We all experience anxiety and stress from time to time. Its symptoms and levels can vary among individuals. There is, however, one thing for sure: you can manage it, no matter how out of control it may feel.
While understanding anxiety and stress’ causes and treatment are helpful, there are also some physical and mental things you can do to cope. The following are excellent tips to manage anxiety and stress in 2023. But first, let’s determine its benefits.
Benefits of Managing Anxiety and Stress
With all of your responsibilities, anxiety and stress can be inescapable. But here’re reasons to manage it:
Health: Anxiety and stress may affect your health and body in quantifiable ways. It may lead to heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, impotence, or decreased sexual drive. But, when you manage your stress, you can live a longer, healthier, and happier life.
Work: Stress can reduce productivity, prevent advancements and raises, and impair work relationships. You can be a better employee, supervisor, or coworker if you manage your stress well.
Parenting: It’s not easy being a parent. But when you manage your stress, you become more patient, more tolerant, and more capable of handling all the challenges of raising children.
Optimal Level of Happiness: Chronic stress can significantly exacerbate mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. But you can be happier and healthier when you learn practical coping skills and techniques.
Excellent Tips to Manage Anxiety and Stress
Here’s how you can manage anxiety and stress in 2023:
Taking Cannabis
The two main cannabinoids present in cannabis, CBD and THC, are the focus of most research investigating the effects of cannabis on anxiety and stress. Studies have shown that CBD may relieve anxiety and stress. In contrast, THC can cause anxiety when taken in large amounts, especially in large doses.
Generally, real-life cannabis users prefer whole plants from small batch cannabis to promote relaxation. It’s an attractive alternative to mass-produced crops. Cannabis’ growth has led to the development of substantial commercial farms that produce the most flower at the least cost. The best way to get high-quality cannabis is through small-batch production.
Apply Visualization Techniques
Guided imagery (GI) is an excellent meditation technique to manage anxiety and stress in 2023. It involves imagining tranquil scenes to promote relaxation. According to one study from 2015, GI and music (GIM) can reduce anxiety related to work. Two groups of 20 participants participated in this study. There was one group that underwent a nine-week GIM program. But the other group got no treatment.
There was a significant improvement in stress management and well-being in the GIM group than in the no-treatment group. As a result, the GIM group also showed lower blood cortisol levels. But, whether GIM can treat other forms of anxiety requires further research.
Make Healthy Eating Choices
By eating a well-balanced diet, you can feel better physically and emotionally, thereby more effectively managing anxiety and stress in 2023. Be sure to include fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fat in your diet. Avoid processed and sugary foods to lower stress and improve your energy levels. These foods are high in empty calories and have no benefit for your health.
Intuitive eating has also become popular. It involves fully experiencing your food by observing the sights, smells, and tastes. However, you don’t have to follow any strict rules regarding eating. Instead, you focus your diet on what your body requires.
Confront Your Worries
Directly challenging your anxious thoughts may help manage anxiety and stress. When considering best and worst-case scenarios for a given situation, you must consider whether they are realistic. Often, you don’t realize how much you think negatively about the future in your head. Making peace with uncertainty and acknowledging it for what it is will allow you to refocus on the present.
Journaling is another way of challenging your thoughts. As a result of hindsight bias, you often believe that you had more control over things in the past. Looking back, you can see the real uncertainty of the situation and how you dealt with it at the time and still managed to survive. As a result of such reflection, you can accept that uncertainty is a part of your lives beyond your control.
Practice Gratitude
Similarly to optimism, practicing gratitude and compassion can facilitate anxiety management. A National Center for Biotechnology study found that practicing gratitude may relieve insomnia. Furthermore, it may lead to fewer heart disease cases by improving sleep quality, duration, and daytime dysfunction — the difficulty of performing tasks. If anxiety keeps you awake at night, you might want to try this practice.
You can practice gratitude in many ways. For instance, note something beautiful or unique on your daily commute, or write down things (or a single thing) that makes you grateful. Consistently reminding yourself of your blessings and telling others they are worth it may help you enjoy life more.
Conclusion
The reality of life is that there will always be anxiety and stress. Nevertheless, you can manage it to improve your mental and physical health. The following methods can help you manage your stress in 2023 and beyond to live a happier, healthier life. It would be best to develop a system that works for you, build upon it, and get help whenever needed.
5 Amazing Tips to Manage Anxiety and Stress In 2023
