Being anxious is one of the innate human traits; one worries about the future and anticipates potential challenges or threats, often imagining multiple ways an event in the future, such as an exam or a date, might pan out.
But too much anxiety can be debilitating for both mental and physical well-being. Just as many people vow to take care of their physical health each year, committing to plans like eating cleaner or dropping down 5 kilos, mental well-being also requires focus. Physical and mental health are closely interconnected, making it essential to adopt daily habits that support your mental well-being.
For a silver lining, a study published in the National Library of Medicine found that people with generalised anxiety disorder who worried a lot actually saw 91.4 per cent of their anticipated anxieties never come true. In other words, the worst-case scenario you keep replaying in your mind might never materialise in reality.
To understand how to reduce anxiety and feel better, HT Lifestyle spoke to Shyam Gupta, lead OCD specialist, senior rehabilitation psychologist and co-founder of Emotion of Life. According to her, small daily habits are critical for anxiety management, alongside therapy and professional care.
So what is the hack in reigning in your anxious thoughts? Shyam said, “Anxiety begins to ease when people stop trying to control their thoughts and instead learn to train their responses gently.”
This means you need to stop holding onto the thoughts or trying to suppress them. Aneixty grows on the illusion of control. The solution is to reframe these thoughts and shift your perspective, and view them in a new light. It’s important you acknowledge the problem and look for healthy and constructive ways to resolve it.
The psychologist further shared a few tips on how to manage anxious thoughts:
1. Teach anxiety boundary
Anxiety can’t be given free rein, as it sends you down a spiral, keeping your brain in a loop of the same recurring thoughts. Shyam advised boundaries for your anxiety, keeping it controlled. Heinstead insisted on designating a moment in the day to acknowledge all anxious thoughts in the day. He elaborated, “Creating a fixed ‘worry window’ each day teaches the brain that worry has boundaries.” This practice helps you regain a sense of control over the anxious thoughts that might otherwise run unchecked in the background for the entire day.
2. Ground the body to calm the mind
Amid an anxiety attack, or even during the pervasive rumination that can make everything feel too much, too intense and amplified, you can choose grounding techniques to feel better. The psychologist shared that it is important to follow a few grounding practices. These include feeling your feet on the floor, a textured object, or focusing on your breathing and posture, all of which send signals of safety to the nervous system.
3. Reduce decision fatigue
Ever found yourself caught between two choices and feel like your brain is overwhelmed to make the decision? Fatigue can come up in the day, as the psychologist noted, if you have too many daily decisions stacked up in the day, which in turn amplifies anxiety. He instead recommended familiarising your everyday routine. “Simplifying routines around meals, clothing, or schedules conserves mental energy and lowers background stress,” he said.
Too many daily decisions can quietly fuel anxiety. Simplifying routines around meals, clothing, or schedules conserves mental energy and lowers background stress.
4. Practice emotional exposure in small doses
Unpleasant feelings can be difficult to sit with, especially for those who try to evade them through coping mechanisms like humour (cue, self-deprecating humour), but the psychologist explained that avoiding discomfort actually worsens anxiety. According to him, the way forward is to sit with these emotions because, in doing so, you teach your brain that distress is temporary and manageable.
5. Create a predictable evening ritual
The last recommendation from the psychologist is to end the day positively by following a consistent routine. He said, “Consistent, calming routines such as journaling, gentle stretching, or quiet reading help regulate sleep and emotional balance.” When you begin a routine, it drives a boundary between the busy day and calm night, giving your body the essential cue to unwind for the day.
