If it seems like the usual ways to lower anxiety are no longer delivering, perhaps it’s high time that you give some unusual ones a try. Check which of the following can drive your anxiety away without trouble:
Tend to Your Garden
As soon as you encounter the first few physical and mental symptoms of an anxiety attack, head to the garden and start raking, digging, trimming, pruning, weeding and watering barefoot and without using gloves. The goal is to come into contact with the ground.
This utilizes the principle of what’s referred to as grounding or earthing in which you soak up the invisible energy force coming from within the planet, which is known to offer all kinds of perks like reduced anxiety.
Give Your Anxiety a Name
Therapists say that it will help a lot if you detach yourself from your anxiety. So in other words, it’s a good idea for you to quit thinking that you are your anxiety.
In order to pull off this feat, consider giving your anxiety a name — that’s usually enough to provide you with a sense that your anxiety is an entirely different entity. Feel free to address your anxiety using its name each time you wish to make it go away or want to make it realize that it has no power over you.
Take an Alternating Cold and Warm Shower
Usually, a sudden change in temperature is more than enough to drastically change your mind. This is the reason why you may step foot inside the shower each time you are feeling anxious and alternate between cold and warm water.
And while you’re in the shower, consider using a body wash or shower gel with a relaxing fragrance. Something that smells like chamomile, lavender or jasmine can help you relax in no time.
Soak in Beer for a Few Minutes
Have you heard of a beer spa? It’s just like a regular day spa, except for the fact that all the customers can soak in bathtubs filled with beer. According to proponents, it is something that can help relieve stress and promote mental and physical relaxation.
Experts believe it’s the smell of beer that can help lower stress and anxiety. So if you have no access to a beer spa and you find filling your bathtub at home quite expensive, you may try taking a whiff of beer for several minutes.
Chew Gum
Believe it or not, popping a chewing gum in your mouth and chewing it for several minutes is an effective way to combat anxiety. Experts say it’s for the fact that chewing can activate the parasympathetic nervous system. By the way, the parasympathetic nervous system is also sometimes called the rest and digest system.
Put simply, your parasympathetic nervous system is a division of the nervous system that is tasked at conserving energy by relaxing the muscles and slowing down the heart rate.
Eat Something With Sugar
There are a couple of reasons why snacking on a sweet treat can help you overcome your bout of anxiety in no time. First, the chewing action, just like what’s mentioned above, can trigger your parasympathetic nervous system. Second, sugar can increase dopamine, one of the happy hormones in your brain.
Just see to it that you do not consume a lot of foods with loads of sugar in them as it will only leave you feeling more anxious — sugar is something that can get your nervous system stimulated.
Fake a Smile
According to mental health experts, smiling can make you feel good instantly by increasing the levels of happy hormones in your brain. They add that it doesn’t matter if the smile is genuine, half-meant or entirely fake — for as long as it is a smile, it can work to your advantage.
Finding it awkward to fake a smile? Log online and watch some heartwarming or funny videos on YouTube or have a video chat with a family member or close friend to put an authentic smile on your face and enjoy lowered anxiety.
