How To Reduce Anxiety When You're Overwhelmed

Is anyone feeling anxious lately? 2020 and now 2021 have been full of lots of negative feelings for a lot of people. The transition of working from home, not working at all, or working 24/7 has been weighing heavily on the majority of people, and the feelings of concern when it comes to the health and safety of family and friends is also a reason that a lot of people feel concerned and overwhelmed lately. No matter why you have been feeling anxious, know that there are tips and tools that you can utilize to help you battle these feelings. You are not alone.

Walk

Exercise can be a great stress reliever in itself, as it helps you blow off steam and releases endorphins. Taking a walk when stressed can bring you the benefits of exercise (both short-term & long-term) and as a bonus, it gets you out of the stressful situation temporarily. This can provide you with some perspective so you can return to a new frame of mind. Walking with a good friend can be a nice way to find social support, and walking alone can provide you with some time to think, reframe, and come back to the situation with renewed optimism. If you are not a “walking” type of person, get active by doing housework, yard work, or even going to a workout class. I promise that you will feel a bit better once you get your body moving and your mind off of the current situation that is stressing you out.

Take a Breath

If you're not in a position to leave and workout or walk, you can feel better right away by practicing breathing exercises. Getting more oxygen into your body and releasing physical tension are two ways that breathing exercises can benefit you. And you can do them anytime or anywhere, even if your demanding situation isn't letting up. Some people swear by meditation, but meditation is hard for a lot of people because it requires you to be still and try your best not to think about things. When something is weighing heavily on you and you are not used to meditating, this can be a hard skill to learn. But, as I said, a lot of people swear by it, so maybe try it once! You could also do yoga instead and it can tackle both exercise and breathing at the same time. Yoga is truly my go-to. I’m obsessed. I’ve even gotten babe to do it with me. He loves it! Sometimes we just need a little motivation to get going is all.

Accept the Anxious Feelings

Fighting off all-consuming emotions likely doesn’t do much to ease them in a particularly anxious moment. Try to remember that anxiety, to a certain degree, is a normal part of the human experience and use acceptance as a tool to work through those uncomfortable feelings, when possible.

Reverse Your Overwhelmed Thought Processes

Feelings of unpredictability and complete despair definitely fuel feelings over anxiousness and overwhelm. Those unreasonable thoughts build up as anxiety and can cause you significant distress. Stop those thoughts before they become habitual ruminations by honestly asking yourself if that way of thinking is unreasonable or unhelpful. At the same time, try to find alternative, more positive thoughts. Build yourself up and focus on the positives, not the negatives. You are great. You are powerful. You are strong. You are smart. You are successful. You are whole.

Know Your Resources

Besides breathing and meditation techniques to help prevent overwhelm, there is plenty of scientific research available about how stress and anxiety impact our cognitive abilities. Find what works for you and do a lot of research until you find answers and good ideas for you to try. One thing that I always recommend to everyone is to find a therapist that can help you out. Ray of Hope Counseling Services offers therapy in Peachtree City GA, online therapy, and therapy in all different locations around Georgia. They can help you when it comes to individual counseling, family counseling, and couples counseling, as well. Their online therapy specifically has so many perks! There’s no waiting room, you’re able to make it to all of your sessions (even when traveling), you don’t have to worry about travel time or traffic, and it’s covered by most insurance plans. This makes it really easy to fit in a counseling session when you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Ray of Hope Counseling Service can definitely meet you where you are and help you get through your life transitions or struggles.

This post has been sponsored by Ray of Hope Counseling Services.