As omicron threat looms over us, we are sure to experience some stress and anxiety

We are at the same time of the year again. We often stress over whether it will end or not and we are entangled in our own thoughts of gloom and despair. So have a quick glance over here. The top ways to ease your anxiety by Dr. Pankaj Kumar Best Psychiatrist in East Delhi.

1. Obtain quick relief: The best way to recognize that your fight or flight system has gone into overdrive is to listen to your body. Are your muscles fatigued, even though you can’t remember when you last exercised?? Is there a constant pressure headache bothering you? Are there physical signs of anxiety that are ringing the alarm? Relaxation techniques will help you break that cycle. Follow these simple steps: 

• Lie down on your back, place a hand on your chest and a book on your belly then breathe so that the book moves as much as possible and your hands stay still.
• Do this all for at least 10 minutes keep your thoughts on breathing make sure your mind does not work at this time.
• You will feel much calmer and relaxed at the end of it.

2. Resist toxic positivity: You might think you need to get over anxiety altogether and force yourself to look at the brighter side but this does not always work. Trying to suppress or avoid anxiety may make it worse in the long run. You could use your favorite loving grandparent or other relative and imagine what would they say to you, how would they treat you? pick a supportive family member or friend for the process.

Or write a kind letter to yourself as you would to a friend and then read it as needed. This approach is better than buying into toxic positivity. Remember it is OK to feel anxious and that it is OK to seek relief.

3. Reduce behavior that feeds anxiety: You are mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and, Instagram feed, and in the end, it leaves you more anxious than when you started. Researchers have found that checking news frequently is harmful. 2.5 hours or more per day increases anxiety. But it is hard to stop on your own. once you start scrolling you would have noticed, you lose track of how much time you spend on social media. this is the first step to liberation. Then try removing social media apps from your phone so you can only access them from a browser or download them only when you need them. Finally use a timer to stick to a predetermined period. Other behaviors that increase anxiety are seeking reassurance from others, procrastinating, over-drinking, getting inadequate sleep or exercise.

4. Gain insight and perspective-our mind often extrapolates into “what ifs” and keep worrying about worst-case scenarios. To overcome these tendencies think of best case and most likely scenarios and then strategize how you prepare for the most likely one. You can also visualize how your current worries will seem, day, week, month, or a year later. And imagine would you be worried about the same thing a year later? Ask yourself how bad things are on a 0 to 100 scale with 0 being the perfect world and a hundred being the worst imaginable event.

5. Finally talking about the best long-term antidote for anxiety– it is not relaxation but engaging in something meaningful that connects you with others and the world around you. Writing out your worries and then planning long-term goals diminishes anxiety. Try stepping into nature, listening to music, immersing yourself in art, explore a new corner of your neighborhood. it can also help to immerse yourself in play with kids or pets. Lose yourself to a project and focus on how to help others. The key is to find something you can control and can do right now. The more we let anxiety be there the less it will have power over us.