Saima Ikram
Various studies have proved that worries not only place a strain on your mental health but also on your physical health. Worrying can lead to anxiety which can have lasting impacts on your health and happiness. Anxiety easily takes a toll on your sleep, tax your immune system, and can increase your risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Worrying forms a cycle of self-perpetuating negative thought which relatively become uncontrollable.
Therefore, you need to stop the forming of this cycle for which following are some research-backed ways:
Limit your worrying time:
When once you start worrying, it gets drag on to the whole day sometimes. Therefore, be wise and designate a specific time period for worrying where you can think about your problems. Once you identify what the problem is and then think over it sometime, worrying seems to lose its intensity.
Stay away from social media platforms:
When you are tensed, you usually turn towards social media platforms think these would divert your attention and will make you feel less stressed. But that is not true, as the time spent on social media just blocks your existing problem for some time and then comes back with more intensity after you try to reestablish a relationship with your thoughts. Therefore, avoid using social media and stay away from all kinds of technology.
Accept your thoughts:
For reducing stress, you need to accept your thoughts that are creating problems. You need to be aware of the emotions that are making you anxious and restructure your thinking in a more positive and constructive manner.
Write down everything:
When you feel anxious, it means you need to empty your mind of the problems you are thinking over and over again. Write them down on a paper and then reassess the situation. You will see the burden becoming lighter as you have already slain the beast.
Breathe slowly:
With stress, your breathing tends to become faster. Deep breathing, on the other hand, lowers stress levels anxiety. For this purpose, you must exhale completely through your mouth, and then inhale through your nose for a count of four. You need to hold your breath here for almost seven seconds and after that exhale through your mouth with a count of eight. This is called the 4-7-8 breathing practice and helps to reduce the stress levels to a greater extent.
