Jan

Simple Ways to Stop Stress and Decrease Anxiety

As a therapist in San Diego, I focus on helping my clients find more effective and useful ways to coping with Anxiety. Stress and Anxiety can come in many forms and can be difficult to deal with on a daily basis. You might notice it impacting how you work, the way you parent, or even the way you communicate in your relationship.

Imagine a balloon that is not inflated. And think about when the balloon gets inflated with air, it begins to get bigger and bigger. If you don’t let out the air, it will explode. This is exactly how our emotions are! We all have an “emotional balloon” where we store our emotions. Some people know how to release the air to prevent the balloon from overflowing and popping. And other people will continue to put their emotions into this balloon and it will occasionally pop. The popping may look like crying, anger/violence, irritability, headaches, change in sleep, reactivity, anxiety, and much more. Why not start focusing on letting out the air before popping the balloon?

Here are a few tips on decreasing the anxiety:

Exercise: This helps release the emotional stress and anxiety while the body is releasing the “happy chemicals” (AKA: Neurotransmitters). This is a healthy and natural way of releasing the air from the balloon in a productive manner.
Talk to someone: Talk to someone about your emotional experience. Talk about what you experienced, how you feel, and even what you think. By talking about the stressful situation, you can decrease some of the negative feelings. Talk to a friend, family member, therapist, etc.
Journal: Write about your stress, your anger, your sadness, etc. This helps get the thoughts and feelings from staying active in your mind and from igniting. The writing can clear the thoughts, sort out your emotions, and solidify how you will address the issue.
Let it out: Let your body experience the emotion by physically letting it out. An example is by crying or yelling into a pillow.
Take time out for yourself: Schedule time to relax and do what you want to do. Often we schedule so much that we forget about ourselves. Relax by watching a movie, get involved in a hobby, listen to music, etc. This can rejuvenate the way you feel or get you re-energized. Take a break from the stress.
Take deep breathes: Often times, people begin to take shorter and shallower breathes when they are stressed or anxious. The body needs oxygen to function and survive. Slow it down! Slow and deep breathing can help you relax and calm down. Try it the next time you get overwhelmed at work and see what happens!
Let go of the outcome: Try to avoid focusing on the outcome. Instead, focus on the moment. Keep your focus on the task at hand, not the outcome.