Be the change  you want to see. 

Start today

Light and Love