How to Ease Anxiety in a Changing Environment

It is undeniable that the past year has been a time of constantly shifting responsibilities and daily routines. While Covid-19 continues to be a source of anxiety for many, the holidays may exacerbate the situation when routine family time is disrupted. Annual family visits would be affected due to the pandemic and virtual alternatives would have to be considered.

Anxiety is described by the American Psychological Association (APA) as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure”.

As such, effective methods of tackling anxiety are to do physical exercises that deal with lowering one's heart rate and blood pressure. Here are some examples:

1. Practice Deep Breathing

Deep breathing helps to center and reset one's heart rate. One such method is the 4-7-8 method which goes as follows:

• Inhale, expanding your belly, for 4 counts.
• Hold the breath for 7 counts.
• Exhale for 8 counts.

2. Practice Mindfulness Exercises

Mindfulness is defined as the act of putting focus to the emotions you are experiencing via your senses. While there are many variations of the practice, an effective method is imagining one's emotions as a river. Imagine yourself to be sitting by the river, legs dipped into the water. Acknowledge that you are experiencing sad or anxious emotions and let them was over your feet. Become aware of that sensation, breathe and let it go with the flow of the river.

Mindfulness may take some training to be effective but have patience and imagine it to be a muscle that one must train!

3. Avoid Coffee, Nicotine and Alcohol

While many of these substances provide immediate relief to your situation by distracting your body with another physical sensation, they can be extremely harmful in tackling your anxiety! Caffeine and nicotine have increases one's heart rate and may even cause one's anxiety to spike. Alcohol may have a sedentary effect but when it wears off, research has shown that the reduced serotonin (dubbed "Happy Chemicals") worsens anxiety.

These are just a handful of exercises that you can practice in your own time to help deal with stressful and tumultuous times. Many of these are best practiced with a coach or counselor who can track your progress and can even suggest exercises that are a better fit for you. This is because a counselor can better understand your lifestyle and stresses and suggest anxiety management skills that can specifically deal with your issues.

Consider beginning your mental health journey today with a counselor at Infinit Care to better prepare yourself for the holidays and any future stresses!