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How to Feel Less Anxious

If you feel anxious in the face of an upcoming event or situation, or worry unnecessarily about things that may never come to pass, you’re not alone. Many people suffer from anxiety related to a variety of different situations and reasons (approximately 40 million adults). Fortunately, there are ways to help lessen that nagging inner […]
Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD

Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD

2 Min Read

If you feel anxious in the face of an upcoming event or situation, or worry unnecessarily about things that may never come to pass, you’re not alone. Many people suffer from anxiety related to a variety of different situations and reasons (approximately 40 million adults).

Fortunately, there are ways to help lessen that nagging inner voice. Dealing with anxiety has a lot to do with working on your mindset. Here are six things that you can do to help quiet your mind and relieve some of that unnecessary stress:

  1. Get outside. There’s something about fresh air that gives you a new perspective and helps shift your thinking in a more positive way. So, go out there and grab some of that sunshine and feel your stress start to ease.
  2. Engage in some physical activity. When you get your blood pumping by engaging in physical activity, you are releasing endorphins and boosting your mood. When you’re physically strong, you become more mentally strong as well. The next time that you feel anxiety start to creep in, go for a run, do some yoga, or take a bike ride. It will help your mood.
  3. Indulge in self-care. A little pampering never hurt. In fact, it makes you feel a lot better and can ease your anxiety. Why not soak in a bubble bath and watch some of your stress melt away? Or get your hair or nails done. Do something that is just for you.
  4. Distract yourself. Sometimes you just need to think about something else for a while to thwart that inner worrier. Maybe that means watching a movie, digging into some house cleaning, or attending to something else that you have on your plate. Do what you can to distract yourself from what is worrying you.
  5. Call a friend. Often a conversation with a buddy is all it takes to get you to stop dwelling on something that shouldn’t be sucking up your mental energy.
  6. Talk yourself out of it. When push comes to shove, you need to develop strategies to get your thoughts moving in another direction. Don’t let your anxiety run rampant; learn techniques to self-soothe and lessen your anxiety. Be your own ally here and come up with a plan for talking yourself into a different state of mind.

Author(s)

  • Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD

    Author, Corporate Trainer, Business Mentor, Consultant

    Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD, LLC

    Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD is business mentor, higher education and writing consultant, corporate trainer (Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD, LLC) and author of Launch Your Inner Entrepreneur (McGraw Hill). She is also the host of Launch, a TV show which streams on Amazon Fire, AppleTV and Roku (D B TV), and an expert on Quora's Business, Education and Society spaces. Additionally, Charlene teaches business and entrepreneurship courses at UCONN and the University of Alaska, was selected as one of 150 Marketers to Follow by Rubicly, and is featured among other CEOs, influencers and celebrities on the BAM Network.