Stress and anxiety are not always bad. In the short term, they can help you overcome a challenge or dangerous situation. Examples of everyday stress and anxiety include worrying about finding a job, feeling nervous before a big test, or being embarrassed in certain social situations. If we did not experience some anxiety, we might not be motivated to do things that we need to do.
However, if you are avoiding situations due to irrational fears, constantly worrying, or experiencing severe anxiety about a traumatic event weeks after it happened, it may start interfering with your daily life. It can also have negative effects on your physical health if untreated for long periods of time. While some amount of stress and anxiety in life is expected, it’s important to know how to cope when the stress in your life is causing negative consequences.
Five strategies that can help to reduce stress and anxiety are:
- Meditation
Meditation is the simplest way to restore your calm and inner peace. You can practise meditation wherever you are _ while going for a walk, riding a bus or standing in a queue outside the grocery shop. Meditation can relax you and clear away the information overload that is clogging your mind. It helps you to detach from anxious thoughts. Meditating with mindfulness also leads to awareness. You learn to identify the tensions in your body, understand the way you think, and how to deal with difficult emotions. - Exercise
Any form of exercise acts as a stress reliever, whether you choose aerobics, yoga or free-hand exercises. Make exercise a part of your stress-management routine. Daily tension can be shed through physical activity. It not only helps you to relax, but also lowers symptoms of depression and anxiety. - Develop a positive self-image
You can programme your subconscious to focus on positive thoughts rather than fear, which is what causes anxiety. The way you speak about yourself is a way of creating your own story; it forms the framework of how you feel about yourself.
First thing in the morning, visualize the way you want to go through the day. When you close your eyes and imagine something, your body responds to the image in your mind as if the event were really happening. Every day acknowledge something good about the day. - Self-affirmation
The full realization that you are responsible for yourself is a fundamental step for mental well-being. You have everything you need within yourself, you are complete and whole. Feel that you are worthy of care and love. The best relationship is the one you have with yourself. So, practise self-care. Say these words to yourself every day:
I am worthy
I am self-confident
I am capable of achieving my goals - Get rid of negative thinking
Negative thinking is a habit that must be broken in dealing with anxiety.
Negative self-talk is the inner critic. By watching your thoughts, you can learn how your mind operates. Your thoughts affect your feelings, and this determines the way you behave. If you tell yourself you have no energy, or you feel frustrated, then that is how you will feel.Avoid the company of people who discourage you. Choose to be with those who motivate you to become a better person. Being in good company also includes the company of books and good music. Read motivational books, and listen to inspirational music. You will find your spirits are lifted and you are filled with positive energy.
Roshmi Roy
Dr. Roshmi Roy is a gold-medalist from La Martiniere for Girls and has a Ph.D in English from Calcutta University. After teaching English in schools and colleges in Kolkata and Bangalore, she taught Business Communication in Management Institutes, such as Bhavan’s Institute of Management Science. On completion of her certification in Soft Skills and Personality Development, she became a freelance soft skills trainer and conducted workshops for studentsteachers and corporate employees. She has participated in and directed plays for English theatre groups in Kolkata. She is now a certified Transformational Coach who lives in Andheri West, Mumbai.
Her journey as an author began in 2009 with Sisterhood of Women, based on her thesis on feminine consciousness in women writers. Her first motivational book, Climbing the Beanstalk:It’s up to You to Reach the Top, was published in 2019. This was followed by two collections of short stories. Mindset Mastery, her fifth book, comes from her desire to share the knowledge she has gained in the field of coaching, in association with the Arfeen Khan Incredible You Coach Training Programme. Her message is that whatever your age and whatever your station in life, you have the right to lead a life of happiness and fulfilment. Her other interests include theatre, traveling and social work.
