Have you been feeling stressed out and anxious? Are you looking for ways to lower your anxiety levels but haven’t found much success? Odyssey Online has several suggestions for reducing stress, all of which do not require using medications.
The first suggestion by Odyssey Online is to practice mindfulness and meditation. These techniques can help to lessen those worrying thoughts you have, especially those “expect the worst” kinds of thoughts.
Interestingly, research is showing that mindfulness/meditation has a real effect on our brains. Forest Baptist Medical Center conducted brain scans of those who practiced meditation. They found that areas of the brain that controlled worrying were more active, which means participants were experiencing fewer anxiety symptoms.
Another suggestion is to exercise. When we exercise our bodies make endorphins. These chemicals are important because:
- They help to reduce pain.
- Have a positive impact on sleep quality.
- Overall are important for lowering our stress levels.
Research is showing that participating in aerobic exercise reduces tension and improves our mood. Even better, work out outdoors to get the extra mood benefits of vitamin D from the sun.
A third idea is to try conscious breathing. This is when we focus our attention on our breathing by inhaling and exhaling for a certain number of seconds. Conscious breathing helps to slow down our brains and lower stress levels.
Fourth, consider trying acupuncture or acupressure. This is where practitioners place needles near or apply pressure to nerves that can address pain or help the brain control your emotions.
Finally, you can go to a psychiatrist to treat your anxiety. By using talk therapy techniques, you and your psychiatrist can better understand together why you are experiencing anxiety and work to solve the problem.
Want to learn more about how you can address problems with anxiety? You can read the full article here: “No Wonder We Have Anxiety! So What Can We Do About It?”
