Our country is experiencing a stress and anxiety crisis. In the US currently, over 40 million adults are suffering from an anxiety disorder (and that's just the diagnosed clinical cases) and 75% of Americans experience moderate to high stress in their lives.
With all these sources of stress and anxiety, it can be hard to know where to turn to stop feeling so panicked. At Vantage Medical Associates, we're committed to helping you live your best life. Here are our top suggestions for daily activities you can use to lift these anxious and stressful feelings.
Quieting all the thoughts in your head isn't always easy. By using guided meditations designed to slow the hamster wheel in your brain, you can help yourself derail anxious thoughts. If you're on a budget, try finding some through YouTube or your music streaming service (Apple Music or Spotify)
Exercise releases hormones that help you calm yourself naturally. Endorphins are released during exercise that are called nature's antidepressants.
If you have too much stress and not enough time, taking even 5 minutes to do a quick yoga routine can help take the edge off, both long term and short term.
We understand not everyone is gifted with a paintbrush or a pencil. But everyone has their ways of expressing their creativity. Maybe you're an accountant, and math is like music to you. Or the perfect pie is your masterpiece. Even picking up sudoku can be a quick and easy way to wake up the creative side of your brain.
Creativity is a beautiful source of peace and distraction for a busy and scared mind. Take some time out to listen to or create music or go to an art gallery. Allowing your brain to be creative and at peace will ease many negative feelings.
Morning routines get a bad rap. Many people don't have enough time in their day to do a routine at the same time every day. If you're a parent, you know morning time is busy and crazed without trying to take 50 minutes to do yoga every day.
A daily routine doesn't have to all happen simultaneously or at the same time every day. It can be as basic as writing down three things you want to do every day. Do one as soon as you wake up, one on your lunch break, and one before bed. Boom, you're done. You can even use the suggestions elsewhere on this list as items for your daily routine.
The aim here is not to give you one more thing to do in your day- it's to bring more of what makes you happy and healthy into your life.
Potential suggestions for daily routine items include:
The best action to take for your stress and anxiety is not to force yourself to go through it alone. After all, that's part of why you feel like this in the first place, right? Too much pressing on you and not enough relief?
Talking to a professional or doing group therapy with other people who feel the same is a fantastic way to take back control over the anxious and stressful feelings you have.
Stress and anxiety don't have to rule over your life. Finding ways to manage your anxious feelings can help you live happier without making drastic changes to your lifestyle. If you're finding that you are overwhelmed by these feelings, please know that resources are available to help you manage better. Book an appointment right away and easily with our online tool so you can talk to your doctor about the best methods to manage your stress and anxiety.
