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Be Calm & Carry On
Millions of us experience anxiety, often without even realising it. Anxiety is what we feel when we’re worried, tense or afraid. It can be caused by a number of factors, including feelings of uncertainty, physical health issues, stressful life situations and trauma related to childhood experiences.
If you’re feeling anxious, for whatever reason, there are ways you can step back and take control before the symptoms build up and take over.
Breathing practice: breathe in through the nose for three seconds, breathe out through the mouth slowly for five seconds.
Distraction technique 5-4-3-2-1: acknowledge five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste, before you take one deep breath in and out.
Positive affirmations: tell yourself, “I am safe, I am in control, this feeling is anxiety and is already on its way out”.
Dietary changes: a combination of eating fewer processed foods, drinking less alcohol and cutting back on the caffeine intake will all make a difference to anxiety symptoms.
Enough sleep: aim for a regular sleeping pattern by going to bed at the same time each night, switching off screens at least one hour before bedtime and ensuring your bedroom is dark and at the right temperature.
It’s perfectly natural for us to experience the ups and downs of all our emotions, whether it’s a feeling of being happy, angry, anxious, calm or excited.
While we might be able to keep the positive feelings alive more easily, when it comes to managing our negative feelings, it’s a whole different ball game.
I can recommend the following RADAR technique, which, quite simply, is totally awesome!
- Recognise the feeling – give it a name
- Accept it – sit with the discomfort
- Don’t analyse it – avoid thinking; just stay with the feeling
- Appreciate the positives – be grateful for all the good things in your life
- Relax – focus on your breath and remain still for a short while
Go on, give it a go – you have nothing to lose and a whole lot of calmness to gain!