Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry, unease. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their lives. Homework, exams, concerns, negative thoughts can all lead to anxiety. We get stressed out easily by various things in our daily lives. However, there are also ways that we can decrease our levels of anxiety and stress.
One example to decrease the level of anxiety is to have a balanced life. This includes getting enough sleep and eating balanced meals. Research shows that a person from the age of 14 to 17 needs eight to ten hours of sleep and a person from 18 to 64 years old needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Not only is sleep vital to our wellbeing, our intake of food also determines our health. A healthy meal includes a good balance between carbohydrates, protein, vegetables, fruits, fat and dairy. Imagine your meal as a plate, you can split your plate according to the portion of each nutrient. ¼ of your plate should be filled with protein, another ¼ should be filled with carbohydrates, and the rest (½) should be filled with vegetables. A small portion of your meal should include fat and dairy for example butter, oil, and cheese.
Another example is to do a certain amount of exercise a day. Exercise is important because it can help maintain one’s health, and when a person is healthier, he/she will feel better. Excersising can help regulate hormones and negate the negative effect anxiety can cause on a person’s body. Some exercises include 30 minutes of jogging, walking, biking, or dancing for three to five times a week.Try writing down what stresses you out on a sheet of paper or try to talk it out to someone. Doing things that you like can also help. According to an organization No Panic, when a person is doing something that they enjoy, worries and negative thoughts will be taken off their mind at that moment.(lines 1~4) Coloring, drawing, reading can all decrease the amount of anxiety. Another thing you can do is to spend time and do activities with your friends and family.
Most important of all is to manage your time well. Most of the times we get anxious and stressed because of due dates and limited time to complete certain tasks. By managing time well, we can reduce our stress. Some tips to manage your time is to get or make a planner. Write down things to complete and when it needs to be completed. Always leave enough time to complete a certain task, do not leave it until the last minute. Having everything cramped together will lead to stress and anxiety. Always focus on one thing at a time and take a 10 minute break every 60 minutes.
Remember to always provide help to those who have anxiety. If you think you are not able to help them, then try to find someone that can help. Talk to them, listen to what they are trying to say. If you have anxiety, don’t hesitate to talk to someone, there are always people out there that are willing to help!
