Effective Self-Care Practices for Managing Your Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are a serious mental health condition that is common among the Indian population. Symptoms of anxiety can affect various aspects of your life, making it harder to maintain your relationships or fulfil your daily responsibilities. Effective treatment for anxiety disorders requires immediate professional intervention from a trained and licensed mental health professional. 

However, even when seeking professional support, it is important to learn how you can take better care of yourself daily. While therapy helps you feel better in the long term, self-care practices can teach you how to adopt relaxing and healthy routines in your daily life. 

Remember, mental wellness is not just about treating or eliminating your symptoms, it is about improving your overall well-being. 

Also read: How Does Anxiety Affect Your Physical Health?

Finding anxiety relief through self-care practices

Self-management of symptoms is often the step in addressing your mental health concerns. In fact, studies show that self-care can help reduce anxiety and help you feel better. Self-care practices can include something as simple as incorporating relaxation techniques into your daily life or making certain lifestyle changes. 

With healthy self-care habits, you can adapt to changes more easily, recover from setbacks, improve your relationships, and feel happier. 

What works for others may not work as well for you. So, it is important to understand what you want to achieve from your self-care routines. 

For some, self-care goals can look like:

• Reducing and managing anxiety symptoms better.

• Improving physical and psychological well-being.

• Recognising their emotional needs better.

• Achieving balance in their lives.

• Fostering healthy relationships.

Self-care practices can act as fuel for your well-being; when you take better care of yourself, you have enough energy to take care of others. 

When thinking of self-care practices to try, think about the different aspects of your life where you want to manage your anxiety symptoms better. Do you have emotional, physical, social, financial, environmental, intellectual, or occupational needs to address?

Knowing which areas of your life need extra attention can help you learn which self-care routines may work best for you.

Also read: How Do I Talk To Someone About My Depression Or Anxiety?

Adopting self-care practices to manage your anxiety

When you're unsure of how to get started on your self-care routines, here trying out a few common practices can help.

Engage in physical activity

Getting regular exercise or moving around more can go a long way in helping you cope better with stress and anxiety symptoms. Exercising for 30 minutes a day can seem daunting to many, but even taking a walk around your home or neighbourhood can help. Since a lot of people spend their time indoors, either working from home or in an office space, engaging in regular physical activity can be a way for them to spend a little more time outdoors. Spending time outdoors, such as going for walks, hikes, or runs, can help you feel more energised, and reduce fatigue, which makes it easier to manage the symptoms of anxiety. 

Remember, small amounts add up, so don’t be discouraged if you can't achieve 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

Eat regular meals and try to maintain a healthy diet

What goes inside your body not only affects your mood but also your ability to fight off and recover from infections, illness and more. Research shows that some foods encourage the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which can help you find relief from your anxiety symptoms. 

Incorporating more fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, and nuts is a great way to help your body get the nutrients it needs.  When you take care of your physical health, it helps you feel energised and contributes to your overall well-being, making you feel better and calmer. 

Along with a balanced diet, it is also important to stay hydrated. Drinking enough water throughout the day ensures that you stay focused and energised.

Also read: How Self-Compassion Can Help Treat Mental Health Disorders and Addiction

Make sleep a priority 

Sleep is important for your physical and mental well-being. 

Getting enough sleep helps in regulating your mood and increases your energy to deal with your daily responsibilities. Prioritising your sleep is not just about getting enough hours of sleep in the day, but also about maintaining a sleeping schedule. Sometimes, this may include turning off your screens, as blue light can make it harder for you to fall asleep.

Try relaxing activities

When you feel anxious most of the time, relaxing can be challenging. But, exploring relaxation techniques and activities can help. 

Try self-care apps to learn about new relaxation activities and get some guidance on how you can get started.  Explore mindfulness meditation, muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, or even guided journaling to incorporate relaxing habits into your day. Make sure to schedule regular times for these activities and track your progress, so that you can build healthy routines over time.

Taking care of yourself shouldn't feel like a chore, but rather, a way to help you live a healthier and happier life. With relaxing self-care activities, you can not only 'slow down' your fast-paced routines, but also manage your anxiety better.

Sources:

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2022/03/how-and-why-to-practice-self-care/#:~:text=Engaging%20in%20a%20self%2Dcare,relationships%2C%20and%20recover%20from%20setbacks.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/anxiety-treatment-options