Practical Strategies to Manage Anxiety.
Experiencing difficulties with anxiety but unsure what to do? 🤷♀️
This piece is devoted to helping you understand different things you can do to help manage and reduce any anxiety you are experiencing. Whether this is mild anxiety you feel when faced with smaller stressful life situations, or more severe anxiety, you are not helpless! 🙅♀️ There are things you can try to help regain control of your life. ✅ I’m going to give you some information concerning some of these anxiety-reducing strategies. If these are not for you then that’s ok. If you try one and realise it isn’t for you then that’s ok too. This is your mental health journey and this is all about you discovering what you like and what works for you!🤗
Mind and body interventions are great for managing and reducing symptoms of anxiety. We’re going to take a look at yoga and progressive muscle relaxation! 🙌
🧘♂️🧘🏻♀️Yoga 🧘🏻♀️🧘♂️ 👉 Yoga has long been associated with mental health benefits. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials have suggested there is evidence yoga can be a safe and effective intervention for people experiencing elevated levels of anxiety (Cramer et al. 2018). Attending a yoga class is a great way to get yourself out of the house, give yourself some YOU time and even meet some new people. However, I understand it can feel daunting to think about starting a yoga class, especially when you're feeling anxious. So, I have included a yoga routine for you that you can try at home. I have chosen this specific yoga routine because it has previously been used in a research study (A randomised comparative trial of yoga and relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety (Smith et al. 2006)). The aforementioned study showed that following this yoga routine for ten weekly one-hour sessions helped people to manage their stress and anxiety, increase physical and mental health and improve sleep!
✍️ The yoga routine: 🧘🏻♀️🧘♂️ ❇️ Savasana or Tadasana (breath awareness—–lying or standing) ❇️ Shoulder, arm, head, and wrist rotation ❇️ Tiryaka Tadasana (swaying palm tree pose) ❇️ Kati Chakrasana (waist rotating pose) ❇️ Uttanasana (standing forward bend) ❇️ Majariasana (cat stretch pose) ❇️ Ardho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog pose) ❇️ Virabhadrasana II (warrior pose) ❇️ Surya Namaskara (salute to the sun—–modified) ❇️ Spinal twist ❇️ Utthita Trikonasana (triangle pose) ❇️ Badha Konasana (bound angle pose) ❇️ Utkatasana (fierce posture) ❇️ Pose of the child ❇️ Navasana (knees bent supported with hands) ❇️ Vrksasana (tree pose) ❇️ Nauka Sanchalanasana (rowing the boat pose) ❇️ Utthita Lolasana (swaying while standing pose) ❇️ Advasana—Makarasana—Matsya ❇️ Kridasana—Savasana (relaxation postures) (Smith et al. 2006)
👉 You do not need to complete this whole routine. The study states that they only used on average 12 of these poses per hour session. Remember, you need to do what is right for your unique needs and abilities. If something doesn’t feel right or comfortable then refrain from trying it. If something feels good then maybe do it twice instead of another pose. You need to figure out what is right for you and tailor this routine accordingly. If you are unsure of what these poses are, then you can research them and find a picture to help guide you. This routine is only a suggestion, feel free to make up your own routines based on different poses you like! Or, you can also have a look at video tutorials available online!
✨💪 Progressive Muscle Relaxation💪✨
👉 When you are anxious your body can respond physically by tensing your muscles. Progressive muscle relaxation helps you to reduce and get rid of that tension by relaxing major muscle groups in your body. This informs your body it does not need to be in an anxious state allowing you to feel more relaxed. This technique can be particularly useful to do in the moment when you are experiencing anxiety. It will take some practice for you to get used to, but it is a great tool to have! I have included an at-home routine for you below. Remember this is just a suggestion. You can create your own version that works for you! You can also create a quicker, less visible version for when you are in public settings. For example, one that focuses on your hands and fingers.
✍️ Work your way through the major muscle groups in your body. 🔶 Head –Tense the muscles in your forehead as tight as you can while counting to 10. Then release these muscles until they are back to feel completely relaxed (It might be useful to count to 30). Repeat this with your jaw by clenching your teeth together. 🔶 Shoulders – Tense your shoulders by bringing them up towards your ears. Then release these muscles until they are back to feeling completely relaxed. 🔶 Arms- Make a fist with your hands and extend and tense your arms. Then release these muscles until they are back to feeling completely relaxed. 🔶 Bum – Squeeze your bum in as tight as you can. Then release these muscles until they are back to feeling completely relaxed. 🔶 Legs – tense your whole legs. To do this, you squeeze the muscles in your legs. Then release these muscles until they are back to feeling completely relaxed.
👉 When you are tensing your muscles you mustn’t do anything that feels too uncomfortable for your body. But, it’s ok if it feels a little bit uncomfortable. It’s key that you feel the tension in each of your muscles when you’re working through them and then make sure you allow them time to fully relax.
We also have a guided progressive muscle relaxation audio available for you to listen to on Happio for some kind, loving instructions on how to do this practice!✨
🤗You are not alone. Happio is here to help you. We want to teach you the tools you need to live your best life!!! Remember not every strategy works for everyone, find enjoyment in the experience of discovering whether these work for you! Be kind to yourself! 🤗