How to Relieve Stress and Anxiety

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
― Amit Ray

If you have realized that everyday life can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety, you are not alone. The stress of work, school and everything else can weigh on anyone. Uncertain and challenging times can add so much more stress on top of your regular everyday stressors.  There are some things you can do to minimize these effects and shift your mood, however. What can you do in everyday life to deal with anxiety?

Start with Your Words

In challenging or stressful times, it is important to connect with your physical sensations, to ground your energy, to recognize your emotions as they are and to remember that you are not your thoughts. You are not your feelings or emotions. At times, you may feel controlled by your thoughts and your emotions as if they become you. Just as when you walk out in the rain you are not the rain, when you experience anxiety you are not the anxiety. Anxiety is only an experience that you are having.

There is a big difference in saying to yourself, “I have anxiety, or I am anxious,” versus saying “I am experiencing anxiety at this moment.”  The first statement is claiming that sensation as yours which your mind recognizes as something it wants to hold on to because you are the owner of it.  There is no need to take ownership of the anxiety.  You can release stress and anxiety. Take comfort in the fact that, like all moments, this moment too shall pass.  The more you can tenderly offer yourself love and kindness for your experience, the less suffering you will experience.

This meditation a powerful and effective practice to help you relieve stress and anxiety that starts with humming.

Stay Active

Keeping your body moving is a great way to reduce anxiety. In fact, exercise is one of the best natural remedies for anxiety symptoms. Additionally, your workout doesn’t have to be vigorous to notice these effects.  Even a nice walk outside or a brief yoga session can raise your endorphin and serotonin levels, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Here is a playlist of gentle Pilates and Yoga workouts that are great practices to start with. 

Use Mindfulness Throughout the Day

Emphasizing mindful thinking throughout the day can also help with anxiety. There are many ways you can go about using mindful thinking. For starters, you could, of course, practice meditation. We have an assortment of guided meditations on our site that you can use to help get started.

In addition to meditation, we recommend emphasizing staying in the moment when completing any activity. Rather than focusing on the big picture and the future, focus on sequencing small tasks or accomplishments throughout the day. Often times, focusing on the moment at hand can take your mind away from anxieties that may otherwise become a distracting burden.

Here is a quick mindful tip video with some other, simple and practical ways to add mindfulness to your daily life.

Meditation

While meditation has numerous benefits, alleviating stress is one of the most notable ones.  The negative effects of stress can be counteracted after only one session, but nurturing your meditation practice can lower your stress levels across the board and help eliminate the negative ramifications of stress from your life. Below are some tips for getting started using meditation practice to manage stress.

Effective meditation simply takes practice. However, there are resources everywhere that can help. Our YouTube channel is a great, free resource that has tons of tips that you can implement into your own meditation practice. We even have full-length guided meditation sessions specifically for stress relief and anxiety!

Find a Community for Support

A solid community can be a great asset when starting your meditation practice to relieve stress and anxiety. While meditation itself is largely done in solitude, there are communities across the internet and across the world that are always willing to offer advice or spread positive energy. Another idea is getting a friend or partner involved in meditation practice. You will be able to use each other as a means to share your progress and keep each other on track.

Set Aside Time

When you have obligations to fulfill from sunrise to sunset, it can be hard to find the time to sustain a meditation practice every day. However, it is important to realize that you are important and absolutely deserve to make time for yourself. Consider setting a phone reminder at some point in your day, outside of working and driving, to practice meditation. After all, even 5-10 minutes out of your day can make a world of a difference.

Be Patient

Meditation is a developed skill. Just like any other skill, it takes practice to become an expert. Even after practicing for a long time, there will be times when you come to your practice and it is difficult.  If you find that it’s not working for you immediately, keep trying. If you can stay patient with yourself and continue practicing good habits, you’ll start to see progress and notice the wonderful, stress-relieving effects of meditation.

Hypnosis

Working with a hypnotherapist can be a great way to address many internal struggles, anxiety included. If you are new to the world of hypnosis and are interested in learning more, here is a video session we have created that you can follow along with. If you commit to practicing hypnosis, positive beliefs can begin to imprint in your subconscious in as little as 21 days.

If you decide you want to work one on one with a hypnotherapist, that is a great idea too! We recommend a specific practice called Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). RTT is a hybrid therapy developed by Marisa Peer. What makes this specific practice effective for so many people is that it combines the best of hypnotherapy with other unique methods to long-lasting feelings of anxiety.

Reduce Your Anxiety with The Mindful Movement

The Mindful Movement is an oasis where you can come to tap into inner peace, a positive mindset and your own ability for healing. Dive into the world of mindfulness and meditation with our video series and podcast episodes.

We’re always providing new tips and guided meditations. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow our Instagram to stay in the loop!

Here are some of the latest tips from The Mindful Movement

If you are looking to dive into the world of meditation in 2020, a great starting point is our 4-Day Meditation Journey. This free program is a great resource for beginners and those looking to step back into the practice of meditation.

The Mindful Movement’s 5-week online course, Living Fulfilled is another great opportunity.  During the course, you will explore how to find your purpose, love yourself, and connect with your authentic self.

Additionally, here are a few great meditation practices for relieving stress and anxiety from our channel:

Ultimately, Les and I at the Mindful Movement really want to offer resources and support possible to help you.  Let us know how we can help.  Please feel to leave a comment with any other suggestions, comments, or questions for the community!

With love and gratitude,

Sara and Les

The Mindful Movement