Wellness 101: 8 Methods To Ease Anxiety
I struggle with anxiety. If you’re reading this, chances are you do, too — if only in the form the impending dread that comes on Sunday night when you realize you have to go back to work on Monday. And for the rest of the Mondays in the foreseeable future. While anxiety has been around as long as people (seriously—it’s a basic survival instinct), it’s only in recent years that we’ve started talking about it. That means there’s a relatively small wealth of information available regarding how to deal with it.
The most common solution seems to be taking prescription medication. There’s nothing wrong with this method (I use it when I need to), but it doesn’t come without its own set of issues: prescription anti-anxiety medications can make you feel groggy the next day, you can’t safely drive when you take them, there’s a risk of dependency, washing them down with a crisp, un-oaked chardonnay is frowned upon (read: dangerous), and possibly worst of all, it can cause you to do weird stuff like eat your brunch leftovers, forget doing it, and then proceed to accuse your roommate or partner of eating them. Because of all this, I try to use it as my last resort fix, when none of the other methods are working.
This leads me to the topic at hand here—other methods of dealing with anxiety. There’s nothing more frustrating than being told to just “calm down” when you’re knee deep in your feelings, because it impels the response, “Okay, yes, but how?” I’m not a doctor or a psychologist, but years of trial and error have given me a decent set of coping skills for combating even the spookiest of Sunday Scaries, so I thought I’d share a few in case they help you, too.
Aromatherapy. With all the talk of scented candles on The Sunday Scaries Podcast, this one shouldn’t come as a surprise. Using aromatherapy for anxiety can be as simple as finding smells that comfort you. Our sense of smell is more closely linked with memory and emotion than any of our other senses, so what makes you feel good is often different for each person.
That said, scents like lavender, vanilla, holy basil, rose, jasmine, valerian, and geranium have been touted as some of the more effective aromas to promote relaxation and relieve anxiety. How you go about incorporating aromatherapy into your life is entirely up to you. I love to diffuse essential oils because it allows me the most customization in terms of combining smells and controlling their intensity. But I also love candles, particularly anything from Voluspa’s Rose collections (just remember to trim your wicks for the cleanest smell and greatest longevity).
Finally, if you’re out and about, there are an array of rollerball essential oils you can dab on should anxiety strike mid-mimosa at Sunday brunch. I kept one of these on my desk my entire first month at a new job and I swear by them.
Tea. I’ll be honest, tea for anxiety relief is not my cup of tea (I’m sorry), but I can’t knock its effectiveness. I simply don’t like drinking hot beverages. Even when I was braving New England winters, I’ve always been an iced coffee year-round kind of person. That said, the few times I have gotten myself to brew a cup of tea, or when I’ve been so anxious that I had to switch from coffee to tea, I have certainly reaped the benefits. Teas with Chamomile, Valerian, Lavender, or Ashwagandha are all great options to promote relaxation. If you’re looking for a caffeinated tea that won’t leave you with the jitters, green tea is a solid pick. Which brings me to the next point.
L-Theanine. L-theanine is an amino acid that naturally occurs in green and black tea—which is why many people report that tea provides the same benefits as coffee, but without some of the less desirable side effects. I won’t go into all the science of why or how it works in this article, but essentially L-theanine helps elevate certain neurotransmitters in your brain that are responsible for happiness and tranquility. When I feel anxiety coming on, I usually take 200-400 mg of L-theanine to effectively stop it in its tracks. The best part of theanine is it’s safe with almost every medication (although you should always check with your doctor just in case), it’s safe to drive while taking it, and it’s impossible to take too much (if you take more than about 800 mg in a day, it simply won’t work, but it won’t hurt you).
Change the Temperature.This may sound strange, but hear me out. Anxiety often comes with extreme temperature sensations. If I’m depressed and anxious, I tend to be freezing; if I’m overstimulated/overwhelmed and anxious (or hungover), I’m hot. Sometimes we’re so caught up in the awfulness of a feeling, it can be hard to observe the sensations that come with it. Even if anxiety doesn’t manifest that way for you, it can still be helpful to drastically change the temperature because it can shock your body out of the discomfort. This is probably why bubble baths and steamy showers or blasting the fans/AC are subconscious ways we mitigate anxiety. During a particularly bad panic attack a few years ago, I remembered my therapist suggesting a cold shower. It sounded awful, but I was pleasantly surprised to find how effective it was when I tried it. Since then, I’ve been a believer.
Exercise. I really hate to be “that” person because I’m far from a gym rat or a fitness buff of any kind—it wasn’t that long ago that I was winded from walking up more than three flight of stairs. However, the only times in my life I’ve been able to solidly commit to the gym or at the very least, regular exercise, have been when I was doing it to stamp out anxiety. It’s worth noting that different types of exercise are more helpful for different types of anxiety. When I’m fixated on something irrational, intense cardio is usually the solution; if my mind is racing, I find strength training helps me focus and get my thoughts in order; if I feel cooped up or impending doom, a walk, hike, or outdoor yoga is best. Play with different things and see what’s best for you.
Mindfulness. This is a great one for when you’re on the go because it requires very little but can yield great results. Mindfulness can be a type of meditation, but there are simple ways to practice mindfulness anywhere. A great place to start is to notice all the objects of a certain color in your vicinity. You can look up other mindfulness exercises to experiment with. One of my personal favorites is organizing something in my house in a way that’s aesthetically pleasing. It’s small but requires active focus, and you get to admire the results when you’re finished.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). This is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, and is best practiced laying down to reap the full benefits. PMR is when you move through your body and attempt to squeeze and release each muscle group, starting with your head and working your way to your toes. You usually inhale as you squeeze and exhale as you release. Repeat as needed. PMR is especially great if you experience any kind of pain as a result of emotional anguish, and many people say it helps them get to sleep at night. However, you can do this sitting at your desk, too, should Sunday Scaries bleed into Monday.
Box Breathing. It’s so tried and true, even the military teaches this one. Probably the most straightforward of everything on this list, box breathing is done by breathing in for four counts, holding for four, breathing out for four counts, and holding for four. Box breathing is amazing for panic or hyperventilating, but it can be a simple way to just calm down a little, too. If holding your breath for four counts isn’t comfortable, feel free to tailor it to your needs; I find I often do 4-2-4-2 rather than 4-4-4-4. This is also a great one to pair with music.
And there you have it. A handful of methods to self-soothe your way out of the Sunday Blues. Once you’ve tried a few, I highly recommend making a list of what works for you—I just shared a chunk of my list with you. When it feels like the weight of the world is coming down on you, it can be hard to think that anything will make it better. Having a physical list is a great way to remind yourself that is hope for relief, and that every other time you’ve felt like this, it eventually passed.