The past two years of COVID-19, working from home, not seeing family and friends, avoiding restaurants, and not doing much of anything have led to anxiety in many of us. Some people develop anxiety when they are young and others when they get older. No matter the cause, anxiety can be unbearable, seriously affecting our quality of life. Anxiety can make it very difficult to get out of the rut we’re in and even harder to get out of bed in the morning. This article will share some tips to help relieve your anxiety by doing a few simple activities in the morning.
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s way of telling you that you are stressed. It is a feeling of fear of the unknown and apprehension of what is to come. A common example of this is the first day at a new job: you don’t know what to expect and are full of nerves. Many people have this kind of anxiety from time to time, but if it lasts more than six months, you could have an anxiety disorder.
Go to sleep earlier
Many people suffer from anxiety with stress, and tiredness is a cause of stress, so it makes sense to get more sleep. Try and get 8 hours of sleep, and you will start to feel more awake throughout the week. It’s best to establish a bedtime routine that includes some meditation or yoga rather than watching television. It’s best to have no screens on at least 30 minutes before you go to bed as excessive screen time is proven to keep you up longer and reduce the quality of your sleep.
Begin a morning routine
The best way to start a routine is by waking up earlier. By putting your alarm on snooze, you confuse your body clock and end up rushing around to get your morning tasks completed. Making your bed in the morning can help you feel more productive and start you on the right foot for the day. Set your alarm one hour earlier, and you will soon find that your mornings are less stressful. One way to wake yourself is to sit straight up as soon as you hear the alarm and open the curtains. This will allow you time to eat a healthy breakfast, read some news, and possibly do a 10-minute workout.
Meditate
Breathing exercises are proven to help with anxiety. Anxiety is the fear of the unknown. Meditation helps you to stay grounded and live in the present rather than the unknown. It is proven to help with anxiety disorders as many people have more anxiety at the beginning of the day. Breathing exercises help you focus and relax the mind and body, allowing you to feel less anxious in the morning.
Make a list
Writing lists is beneficial for many reasons and can help you plan out your day to finish everything you need to get done. Because our minds must deal with so much throughout the day, it’s normal to forget tasks, which causes anxiety. Having a list of the tasks you need to do will save you the worry of remembering them, as you will already have them written down. Writing a checklist removes the chaos from your life and helps to put things in order. A helpful tip when creating the list is to put priority tasks at the top and less important ones at the bottom to get your essentials completed.
Exercise
Exercising is a great way to relieve anxiety as it draws your concentration to the present rather than thinking about the unknown. If you struggle to get up in the morning, this will seriously help your routine. You will feel much more awake, have a positive outlook for the day, and find it easier to stay fit and healthy. Exercise has many different benefits, but it is a proven technique to relieve anxiety.
Yoga/Stretch
Yoga is another form of meditation. It is a physical activity that helps to clear your mind as well. Taking time to meditate helps to clear the mind, encourages you to think in the present, and helps you be more mindful. This will help face the day with a calmer attitude and to deal with the day’s issues with a better outlook.
Take your vitamins
Being anxious can result in an unhealthy diet and not getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals, increasing your anxiety. There are, however, vitamins that have been proven to help relieve symptoms of anxiety. Vitamin D plays a significant role in physical and mental health. It helps to regulate your mood and also aids in nerve and brain health. Studies show that vitamin D can help relieve stress, so get some sun. If you live somewhere with less sunlight in the winter months, taking vitamin D tablets each day can help ease anxiety. Other supplements that help relieve anxiety symptoms are multivitamins, magnesium, vitamin B complex, and Omega 3.
Some people have mild symptoms of anxiety, whereas some anxiety is so severe that it is crippling. Many people feel like they want to curl up in a ball in bed and hide from the world. People with serious anxiety symptoms should always consult a doctor or mental health professional who may recommend therapy or medication. The benefits of these treatments may be only temporary. It is best to combine them with a routine that works for you as this is something that you can always follow in your life.
About the Author: Melissa is a freelance writer specializing in health and wellness as well as sustainability. She is keen to help people who suffer from anxiety in a natural way by making vitamins and routines their mantra. Vitamin D tablets will seriously help you in those autumn and winter months with anxiety, and a routine will help get your anxious morning in order.
The opinions and views expressed in any guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of www.rtor.org or its sponsor, Laurel House, Inc. The author and www.rtor.org have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in the article or linked to therein. Guest Authors may have affiliations to products mentioned or linked to in their author bios.
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