Don’t forget these anxiety relief tips.
Dr. Daniel Amen, a dual-board certified psychiatrist and brain imaging researcher in California, shared four solutions to take control of your mind and reduce anxiety.
His TikTok had 2.8 million followers last weekAmen revealed some shocking statistics about anxiety: “Anxiety is an epidemic. Twice as many in childrenIn adults, it’s three times as high.”
stress Stress and anxiety affect the entire body, causing inflammation, pain, restlessness, upset stomach, etc. Reducing stress and anxiety as often and in as many ways as possible is essential to improving your overall health.
Amen detailed how negative thoughts can reach a crescendo: “Many people with anxiety have bad thoughts, which then get compounded and compounded. It’s as if their mind is spinning out of control.”
To gain control, he says, you need cognitive training: “You have to manage your mind, and there’s a process to it. People who stay healthy do physical training every day, but you also need mental training,” he explained.
In a TikTok that has more than 36,000 views, Ament promotes diaphragmatic breathing, relaxing music, hypnosis and naming your brain.
Diaphragmatic breathing
Ament said he’s a big fan of diaphragmatic breathing, which involves exhaling for twice as long as you breathe in. “I teach my patients to inhale for four seconds, hold it for one second, and exhale for eight seconds,” he explained.
He calls the technique “very helpful,” but he’s not the only advocate of this breathing technique.
Research shows that taking deep, slow breaths delivers more oxygen to your brain and activates your parasympathetic nervous system, making you feel calmer. This breathing technique also helps prepare your body for sleep.
Relaxing Music
Ament says people who are feeling anxious should listen to soothing music to help calm them down.
The benefits of TuneAge may go far beyond temporary relief.
Researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK have found that people who are “musical” throughout their lives tend to have better memory and overall brain health as they age.
Hypnosis
Amen also recommends hypnosis as a useful tool for relieving stress and reducing anxiety.
New York hypnotherapist Elena Mosaner explained how and why hypnosis works: “We use relaxation techniques to help patients enter a ‘relaxed’ state of mind, [and their] The subconscious mind is receptive to suggestions.
“Our conscious mind is the mind we use when we’re fully awake,” she told The Washington Post. “The subconscious mind is the deeper part of you that contains information like your beliefs, habits and patterns — your worldview.”
Naming the brain
Naming your mind can help quiet the cacophony, Ament assures. “We teach people how to psychologically distance themselves from the noise in their head by naming it,” he says.
Stephen Hayes, author of The Liberated Mind, also encourages anxious people to give their brain a name and introduce themselves to it the same way you would introduce yourself to a stranger at a party.
Giving your mind a name allows you to make a healthy separation between thoughts and beliefs, Hayes explained: “When you listen to another person, you can choose to agree or disagree with what they have to say. … That’s the stance you should take toward your inner voice.”
