5 things you can do to reduce anxiety

Photograph of woman feeling anxious. [Photocredit: The Digital Artist; Pixabay]
Photograph of woman feeling anxious. [Photocredit: The Digital Artist; Pixabay]

Anxiety and mental health is a huge topic that affects millions of people across the globe. Let's take a look at some ways that anxiety can be reduced

Click to watch the video
Five things to do to reduce anxiety & depression

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders that millions of people experience across the world. No one said that dealing and coping with anxiety is easy, but it is definitely possible. There are so many techniques and methods that one can use to cope with and manage their anxiety. There is not a one size fits all when it comes to treating anxiety. At the end of the day, whatever you have to do to treat your anxiety, do it because taking care of yourself and your mental health is super important.

1

Exercising at the gym

So you're feeling anxious? It's about time you head to the gym. Working out is a great way to reduce anxiety and stress in your body as it allows you to escape from whatever it is that is making you anxious. Exercise is not only good for your body; it is also good for your mind. Exercise will help a racing mind, build your confidence and self-esteem, and it will get you in shape. So the next time you're feeling trapped by anxiety, you should definitely hit the gym.

4

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a widespread practice used to treat anxiety and anxious thoughts. It is all about framing our thinking patterns. We have thousands of thoughts a day, but many of them are not accurate or true. It's as simple as challenging our anxious thoughts.

View this post on Instagram

A few weeks back I posted about Core Beliefs, Intermediate Beliefs and Automatic Thoughts. Today I want to dive a little deeper into the rabbit hole and begin to unpack negative thinking styles and how to reframe cognitive distortions... . . CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) explores how unhelpful thinking styles often contribute to negative automatic thoughts. We often have multiple unhelpful thinking styles that impact our mood and behaviors.... . . Unhelpful thinking styles may include All or Nothing thinking, Over-generalizing, Disqualifying the Positive, Emotional Reasoning, and Personalization to name a few. Above are a few examples of how we can acknowledge the unhelpful thought, recognize the type of unhelpful thinking style, and then begin to reframe the thought.... . . Please know this work takes practice. A lot of practice. We are essentially retraining the brain to think differently. We have deeply rooted stories and narratives about ourselves and others that need to be challenged. A good place to start is becoming more aware of how you are thinking. Maybe start with asking yourself, “What is going through my mind?”... . . 🙋🏻‍♀️ Can you relate to these unhelpful thinking styles? For more information, visit beckinstitute.org. . . . . . PLEASE SEE DISCLAIMER IN HIGHLIGHTS #cbt #cbttherapy #cognitivebehavioraltherapy #unhelpfulthinking #thinkingstyles #retrainingmybrain #braintraining #therapistofinstagram #therapistsofinstagram #drkellyvincent #therapy

A post shared by Kelly Vincent, Psy.D. | RYT (@dr.kellyvincent) on

5

Talk to a counsellor

Going to therapy to treat anxiety is hands down one of the most recommended things you can do. Talking to someone about how you are feeling is super important. Social workers, counselors, and/or therapists are there to listen, not judge, and guide you. They will have many techniques for you and will help you recover with your anxiety. There is no shame in going to talk to a mental health professional.

Content sponsored by Outbrain