There have been days where I felt I wouldn’t ever be able to walk out of my bed, make my breakfast or even do anything for the day. But then there were other days where I could muster all my strength, get up, get dressed, walk out of the front door and do some amazing things!
Anxiety is always a roller coaster ride, it’s never a crest for too long, neither a trough.
Somewhere between the lines, you have to find yourself, discover your strengths, and your weakness and work on them consistently to make a life for yourself.
I have tried and tested tens if not hundreds of ways to calm down my anxiety and stress levels. It always used to crop up from these tiny, mostly unnoticeable things that my mind would spontaneously pick up and begin overthinking.
Here are some of the things that worked to lower my anxiety levels:
Eat Healthy Food
When we’re young, we take things for granted including finances, investments, career, life choices, relationships, and our health. We literally adopt the quote
“Drink like a fish.”
Not only do we drink alcohol and smoke tobacco or drugs but we also tend to skip meals, especially our breakfast.
It is scientifically proven that a healthy body helps in decreasing mental health issues, especially those related to stress, depression, insomnia and anxiety.
Start taking baby steps in the direction of a healthy diet. Include more of natural ingredients like fresh fruits, vegetables, herbal tea, kava tea, chia seeds, apple cider vinegar etc.
Consult a doctor before starting a diet or including any food supplement if you have an allergy or medical history that restricts you from having certain food items.
Once you start eating healthy, you will see a change merely within a week or so, starting from your physical appearance: your skin will become much smoother and flawless, there will be a significant decrease in acne, and a healthy diet will also ensure healthy collagen production (collagen is a naturally produced chemical by our body that is responsible for making our skin look firmer, with reduced lines and wrinkles).
Join a Gym
Sounds like a motivational coated mundane advice, doesn’t it? I thought that too. But when nothing else really worked, I thought of giving this a chance.
So I joined a gym, just for a month, to see if I could reduce my stress levels and if it actually worked wonders like other people said it did. Honestly, it was highly impactful.
Not only was I in shape, and have lost all the extra pounds that I had gained due to my hormone imbalance triggered from anxiety, but my mental health improved as well. It increased my focus, memory retention power, reduced stress and kept anxiety at bay.
I used to watch a lot of motivational videos, especially the one from The pursuit of happyness while running on a treadmill, used to think about my goals, my passion, and the life that I wanted to live. It really helped me envision my future, and drifted me away from the overthinking, anxious part.
In the end, it all boils down to acceptance.
From accepting your anxiety to embracing new changes, it is you who has to gather courage and lead the way.
If you suffer from anxiety, talk to your friends and family about it. Discuss how you feel, scribble it down, and don’t just stop there. Write about the things that could make you feel better, things that could change your perspective and make a positive impact.