Top 5 Mental Health Practices for Reducing Stress and Anxiety
In today’s world, anxiety and stress both are such common challenges that is affecting both our mental and physical well-being. When you feel occasionally stressed its part of your normal life, but when this exact stress becomes persistent it takes a huge tool on your health be it physical or mental, your productivity and even affects your relationships.
However, we can now practically use different mental health practices to improve and promote resilience to help restore our balance back.
Below are the top five most used practices to reduce stress and anxiety from our daily lives.
1. Mindful Breathing and Meditation:
One of the most power ways of reducing stress and bringing the person into its calming state is breathing. You need to bring your attention to focus on slow and deep breaths. This can help in lowering their increased heart rate, reduce the cortisol levels and can even help in bringing a great shift in the body.
· How to Practice: You need to try inhaling for 4 seconds, then hold for the next 2 seconds, and lastly exhale it out for 6 seconds. Repeat this process for 5-10 minutes straight.
· Why it works: Meditation and mindfulness can strengthen one’s awareness of the present moment. It even helps to break the cycle of anxious thoughts.
2. Mindful Breathing and Meditation:
Poor sleep often causes intense anxiety and even in severe case anxiety/ panic attacks due to the reduced ability of coping with stress. However, if one can establish a consistent sleep routine it can help in improving emotional balance.
· Suggested Practices:
o Go to bed early and wake up early at the same time every day.
o Limit your screen time especially before bedtime.
o Create a calm, soothing, cool environment to sleep in peace.
· Why it helps: good quality of sleep can restore brain function which helps to regulate mood, and it strengthens resilience to stressors.
3. Regular Physical Activity:
Exercising daily can help to maintain good physique but it’s not only about the physical health it also acts as a natural stress reliever. Your physical movement can help to stimulate the release of endorphins- chemicals that regulates your mood and reduces tension.
· Examples: Walking, jogging, cycling, yoga and even dancing.
· Tip: Consistency matters even more than intensity in this for you need to aim for at least 30 mins of physical activity everyday or most days of the week whatever suits you the best.
4. Building Social Connections:
Human connections can act as a natural buffer against stress or anxiety. That’s why it is most suggested to talk your family friends or any support group that can help to relieve stress or any sort of emotional burdens.
· Tips:
o Sharing your experience and venting out can ease you down.
o Schedule regular catchups to feel seen and heard.
o Seek professional support when needed.
· Why it matters: You can get a feeling of belonging and being heard when you get social support. It provides perspective during difficult times.
5. Journaling and Emotional Expression:
Penning your thoughts down often helps you let things out that are present in your unconscious. It provides you with clarity that you’re seeking for in life and even helps in processing overwhelming feelings. Journaling is one of those practices that can be developed at any age in life but will always bring the change you want. It highlights your triggering patterns and coping strategies.
· How to start: Spend 5-10 minutes daily noting down whatever happened in the day that caused you stress. End with any positive annotation or words of gratitude.
· Outcome: Journaling can help to reduce any mental clutter and encourage to look positive in life.
Final Thoughts:
Reducing stress and anxiety doesn’t always require big life changes but instead it’s about building small, sustainable habits that helps to support mental well-being. Practicing mindful breathing, exercising regularly, improving sleep, journaling, and nurturing relationships are proven strategies that can make a profound difference. By incorporating these practices into daily life, individuals can cultivate resilience, balance, and peace of mind. Hence, consistency can bring the change you desire in life.
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