Four Quick but Sure-shot Ways to Reduce Anxiety

Recently I finished reading a 700 pages novel by Orhan Pamuk and I realized that this thick read was the only reason I am not feeling anxious anymore. Or to put it in better words... it really helped me to cope with my anxiety pangs. Reading is like a meditation for me. It helps me travel the nooks of the book but still be in the present moment. I am also fully aware that these anxiety episodes I am experiencing will be back unless I find some or the other ways to cope with it.

It does not matter if you are a millennial, a gen z or gen x or even baby bloomers for that matter, everyone has different stresses in life. Dealing with these stresses can be cumbersome. Sometimes finding solace in the pages of a novel works, sometimes it helps to get glued to a screen, scrolling for hours, sometimes it is all about finding your next read or an interesting web series.

Let's find ways and get answers to the questions, such as: How to handle anxiety? How to manage stress effectively? These tips and tricks are tried and tested, therefore, mostly they work.

Acceptance is the key

First thing first. Let's take a deep breath and accept this feeling.

You are feeling sad? Accept it. You are feeling anxious? Say, "Yes, I'm feeling anxious." You are feeling like a stress ball, as if someone is squishing you hard. Say, "Yes, I'm being pressed to my limits." It is obvious to not feel good when you don't have control over certain things and they stress you out. If stress or anxiety is the heavy load on your chest, acceptance is those powerful hands of a savior (just like dhai kilo ka haath of Sunny Deol) which lift the burden off your chest as if it is not a heavy load but just a piece of quill.

Go ahead, give yourself a round of applause for accepting your stressful or anxiety causing situation.

4-7-8 Breathing

Inhale... hold... exhale! Such a cliched tip to tackle that stressful mind. I know you have heard this tip thousand times before, but it works like a magic every single time. Have you ever practiced any breathing method diligently and not dismissing it as a crap? For me the answer is yes, I have done that in the past.

But last week, my husband and I visited this small secluded hidden garden near my residential area. We sat crossed legged on the freshly mowed lawn facing the green pond, where one duck was enjoying its early evening swim. I played a guided audio and with closed eyes we practiced the guided breathing meditation in that serene place. And when we are done, we opened our eyes feeling uplifted and cheerful. Soon it started to drizzle and we enjoyed a little walk under our umbrella.

If you browse YouTube for 4-7-8 breathing guided videos, you will find many. But let me explain how I do it:

• Sit/sleep in a comfortable position.
• Place your hands lightly on your stomach. Alternatively, you can also rest your hands on your knees (if sitting in a padamasana or lotus yoga pose) or on your side (if sleeping in the shavasana or corpse yoga pose).
• Close your eyes.
• Inhale through your nose on the count of four. Inhale, 1-2-3-4.
• Hold for seven counts. Hold, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7.
• Exhale through your mouth, counting eight. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8.
• Ensure that you are breathing in and out by filling air in your stomach and not your chest.
• Repeat 5 times and you are done.

You can practice this breathing pattern at any given time when you feel mentally exhausted, stressful or anxious, or when you sense an upcoming panic attack.

5-4-3-2-1 coping mechanism for anxiety

Overthinking always puts me under immense stress. Two months back on one Monday afternoon I was almost drowned in thoughts. I had just switched a job and feeling absolutely lost due lack of proper guidance at this new place. As if something is pulling me down in the sea of unknown. I was anxious and was regretting being there. But there was no point in anticipating things. I remember coming across this one-stop mindful technique in the WHO (World Health Org) guide during COVID times. Whenever I try it, it rescues me from the deep waters of clueless overthinking and I safely come back to the shore of calmness.

How to practice 5-4-3-2-1 trick?

• Wherever you are, look around you and see five things. For example, I look around and I see my kindle e-book reader, my phone, my mesh pen stand, a Shinchan soft toy, and a dreamcatcher hanging on the wall. Notice the colors, the shapes of these objects, how they are placed and so on.
• Next, touch four things in your proximity. Feel their textures, their shapes, their borders, their corners, their roughness or smoothness. For example, I feel the smoothness of my neon iphone cover. I feel the grainy texture of my kindle cover. I feel the softness of the feathers in the dreamcatcher handing on the wall next to me, I touch the leather of a diary resting on my desk since long, and so on.
• Next, listen. Listen carefully. What three things do you hear? Do you hear the rotating ceiling fan? do you hear the snoring of your soundly sleeping husband? Do you hear the click-clack of someone typing?
• Now it is time to smell two things. Inhale and try to denote what you smell? Did you just smell your t-shirt? Do you want to take a shower? Haha! Jokes apart, what else do you smell? I am smelling someone cooking a delicious meal next door and now I'm hungry.
• Lastly, what do you taste? Do you have that aftertaste of roasted chicken you had for lunch? Do you taste red wine? Or do you taste yummiest biryani your mom cooked?

And you are all set. How do you feel already? I feel good and grounded. This technique helps you to be grounded and in the present moment. This is one of the best mindfulness trick that will not fail.

What is your hobby?

As I said in the beginning... whenever I find a great read, I feel blessed and I almost conquer my anxiety. Reading books is like travelling to an imaginary world and meeting a bunch of interesting characters, understanding their flaws, and learning new words. Lately, it has been difficult to find time to read books while managing office work. But as I love to read, I feel calm when I read as that's what I love doing in my free time.

Engage in your hobbies! When did the last time you paint? When did the last time you play a board game with your loved ones? Indulge in anything you enjoy. Today, during my evening walk, I heard a melodious voice coming from the corner of the street. A man was singing karaoke, all old soulful Hindi songs. He was happy. He had proudly placed his Gpay scan code to collect tokens of appreciation. He was truly doing something he loved.

Find time to indulge in things that you love to do. Let's accept that it is not always possible to make a career out of a hobby. But we can find a slot in our busy schedule for doing something that we truly adore and that would be the best stress management remedy. As a child what did you enjoy doing? Have you lost touch with your favorite hobby? Rekindle your passion for it. Cheers!

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"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

                                                              - George R.R. Martin