I am well aware that many eat to release anxiety.
Have you ever found yourself eating something that you like and at the same time experiencing that feel good emotion which automatically pushes away your anxiety?
If so then I am pleased to share with you a few strategies that will help you to regain control over the anxiety and replace it with confidence and a large helping of self-esteem.
SELF-HYPNOSIS
Self-hypnosis will help you to release the anxiety so it becomes less heavy in your mind and will help you to replace it with feelings of calm and confidence.
I will share with you a number of steps to follow so that you can begin doing your very own self-hypnosis to release the anxiety and replace it with confidence and self-esteem.
1. Always ensure that you do self-hypnosis when it is ok to do so. For example, you must not do it when your health and safety could be compromised.
Ensure that you will not be interrupted and that the room is at a reasonable temperature, not too hot and not too cold.
Also just to point out that if you are suffering with anxiety and depression that you may want to check out with your doctor at this time.
2. Find a place that is comfortable and sit rather than lie down. With your feet flat on the floor place your hands on your thighs.
Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes.
3. Mentally tell yourself that it is absolutely fine not to relax because oddly this will help you to relax a little more.
Also if there are external noises such as traffic or people talking, just simply tell yourself that those noises help you to relax down even more deeply.
4. If possible think of a peaceful tranquil scene which may be somewhere you know well or somewhere that you dream of.
As you do so take yourself into that scene mentally and begin to notice how pleasant it feels, noticing the colours and the sounds around you that are conducive to relaxation.
Begin by focusing on the muscle groups of your body, starting at the tip of your head down to the tips of your toes mentally telling yourself that those muscles are becoming limp and slack, more and more calm and more and more relaxed.
Avoid rushing this process. Allow yourself time to slow down. Too often people rush this part of the process and it is important that you do not.
5. Mentally begin to slowly countdown from 10 to 1, mentally stating each number on every other out breath. As you do the countdown, mentally remind yourself that you are going deeper and deeper into a state of wonderful warm hypnotic relaxation.
6.Once you have reached number one, drift inside your mind and imagine finding the part of you that is responsible for the unwanted anxiety.
That part responsible for the unwanted anxiety may be represented by a colour, a word, a feeling or sound.
As you exhale, imagining that part of you that is responsible for the unwanted anxiety to be drifting out of your body. Make sure that you then combine this with your inhalation of breath which is described in point 7.
7. Think about what represents calm and confident. Again this may be a sound, a word, or a feeling.
As you inhale allow that positive new part of you to drift into your mind, imagining it to become a solid part of you right now in the present and into the future.
8. Allow this process of exhaling and inhaling to take place for around 10 minutes. The key here is that you want your subconscious mind to be recognising that changes are taking place and that you are beginning to condition yourself as a calm and confident human being.
9. Now it is time to do a formal awakening. Tell yourself mentally that you are feeling deeply calm and confident in yourself.
Tell yourself that you are now going to count up from 1 to 10 and when you get to number 8 you will open your eyes, and when you reach number 10 that you will feel wide-awake, feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and so much more calm and comfortable within yourself.
10. I recommend that you do this process daily for at least three weeks. After that I recommend that you do it every other day for another three weeks. After that I recommend you do the process once or twice a week moving forward.
FOODS THAT HELP TO REDUCE ANXIETY
Here’s a list of evidence based foods that can help you to manage anxiety.
Ensure that you manage the portion in using them.
1. Brazil nuts.
2. Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines.
3. Eggs.
4. Pumpkin seeds.
5. Dark chocolate.
6. Turmeric.
7. Chamomile.
8. Yogurt.
9. Green tea.
EXPAND YOUR CONFIDENCE
Reducing and desensitising anxiety is done by expanding your self-confidence and self-worth. I am going to share with you 3 of my strategies that when practised regularly will help you to expand your confidence and self-esteem.
Firstly I want to encourage you to challenge your negative thoughts and change the way you think to a more realistic and fair view. This means learning to be more objective about your situation, noticing any patterns that you can then use to help you manage your anxiety. Managing your inner dialogue more effectively will help to ensure your anxiety is managed better.
Secondly I want you to ensure you get better sleep. Good sleep means that you will manage anxiety so much better. Here are some of my recommended ways to do this:-
- Stick to a routine with similar bedtime and getting up times each day.
- Ensure that your bedroom is comfortable to encourage good sleep, avoiding too much light, noise, gadgets and being too hot or cold. Keep the bedroom for sleep, not TV, computer or gadget use.
- At least two hours before going to bed, write down the problems that keep you awake. Also write down next to them the next step you need to take towards resolving each one.
- Switch off all forms of social media 2 hours before bed.
- If you still do not manage to get to sleep or you wake in the night and cannot get back to sleep within 15-20 minutes – get up. Do not lie in bed tossing and turning. Instead do something that is relaxing and then go back to bed when you feel tired again.
Thirdly I encourage you to take action to improve your overall mood. This is essential because your mood is your emotion and therefore ultimately controls both your levels of anxiety and self-confidence. Here are some practical ideas to help you do this:-
- Change scenery. Did you know that a change of scenery can freshen up your mind? It’s a bit like decluttering. Change things around. For example move furniture, change the rugs in the house and maybe even switch the room you sleep in. A bit like the saying ‘a change is as good as a rest’; this will help to enhance your mood and send a signal to your mind that things are changing for the better.
- Get some light. This is important. You will have heard the phrase ‘he/she is in a dark place right now’. There is a reason for that. A lack of light can lower the mood, so it is therefore important to get enough light. Consider walking in daylight for 1-2 hours a day to ensure you get enough light. If you work indoors make sure you get out at lunchtime even if it is raining. For those that cannot walk then consider getting a daylight bulb to get enough ‘natural light’.
- Belief-build. Do this by deliberately walking taller, thinking more confidently, accepting fallibility and stretching your confidence daily so that you reinstall and reinforce self-belief.
