Looking at the current trends in anti-anxiety drug prescriptions, it would seem that stress and anxiety disorders are flourishing throughout North America. The demands of a fast paced world make it an ideal breeding ground for stress and stress related disorders. The toll of stress on our physical and psychological being has well been documented. Unfortunately, we do not always employ the best strategies for dealing with (or preventing) this stress. The use of drugs, alcohol, or other maladaptive techniques actually contributes to the problem and end up making things worse. I am reminded of a Seinfeld episode where yelling “serenity now” would be a calming technique only to find out at the end that “serenity now…insanity later”. Here is a clip from the show for those of you who haven’t seen it.
If you have just watched the little clip, you may just have engaged in three techniques to lower stress and anxiety: distraction, smiling, and laughing. We will now explore five more techniques that are effective anxiety busters.
- Exercise: It has long been know that aerobic exercise (as little as three times a week for 30 minutes) is an effective strategy to burn off excess stress. In fact, when you exercise, you are decreasing the body’s natural stress hormone (cortisol) while increasing the body’s natural feel good chemical (endorphins). This reaction results in a natural mood boost and contributes towards resilience. If the words aerobic and/or exercise turn you off a little, a brisk 20 minute daily walk can be just as effective.
- Meditation: Mindfulness and/or lovingkindness meditations are another effective way to calm the mind and learn to live in the present rather than being preoccupied by future or past events. Not only is regular meditation effective for calming the mind and reducing stress but it actually stimulates the part of the brain responsible for positive emotions. Meditating on a daily basis for 15 minutes per practice is all it takes to reap its positive effects.
- Sleep: Getting a good nights’ sleep is not always easy when we are stressed or anxious. However, getting a good nights’ sleep is an essential part of good stress management. Luckily though, by engaging in the first two strategies (exercise and meditation), sleep becomes easier and more restful.
- Relationships: By surrounding yourself with positive people you feel close to, you are building a type of social support system that allows you to be able to express how you feel in a safe environment. Being able to express you deepest concerns and feeling accepted and supported is an excellent way to diffuse stress in a productive way. Furthermore, having such relationships can increase your resilience to stress and anxiety to.
- Curiosity: When we struggle with our anxiety, trying to force it away, you are actually making it worse. If you are told not to think about a goldfish, chances are the first thing you think about is a goldfish. The more you try not to think about it, the more you actually do. The same thing happens when you try to force stress or anxiety out of your mind. You can’t just “snap” out of it. An approach eloquently described in Todd Kashdan’s book Curiosity teaches us to rather detach ourselves from the negative emotion (or feeling) by exploring it. Take a curious approach and try to analyse what the source of the stress or anxiety might be. Why do I feel this way? Has this happened before? How did I deal with it before? By analysing the source of the stress and/or anxiety through a curious lens, you are in essence detaching yourself from the emotion (or feeling) and distracting yourself from it by looking at it in a different way.
Along with these strategies, there are other little tricks that can be of great benefit when trying to reduce stress and anxiety. Avoiding such maladaptive strategies as alcohol consumption, smoking, and caffeine can go a long way to reduce stress. In fact, these behaviours can actually increase anxiety and trigger a panic attack.
Please feel free to let me know what effective stress/anxiety reduction technique you use. Expanding the list could be beneficial to everyone reading this post. Hope to hear from you and your stress busters.