Two great articles to help you better understand and manage anxiety

Two great articles to help you better understand and manage anxiety

Anxiety. You can’t live with it and you can’t live without it!

Well, that’s kind of true.

It’s certainly the case that very few of us live without any anxiety; and that’s at least in part because it’s a normal, human emotion.

But it’s not necessarily true to say you can’t live with it.

You can! Many people do!!! And you can too, or you can live with it even better, with some of the tips and ideas suggested in these two useful articles …

First up, via Psychology Today, 3 Tips to Embrace Routine to Reduce Anxiety and Depression by Victoria Maxwell …

We’ve all heard it before–routine is key to a healthy lifestyle and good mental health. I know. I’ve already started yawning too. If you’re like me, a “creative” who lives with bipolar disorder, the idea of routine sounds like being hemmed into a barn, able to see the light and smell fresh cut grass but never getting outside. In other words, I resist routine. Or I used to until I felt its powerful effects on my mood, particularly reducing anxiety and the length of my depressive episodes.

Routine, I’m told, can prevent kids from having meltdowns. I don’t have any. Kids, that is. Meltdowns, well, those I do have. Not only do kids benefit from a good sleep routine so do adults. Consistent bedtime and wake time regulate our internal body clock, improve the quality and duration of our sleep, and stabilize moods. I’m very protective of my sleep routine. Anything that can boost my brain power and lift my spirits a bit has gotta be worth protecting. Those of us with mental health conditions (mild, moderate, or severe) know changes in sleep are the canary in the coal mine. Keeping sleep regular is essential to prevent a slide down that slippery slope.

But let’s be honest, the idea of sticking to a strict routine, whether it’s for sleep, mealtimes, or exercise (especially exercise), feels like life will always be a grind. So, how can we find the motivation to fully embrace routine when doing so seems so “meh”? In this post, I share my three favourite tips to inject some excitement and flexibility into your routine, making it more enjoyable and sustainable. Get ready to challenge the notion that routine has to be boring!

1. The buddy system: Spicing up your routine with social support.

Routines don’t have to be solitary. Getting other peeps on board can make them fun and effective. Enter the buddy system! Find a friend, family member, or accountability partner. Set it up to check in with each other (preferably in the morning) to provide mutual support and encouragement. When one of my best friends and I were both low on exercise steam, we committed to doing 10 minutes of any kind of movement five times a week. We texted in the AM to say what we’d do, and then after we did it. We knew how hard it was to get going, so this built-in cheerleading squad was just what was needed.

And guess what? After six weeks, I was back to my three-times-a-week running habit. Knowing someone is rooting for you can boost motivation and make routines feel less lonely. Plus, it adds an element of connection to the process…

… keep reading the full & original article HERE

And next, via Inc.com and by Jessica Stillman, What’s the Antidote to Anxiety? A New Study Suggests More Kindness …

This super simple, research-backed intervention has the most pleasant list of side effects you’ve ever seen.

Nearly one in three Americans will experience an anxiety disorder during their lifetime, and anxiety spiked even higher during the pandemic. In short, there are an incredible number of anxious people out there — and no doubt plenty of entrepreneurs, who face an uncertain and challenging business environment, are among them.

If you’re one of the many business owners who struggle with anxiety, what should you do about it? For serious cases, the answer is clearly to consult a mental health professional and access one of the several treatments that have been shown to be effective.

But for more everyday anxieties, new research suggests a simple, feel-good way to soothe your worries and improve your mood — perform a few random acts of kindness.

A head-to-head test of common anti-anxiety interventions

Science has long known that doing nice things for others tends to make us feel nice ourselves. Humans are social creatures, and almost all of us want to see ourselves as good and useful people. It’s not hard, then, to believe the many studies showing a link between helping other people and improved all-around well-being.

But how about anxiety, particularly? Can paying for a stranger’s coffee or helping your neighbor mow her lawn quiet that constant stress-y voice in your head? To find out, a team out of Ohio State University conducted a head-to-head test of promising anti-anxiety interventions. Over five weeks, volunteers were asked to do one of three things a couple of times a week: perform small acts of kindness, plan an enjoyable social activity, or write about their challenging thoughts.

All of these approaches have been shown to help fight anxiety, but which one came out on top as most effective?

“Results showed that, after the experiment, all three groups of people were less depressed and anxious, had lower negative feelings, and felt more satisfied with life. But the group that practiced random acts of kindness had greater reductions in depression and anxiety and higher satisfaction with life. And, while acts of kindness and social activities both improved people’s sense of social support, practicing kindness improved it even more,” sums up the Greater Good Science Center writeup of the findings

… keep reading the full & original article HERE