4 Ways To Release Anxiety Without Fighting Yourself

It’s relatively common knowledge that breathing exercises are used for anxiety relief. Still, the idea of simply “breathing” to achieve a more positive state of mind can seem far-fetched and even a little insulting when you’re dealing with a lot of anxiety.

But trust us when we say that using breathing exercises well can help to reduce fight-vs-flight responses, calming your sympathetic nervous system, and reducing physical symptoms of anxiety like high blood pressure, pulse acceleration, and quickened breathing. When you use these exercises, you’re able to trigger the relaxation response in your body through the parasympathetic nervous system.

There are many kinds of breathing exercises with their instructions for performing them, such as paced respiration, diaphragmatic breathing, belly breathing, and more. But ultimately, all these exercises bring awareness to your breath and let your body regulate respiration until you feel more at peace. Here are some steps for a simple breathing exercise with belly breathing!

How To Do Deep Breathing

• Step 1: Start by sitting down in a quiet and comfortable place. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing, inhaling and exhaling in a non-controlled, natural manner. You should try to breathe through your nostrils if you can!
• Step 2: Focus on how your breath feels and the sensation that comes with its entrance and existing through your nostrils. Put a hand on your chest and another hand on your stomach.
• Step 3: Take a deep breath for four counts, still paying attention to the sensation. Hold the breath in for three counts. Then exhale throughout four more counts. Take note of how the hand on your stomach goes inwards as you breathe in and goes outwards as you breathe out.
• Step 4: Concentrate entirely on your breathing and allow your mind to stop focusing on anything else at all. Your brain will likely be quite busy at first, and sometimes the act of performing the exercise can bring your attention to just how busy it is! Don’t worry about them.
• Step 5: Instead of following your busy thoughts, watch them go by. Do not follow any of them – stay focused on your breathing and grounded in the present.
• Step 6: Keep doing steps 3 to 5 for as long as it takes for your mind to begin to calm down and settle. Once your brain has settled, you can come out feeling less anxious.
• Step 7: Repeat the whole exercise when you need a little de-stressing, and try to implement this practice into your everyday life on a regular and habitual basis.

4.    Connect With Others

Anxiety can make you want to withdraw, but that’s the last thing that you should do if you’re trying to manage that emotion! It would be best if you were around others to release anxiety by counteracting it with positive social input. Connecting to others can bring you a surprising amount of peace, and it’s a method that you shouldn’t discount.

Here are some tips for connecting with others to release anxiety:

·         Spend Time With Others

Social support can be a significant aid in managing anxiety. The people who care about you – and even just a group of good people – can help give you a calming sense of belonging. Plus, it releases oxytocin, which is a feel-good love hormone. Positive thinking from this kind of social interaction can reduce levels of anxiety and depression, even among introverts.

·         Cuddle or Hug Someone

Physical interactions with others are even better than simply spending time around them! The act of hugging, cuddling, or kissing someone brings down blood pressure, reduces stress and stress hormones, and sends out even more of that love hormone, oxytocin. Studies show that this can happen to such an extreme extent that you’ll get sick less often if you interact with people in this physical manner – so the effects go beyond anxiety-busting.

·         Ask For Help

Many people have a sense of pride that makes it difficult for them to request help from others. But the people who care about you want to support you and will be happy to help you when you’re in need. Reaching out to those around you can help you to release anxiety through the relieving of some burden on your shoulders. If you don’t have people in your life that you can request help from, try connecting with support groups and similar organizations.

·         Engage In Intimacy

Bedroom activities are a surprisingly effective way to release anxiety in a positive way. Satisfying intimacy with someone you trust can help bring down stress levels, so enjoy yourself with those you love!

·         Relax With A Pet

If you’re not feeling up to direct interaction with people, try connecting with a pet instead. Spending time with a pet and playing with them releases oxytocin, too, and pets have an excellent way of providing purpose, activity, and companionship in anxiety-relieving ways, say studies.