Almost five years ago I formed a collaborative partnership with the fabulous Ananga Sivyer. Our intention was and still is to support people who suffer from the pain and discomfort of stress and anxiety. Since then, we’ve created loads of supportive resources, podcasts and albums dedicated to calming fragile minds all over the world. As Anxiety Slayers, we serve up a potent blend of coaching, breathing exercises, EFT Tapping, guided meditation albums and more. Some of the most supportive anxiety relief tips we share are offered up in this article and include: personal awareness, anxiety triggers, sleep practices, breathing exercises and media discernment.
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” – Amit Ray
Learning to slay your anxiety begins with personal awareness. How are do you manage bouts of anxiety? For years it didn’t occur to me that when I wanted to crawl out of my skin before a social function, I was experiencing a form of anxiety; or that when I felt moments of terror riding along in a car (as a passenger) that it was the fearful thoughts about getting into fiery crash that stirred up my anxiety. I thought I was stressed out and over-reacting. When I originally said yes to collaborating with Ananga, my intention was to support people suffering with high levels of stress in the workplace and how to quell the jangly feelings that come up when we are out of balance. I was eager to call up what I learned during my corporate career, yoga teacher training and hundreds of coaching experiences. I had to laugh when I realized I was teaching what I most needed to learn. It’s interesting how often teaching what we need to learn comes up for coaches, authors and healers. Learning how to manage my anxiety has been a valuable gift for myself, my family and my mentoring clients. I’ve learned to honor my fragile mind and balance my daily activities with discernment, spaciousness and ample downtime.
Eliminating anxiety triggers like caffeine is one of the best ways to calm your nervous system and ease anxiety. When I eliminated caffeine from my diet (all but my daily cup of coffee), I noticed a big difference. People who are stressed and suffer from anxiety often experience a racing heart, trouble sleeping and a heightened current of energy coursing through their bodies when they take in too much caffeine. These disconcerting experiences can lead to irrational fears and panic attacks. The human mind is very fragile. Eliminating caffeine is one of the best recommendations I can make to better care for your body and calm you precious mind. Alcohol can also exacerbate anxious feelings. People who suffer with anxiety will often have a drink to calm their nerves. What they don’t understand is that when your body starts to detoxify the alcohol, this creates a heart racing sensation and can contribute to a heightened sense of anxiety. I invite you to replace coffee and caffeinated drinks with hot tea or spring water to support your nervous system. Ananga and I often recommend warm milk with a pinch of Nutmeg before bed to help you relax and get a good night’s rest. If you drink alcohol, try to have your last drink before 9pm to give your body time to process the alcohol before you go to bed.
Sleep deprivation and anxiety is often a vicious cycle. We have trouble falling sleep because we’re stressed, and in turn, not getting enough sleep makes us anxious the next day. Sleeping well is one of the best remedies for an anxiety free life. A soothing bedtime ritual is an excellent way to get a good night’s sleep. Make time for a warm bath. Read or journal before bed. Gentle yoga postures like child’s pose or a forward bend will help you get a restful sleep.
Today many of us are staying up too late and consuming media before bed. Whether we’re Online, in front of the TV, or watching Netflix. Violent programs, negative news stories, and troubling content rile up our subconscious and can overwhelm our systems when we finally go to sleep. The time you retire in the evening is also important. It’s amazing how much better I sleep when I get to bed by 10 p.m. and trade in watching an episode of Game of Thrones for an uplifting book or an article in Shambhala Sun. I often sit, contemplate and give thanks for the day’s events before slipping off to sleep.
“When overcoming high levels of anxiety, it is important to learn the techniques of correct breathing. Many people who live with high levels of anxiety are known to breathe through their chest. Shallow breathing through the chest means you are disrupting the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide necessary to be in a relaxed state. This type of breathing will perpetuate the symptoms of anxiety.” -HealthyPlace.com
Breathing exercises are one of the most supportive activities you can add to your anxiety relief toolkit. Anybody can learn supportive breathing techniques. From simply noticing your inhalation and exhalation, to the measured breath, you can do this! Try this short breathing exercise.
Short Breathing Exercise – The Measured Breath
You can sit or stand, but be sure to soften up a little before you begin. Make sure your hands are relaxed, and your knees are soft.
- Drop your shoulders and let your jaw relax.
- Now breathe in slowly through your nose and count to four, keep your shoulders down and allow your stomach to expand as you breathe in.
- Hold the breath for a moment.
- Now release your breath slowly and smoothly as you count to seven.
- Repeat for a couple of minutes and notice how you feel.
Breathing exercises and mindfulness breathing techniques are well worth learning and practicing if you suffer with anxiety. Every mindful breath you take balances your brain, calms your fragile mind and helps you get grounded in the present moment.
I mentioned media discernment and a supportive bed time ritual as a way to get a better night’s sleep. Beyond getting a good rest, freeing your mind from hundreds of negative news stories that bombard you every day along with being mindful of the amount of violence you watch on television will contribute to your peaceful mind.
After leaving the television advertising business I took a hiatus from watching the news for several years. It’s not that I wasn’t aware of what was going on in the world, I just chose to filter what I was taking in. What I learned is that I have a much more positive outlook on life when I’m not overflowing my brain with devastation, sadness and negativity. And while I enjoy watching action movies and some titles that include more violence than you might expect, I’m careful to balance out what I take in with my spiritual practice, time in nature, journaling and compassionate self-care. If you are overwhelmed and maxed out, take a break from news stories and violent programs for a while and notice how you feel.
If you suffer with stress, anxiety, panic attacks and an overall sense of worry about your health and well-being, you are not alone. You can begin wiping out the fear and discomfort of anxiety in your life right now by answering the following questions: When do you feel most anxious? What triggers anxiety for you? What might happen if you cut back on your caffeine intake? How might you feel if you learn supportive breathing techniques? Dig deep. Take a mental inventory and identify what behaviors you can change. Your reward will be a calmer mind.
