Anxiety is that sense of angst that is as much a part of daily life as washing our face or combing our hair.
The mechanism of anxiety itself is our natural fight or flight mechanism kicking in, and is there to protect us from whatever dangers life may have in store for us.
But sometimes this protective nervousness can transform itself into an intense feeling of stress or fear that escalates to a point where it interferes with our daily lives.
In these instances reducing anxiety is not only important, but could be vital for both your overall health and well being, and keeping more serious disorders from creeping into our lives.
Much of how a person will go about effectively reducing anxiety will have to do with their individual likes and dislikes.
I'm just not sure the one shoe fits all approach works very well for anxiety.
For instance some people love yellow automobiles.
When they get into their yellow car it triggers a flood of endorphins which make them feel good and love their yellow car even more.
But for a person who doesn't like yellow cars being seen in that mustard yellow ride may produce quite a bit of anxiety.
Another example is listening to music.
If you are listening to the type of music you prefer it makes you happy and is a great tool for reducing anxiety but if you are forced to listen to a type of music that you don't like it can create quite a bit of excess anxiety.
*So our first step in reducing anxiety is to create a world for yourself that feels like a comfortable old favorite pair of shoes.
If you are stressed out surround yourself with things that make you happy and under no circumstances let a friend convince you to deviate from this path.
*Our second step for reducing anxiety is try to look forward not backward.
You likely will always remember the past but you can't dwell on it and perhaps more importantly you can't transport yourself back in time to do things differently.
Accept the past as a learning experience that has molded you into the person you are today.
As someone once said it is not how many times past anxiety knocks you down it is more about how many times you get up and move into the present that counts.
*Our third step is to accept the fact that more anxiety will be coming your way.
A baseball batter stands in the box knowing that he might get hit with a pitch but is able to fight off this fear and do his job.
In the real world you are standing in the batter's box of life and it is up to you to accept the fact that life will throw you a curve ball once in a while.
*Our fourth step is to write down a list of ideas that helped you overcome anxiety in the past and put them into action both when you see the runaway train of anxiety heading your way or the conductor has already yelled "All Aboard".
*Our fifth step for reducing anxiety is to stay busy.
If you allow this nervous tension to isolate you from activities you like, and friends you enjoy, you will have lost two of the most effective ways of eliminating excess stress.
*Our sixth step is to learn to breath better.
When nervous tension strikes our instinctive reaction is for our breathing to become shallow and rapid.
This actually increases the amount of anxiety we are feeling.
Knowing how to counteract this cycle is a very important part of reducing anxiety.
A simple routine I use is to inhale deeply through your nose, holding each breath for a few seconds, and then exhaling through your lips.
*Our seventh step is to consider a herbal anxiety supplement.
Herbs have been used for thousands of years for managing anxiety and are generally considered to be safe and effective.
Nevertheless, you should check with your doctor to make sure the herbal remedy you have chosen is right for you.
The mechanism of anxiety itself is our natural fight or flight mechanism kicking in, and is there to protect us from whatever dangers life may have in store for us.
But sometimes this protective nervousness can transform itself into an intense feeling of stress or fear that escalates to a point where it interferes with our daily lives.
In these instances reducing anxiety is not only important, but could be vital for both your overall health and well being, and keeping more serious disorders from creeping into our lives.
Much of how a person will go about effectively reducing anxiety will have to do with their individual likes and dislikes.
I'm just not sure the one shoe fits all approach works very well for anxiety.
For instance some people love yellow automobiles.
When they get into their yellow car it triggers a flood of endorphins which make them feel good and love their yellow car even more.
But for a person who doesn't like yellow cars being seen in that mustard yellow ride may produce quite a bit of anxiety.
Another example is listening to music.
If you are listening to the type of music you prefer it makes you happy and is a great tool for reducing anxiety but if you are forced to listen to a type of music that you don't like it can create quite a bit of excess anxiety.
*So our first step in reducing anxiety is to create a world for yourself that feels like a comfortable old favorite pair of shoes.
If you are stressed out surround yourself with things that make you happy and under no circumstances let a friend convince you to deviate from this path.
*Our second step for reducing anxiety is try to look forward not backward.
You likely will always remember the past but you can't dwell on it and perhaps more importantly you can't transport yourself back in time to do things differently.
Accept the past as a learning experience that has molded you into the person you are today.
As someone once said it is not how many times past anxiety knocks you down it is more about how many times you get up and move into the present that counts.
*Our third step is to accept the fact that more anxiety will be coming your way.
A baseball batter stands in the box knowing that he might get hit with a pitch but is able to fight off this fear and do his job.
In the real world you are standing in the batter's box of life and it is up to you to accept the fact that life will throw you a curve ball once in a while.
*Our fourth step is to write down a list of ideas that helped you overcome anxiety in the past and put them into action both when you see the runaway train of anxiety heading your way or the conductor has already yelled "All Aboard".
*Our fifth step for reducing anxiety is to stay busy.
If you allow this nervous tension to isolate you from activities you like, and friends you enjoy, you will have lost two of the most effective ways of eliminating excess stress.
*Our sixth step is to learn to breath better.
When nervous tension strikes our instinctive reaction is for our breathing to become shallow and rapid.
This actually increases the amount of anxiety we are feeling.
Knowing how to counteract this cycle is a very important part of reducing anxiety.
A simple routine I use is to inhale deeply through your nose, holding each breath for a few seconds, and then exhaling through your lips.
*Our seventh step is to consider a herbal anxiety supplement.
Herbs have been used for thousands of years for managing anxiety and are generally considered to be safe and effective.
Nevertheless, you should check with your doctor to make sure the herbal remedy you have chosen is right for you.