Anxiety is a common issue. Most of us have felt the affects of Anxiety at least once in our lives. Our brains are honed to use fight or flight when we feel as though we are in danger. These days the danger that we perceive is more of a psychological than physical occurrence and this is why our brains have developed Anxiety symptoms.

Here are some tips to help you cope if you feel an episode of Anxiety coming on:

Breathing techniques

Take a slow deep breath in counting from 1 to 5 and feeling the breath go right down to the bottom of your tummy at 5 slowly release the breath counting backwards to 0.

• Take another deep breath in and this time slowly count to 6 and release while counting back from 6
• Follow this method up to 10 and relax
• Hold the bottom of your nose with your thumb and middle finger
• Release your thumb and breathe in deeply to a count of 7 through the open nostril
• Do this 3 times and then swap over to release the other nostril
• Repeat the process. Do this 5 times to feel your body relaxing

Brain Gym exercises

Brain gym helps to balance both sides of the brain so that your mind can be settled and calmed.

• Pat the top of your head with one hand whilst simultaneously rubbing your tummy with the other for 20 seconds
• Repeat this by swapping your hands over
• Touch your right ear lobe with your left hand then quickly swap to touch your left ear lobe with your right hand
• Repeat this exercise for 20 seconds
• Then do the same exercise but this time quickly touch your knees with the opposite hand for 20 seconds

Other relaxing exercises

Different parts of the body can enhance relaxation.

Stroking the beard

• Imagine that you have a long beard that you want to shape into a triangle
• Grip your chin with your hand and let your fingers slide down until they touch at the bottom of your chin. Our chins have stress receptors and this comforting movement can help to relax us

Holding your hands

• Put your hands tightly together as if you are shaking someone else’s hand
• Squeeze them together tightly
• Swap your hands to the other way round and repeat

Pushing your shoulders down

• Lift your shoulders up as high as you can
• Put your hands on your shoulders and gently push down until they are back in place
• Repeat until you start to feel more relaxed

Focus on something visual

• Look around you until something catches your eye
• Focus on that spot or object for as long as you can without blinking
• Continue focussing and blinking until you become distracted from whatever has triggered your anxiety

Go for a run

• If you start to feel anxious your brain is going into fight or flight mode
• Go out for a run or jog on the spot as this will trick your mind into thinking you have taken flight
• Run until you feel calm