5 Tips to help anxiety 

1. Practice deep breathing to calm your body and mind.

Deep breathing is very effective in calming your body and mind. When you’re feeling anxious, take a few minutes to breathe deeply from your abdomen. For example, if you stand up and put your hand on your chest, you can feel your lungs expand out to the tips of your fingers when you breathe in. When holding your breath for a few seconds after taking a deep breath, you’ll notice that your stomach expands outwards when breathing in and it contracts back in when breathing out. This is called diaphragmatic breathing. It allows your lungs to take in more oxygen, releasing a lot of carbon dioxide and calcium from your bones into your bloodstream.

Put on some relaxing music like classical or instrumental tracks. You can focus on the sensation of each inhalation and exhalation as it moves in and out of your body. Another way to do this is to imagine that you have a balloon on your upper lip. As you breathe in, your lips get bigger. As you breathe out, your lips shrink. When the balloon is completely deflated, take a few more deep breaths, and then try to do something positive for yourself!

One study found that deep breathing helps to fight off the negative symptoms of panic attacks by calming down the body’s nervous system and reducing one’s blood pressure. Breathing helps bring oxygen into the blood, which calms down the heart rate and reduces stress hormones that are released in the body during anxiety. Another study found that deep breathing can help reduce anxiety three-fold because it slows down your heartbeat and causes a person to relax. Other research has found the “fight or flight” response, which occurs when adrenaline is released into the body and a person experiences an elevated heart rate or fast breathing. When this happens, it can cause a person to feel “dreaded anxiety.”

There are some acupuncture points that help with better focus and breathing, they are

A) HT7 Shenmen -for emotional issues, especially excessive anxiety and worry.

B) P6 Neiguan- It is very helpful in treating insomnia and calming the Shen.

C)Du20 Baihui -headache, calm the mind

D) Ren17 Tanzhong – the sea of Qi clam the mind and relax the body

Every time when starting the breathing exercise should choose one or two points to use the index or middle fingers massage with circular motion for 5-10 mins to maximize the calming result.

2. Get outside for a walk or run – exercise releases endorphins which make you feel better.

exercise releases endorphins which make you feel better. Exercise has been clinically proven to help people who suffer from anxiety. It releases endorphins that make you feel better – like eating a brownie or taking an anti-depressant does! So go for a walk or take your dog for a run. If you’re very anxious, even just standing up and walking around the room can release some of that adrenaline in your body.

If you are too anxious to move around much, try this, lie on your bed with both arms stretched out in front of you, palm up. Then slowly raise both arms over your head until they are straight up. Hold for a few seconds, then lower them back down to your side while turn palm down. Repeat 5-10 times.

3. Meditate by focusing on your breath, repeating a mantra, or listening to soothing music.

Meditation is another great way to calm the mind and body and relieve anxiety! Try doing it in a quiet place where you can be alone to really focus. You can sit cross-legged or lie down, but keep your back straight. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Try inhaling for a four-count through the nose and exhaling for a four-count through the mouth. Another good calming exercise is counting each breath – try inhaling to a 4 and exhaling to a 6. Or use a mantra such as “one” on your inhalations and “lesser” on the exhalations. This focuses your attention on counting and breathing, instead of other thoughts that might be racing through your mind.

Don’t listen to music with a strong beat or bass (like dubstep) . Music with a strong beat can stimulate your nervous system – if you are sensitive to this, listen to soothing music instead.

4. Journal about how you’re feeling.

This can help release negative emotions and thoughts. If you’re experiencing anxiety, try writing in a journal about some of the things that are making you anxious. Expressing yourself through writing can help eliminate those negative feelings and start looking at the situation in a different light. You may also want to make a list of things that are making you feel happy and do them – go shopping, see a movie with friends, take your dog on a walk.

Writing can be helpful but don’t overdo it. If you tend to write for hours about the negative feelings in your life, this could lead to depression or more anxiety. So try to just express yourself in writing for 10-20 minutes, then do something positive and distracting – like call a friend or go on Facebook.

5. Think of the things that are making you happy right now so that you don’t get overwhelmed with all the bad stuff going on in your life.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the stress and responsibilities in your life, take a few minutes to think about what’s good in your life. Does your dog love you unconditionally? Is there a close friend who always has your best interests at heart? Do you have a job that challenges and rewards you every day? Whatever good things are in your life, think about them. Looking at the positives can really help you get through all those negative thoughts and feelings.

These are just a few tips to help you feel better, but there are many different techniques that might work for you. Experiment with them and find out what works! You can make it through this. Remember that lots of people have anxiety – and they’ve gotten through it!

If you still suffer from high levels of anxiety, it’s wise to seek professional help from a trained therapist or counselor. They can teach you how to deal with anxiety on a daily basis and even some ways that you can overcome anxiety for good!

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