Anxiety and stress can manifest in many forms, and I’m sure you or someone you know has at one point dealt with it. The best way to naturally reduce anxiety and stress is to find out what best works for you. Each person handles and responds differently to anxiety and stress reducers, but let’s look into some anxiety tips I have found to be the most effective.
1. Burping
Now hear me out, I know burping is often considered to be either disgusting or welcomed depending who you are with, but this technique has personally helped me out many times when I was dealing with anxiety and stress. It even allowed me to work my way through controlled exposure, and finally beat my social anxiety. Burping or even flatulence helps remove gas and abdominal discomfort that you may not even know is there and calms your stomach. A calm stomach is a calm mind. If you suffer from nausea as a side effect from anxiety then I highly encourage you to try this technique.
Burping is a natural thing that most people can do, and the inability to burp is uncommon. But if you are anything like me, for most of my teenage and adult years I could never burp naturally. I always had these gurgles that came out instead. But after trying some methods and with time I gained the ability to burp naturally. Whether you cannot burp or burp naturally here are some methods that can help in most situations.
• Drink some carbonated or sparkling water
Any carbonated drink can cause gas buildup and trigger a burp, but I do not recommend drinking any type of soda or beer due to the effects of it possibly worsening your anxiety. Carbonated water and sparkling water are the most effective and safest drinks to increase your chances of letting one out. Sometimes sipping the beverage is enough to trigger a burp, but if that doesn’t happen then try to drink a larger amount more quickly and see if that makes a difference.
• Eat gas-promoting foods
I’m sure you’ve seen or heard someone belch after a meal before, and while any type of food can cause you to burp there are gas-promoting foods out there to help increase your chances of letting out some burps. Fruits with sorbitol (a sugar) can cause gas buildups like apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and raisins. Acidic foods like tomatoes and onions can cause you to burp thanks to the sulfur-containing compounds they contain.
But my favorite burp-inducer food is cucumbers. Cucumbers when sliced and eaten cause the chemical, cucurbitacin, to make humans burp a lot. You can also try chewing gum or sucking on some hard candy because they help increase the amount of air you’re swallowing, but it never worked for me. Try things in moderation and see what works for you and what does not.
• Movement
Moving your body into different positions can put pressure on the air in your stomach and cause it to move upward causing you to burp or may even cause some flatulence instead. Try walking, jumping up and down, light jogging, and stretching. I find that walking or even pacing yourself around a room, and doing some light stretching while standing up or laying on the ground worked best for me.
2. Pressure Points
Pressure points can be pressed anytime and anywhere allowing you some relief from your anxiety and stress. While the research on whether pressure points relieve anxiety is limited, more and more people, and even the experts are looking at alternative anxiety treatments. While there are many pressure points to help you we’ll be looking at the most effective techniques to relieve anxiety and stress.
• The Inner Frontier Gate (Neiguan)
You can find the inner frontier gate point on the inside of either of your arms, about three finger widths below your wrist between the two tendons.
1. Turn one hand palm side up, and with your other hand, measure three fingers below your wrist.
2. Feel between the tendons, and apply firm pressure to the point for 10 to 30 seconds.
3. Stimulating this point may help to reduce anxiety while also soothing nausea, headaches, and pain.
• The Hall of Impression (Yintang)
You can find the hall of impression point on your face between your eyebrows.
1. Touch the spot between your eyebrows with any one of your fingers.
2. Apply gentle yet firm pressure to the point massaging in small circular motions for 10 to 30 seconds.
3. The pressure to this point helps with relieving anxiety, agitation, insomnia, headaches, sinus congestion, and vertigo.
• Great Surge (Tai Chong)
The great surge pressure point is located on either foot, about two or three finger widths below your big toe and second toe. The point lies in the hollow between the two bones.
1. Apply gentle but deep pressure to the point between the two toe bones.
2. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
3. Pushing this point helps with reducing stress, eye issues, lower back pain, high blood pressure, menstrual cramps, and digestion issues.
• Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
EFT is best described as tapping or psychological acupressure. Similar to the pressure point techniques where you apply pressure, EFT uses tapping to help relieve emotional distress and physical pain. Here’s how the basic tapping sequence works:
1. Identify the issue you want to focus on. It can be anything like social anxiety, anger, or it can even be a specific situation.
2. Ask yourself how you feel about your issue or situation and rate the intensity of your problem with zero being the lowest and ten being the highest.
3. Come up with an affirmation acknowledging the problem you are dealing with and accepting it. The common setup phrase is “Even though I have this _____, I deeply and completely accept myself”. You can say it out loud or in your head, and you can change it up any way you want as long as you acknowledge and accept the issue you want to deal with.
4. Start tapping. There are nine points that EFT focuses on in this order:
Karate chop (KC): Use four fingers to tap the side of your hand down the pinky side.
Eyebrow (EB): Then go to the middle of your eyebrows, and tap on one of the ends of your eyebrow using two fingers.
Side of the eye (SE): Then follow your eyebrow to the side of your eye on the bone and tap with two fingers again.
Under the eye (UE): Still following the bone go under your eye and tap with two fingers.
Under the Nose (UN): Then tap with two fingers directly in the middle Yr under your nose.
Chin (CH): Then tap with two fingers under your chin where the crease is below your bottom lip.
Beginning of the collarbone (CB): Then use your whole hand to tap where a bow tie would be on a person.
Under the arm (UA): Use your whole hand again to tap about three fingers width below one of your armpits.
Top of the Head (TH): Then tap the top center of your head with four fingers.
5. You can tap each point as many times as you want before moving on to the next point. You can also repeat the sequence as many times as you want, and while tapping recite your affirmations. Take deep breaths, and do what feels right for you. Trust your intuition.
3. Breathing Techniques
If you read my post about how to stop snoring with breathing techniques you know that learning to control your breathing is one of the most powerful mind hack techniques. You can improve almost any emotional and physical issue you have, and we do it automatically. But just like pressure points, there are many breathing techniques out there. I’m going to share the most effective ones that have worked for me.
• Belly Breathing
Learning to belly breathe has been one of my favorite techniques I have learned, and in martial arts, it is one of the key techniques to help slow down your heartbeat for longer endurance. We all naturally learn to breathe using our diaphragm when we are born, but as we get older we tend to get out of habit due to stress leading us to slowly shift to unpleasant chest breathing. This will help you if you feel like you can’t catch your breath or you are going through a panic attack.
Steps:
1. Sit or lie down and place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest.
2. Breathe in deeply through your nose, and focus on letting your hand on your stomach rise while your hand on your chest should remain still.
3. Exhale through your mouth, and let your stomach fall naturally back into place.
4. Repeat as long as needed.
• Equal Breathing
A very good way to relax and get comfortable is using an equal breathing technique. This can help you fall asleep faster before bed or if you just had an exhausting day this can help relieve that stuffy uncomfortable feeling.
Steps:
1. Sit or lie down comfortably, and close your eyes
2. Breathe naturally for a few seconds, don’t force anything. Let your shoulders drop, and relax your facial muscles. Take your time.
3. When you’re ready, inhale slowly through your nose and count 1-2-3-4.
4. Then exhale through your mouth counting 1-2-3-4.
5. Repeat as long as needed, and you can count any number as long as you equally breathe in and out for the same amount of seconds.
• Box Breathing
This technique gives you control over any situation and helps balance your state of mind while reducing stress at the same time. It is a technique I use if something is bothering me or if I’m stressed in a certain situation.
Steps:
1. Inhale through your nose for a count of 5.
2. Hold your breath for a count of 5.
3. Exhale for a count of 5.
4. Hold breath again for a count of 5.
5. Repeat for as long as needed.
4. Declutter Your Environment
This is just a fancy way of me saying clean your room, but I promise this is not as boring as you may think. When we get anxious, we want to do something we can control. When you see clutter around your place it most likely worries you even more on top of the things you are already dealing with. Why? Because subconsciously we link clutter with negative emotions whereas a clean and tidy space is linked with more positive emotions.
The hardest part of this is getting started, and the easiest way to get started is by first giving yourself a time limit. Start with five or ten minutes, and you don’t necessarily have to clean anything. Maybe put away a few things or rearrange a few items on a shelf. Do little things that will gradually declutter your environment, and in turn, your mind. If you also play some music, you can get your body moving which will give you a little extra exercise depending on how hard you decide to clean.
The opportunity to burn some calories, reduce stress, release endorphins, minimize anxiety while empowering yourself by taking control all at the same time for just ten minutes of your day is the reason why cleaning is a magical healing power.
5. Talk to Yourself
We all talk to ourselves out loud or in our heads whether you notice it or not. We usually talk to ourselves to give us motivation before very stressful situations happen like going on a date for the first time with someone new, performing in front of an audience, job interviews, or giving speeches. But we also talk to ourselves when we feel lonely or bored, and some people might think that talking to yourself is a sign of mental illness, but that is usually not the case.
Talking to yourself can be a sign of high cognitive functioning, and it’s also beneficial because it can help articulate your ideas and help decision making. But how does it help reduce anxiety and stress? Psychologists use a technique called Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) which allows you to create psychological distance from stress-producing events, manages your emotional distress more easily, and reduces the damage that might have on our feelings and behavior.
All you have to do when you talk to yourself is refer to yourself in second-(you, your, yours) or third-person (he, she, it, they, him, her, them, his, her, its, their, theirs). It might be a little weird trying to compose an internal monologue that normally you wouldn’t pay attention to since it is normal, but it might just be the right technique to help you manage your anxiety and stress.
6. Play Catch
I came across a very good technique on Reddit recently to reduce anxiety and stress. In their post, they say if you feel an anxiety attack coming on, play catch. You can throw anything you want as long as you can catch it, up in the air, against a wall, or bounce against the floor. You can even play catch with a friend, but you do not need a partner to do this exercise.
The most important thing to keep in mind is to do it quickly. As soon as you catch, you need to throw it again or it will not work. After a few minutes of this, you will be completely calm. Why does it work? In short, you are putting your mind on pause while all the negative thoughts pass through. It allows you to redirect your energy into calmly dealing with your anxiety and stress instead of panicking.
7. Get Some Zen
This technique is all about grounding yourself and practicing mindfulness. Which means, to become aware. But let’s first talk about Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT). CBT is a psychological treatment that aims to change people’s negative thought patterns into realistic, objective thoughts. This technique aims to reduce anxiety and stress on both a spiritual and psychological level.
Start by picking five things you can see around you. It can be anything just as long as you can physically see it. Just take notice to them, and observe. This will help you shift your focus to your surroundings, and you’ll become aware in the present moment. Take some deep breaths, and take your time with it.
It also doesn’t have to be five things you can see. It can be any amount of things you see, hear, or feel. When our mind is being quickly flooded this technique can be a lifesaver, helping you pull the drain so you don’t drown.
8. Read Other People’s Experiences
I have a confession to make…I google my symptoms all the time. While I know that’s not the best way to go about things, I can’t help to wonder if my symptoms are a worst-case scenario. But most of the time, it’s nothing to be worried about. But I realized something interesting when I did that especially when I was going through my anxiety.
I always ended up clicking on articles or forums that led me to read other people with the same problems or issues. The thing I didn’t notice was that reading them instantly made me feel a lot better about my anxiety. It wasn’t about feeling good that my anxiety wasn’t bad as some other people either. It was something about how I empathized with everyone battling their anxiety.
I was comforted knowing that I wasn’t alone and that if people are surviving through this, then so can I. This is one of the simplest ways I learned to calm myself as well as reduce my anxiety and stress, and all it is was just reading.
9. Rewrite Your Emotions
Sometimes we wish we could turn back time. We always want to change things we could have controlled, and even if it’s out of our control, we still want to change them no matter what. This can cause our thought patterns to become tainted, and lead to anxiety, stress, and even depression. We can’t change the past, but we can rewrite our emotions.
– Close your eyes, and think of the event that is causing your emotional distress.
– Play the event in your mind, and let things happen the way they did, don’t interfere. Just observe.
– Now, play the event in your mind again, but this time, change the thing that could turn your experience into a more positive one.
You will find that this technique can soothe your mind by finding comfort in recognizing what went wrong, and you can start moving on. We have control over how our past affects us, and how it makes us who we are today.
When you rewrite what you tell yourself about a negative experience, you can redirect everything in your life and future. Including your job, your relationships, life-altering decisions, and you can start to reduce your anxiety and stress as well as heal.
10. Use Your Hobby
Everyone has hobbies. You can claim to not have one, but what if you just haven’t discovered it yet? This may be an obvious tip, but you would be surprised how many overlook the power in using their hobby. Your free time is important, and finding something can give you happiness and purpose is a way to immensely reduce your anxiety and stress.
I’ve seen so many articles about helping reduce your anxiety being used as one long hobby list, and while it is not bad, it’s not particularly helpful. Hobbies come in all forms. It can be relaxing, physical, or creative, but your level of engagement determines your hobby.
If you are looking at your phone or talking to someone instead of focusing on the activity in front of you, then it’s not a hobby. You are just doing something to keep yourself busy. That’s why it’s important to identify what you enjoy because you might be doing an activity that you like, but will not help you reduce your anxiety and stress because you are distracting yourself rather than fully enjoying yourself.
Here’s an ultimate list of hobbies that you can try. They have 549 handpicked hobbies, and they even categorized them. Eventually, you’ll find something that you can enjoy!
11. Controlled Exposure
It’s scary to think about putting yourself into situations that will trigger your anxiety and stress. You might just want to run away and try some of the other tips I mentioned above, but if you want to control your anxiety and stress in the long run, and even beat your anxiety, this is one of the techniques I encourage most people to try the most.
Before you do anything, there is an important first step to overcoming your anxiety or any type of emotional distress. You need to fully accept who you are with your mental health.
– Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and embrace your anxiety with an open mind.
– Don’t fear it, don’t attack it, and don’t look at it as a burden. Your anxiety starts to crumble when you decide to take control, and that’s what you are doing with this first step.
– You are already halfway to overcoming your anxiety just by accepting yourself. Next, identify what triggers your anxiety or stress.
Remember that your anxiety is already scared of you making that leap and taking back full control. Do not overthink, trust your body, mind, and soul. You’ll know when the right time is. Give yourself three or five minutes in your situation, and accept that whatever happens, happens. I remember the day I tried this technique because I went out with a couple of close friends to a buffet. Not even five minutes inside the restaurant I was sweaty, my stomach was clenching, and my chest felt like it was tightening up. I told myself if I were to faint or spew all over my food then so be it. And you know what?
Even though I felt terrible the entire time and only ended up eating a few pieces of chicken. The things I thought would happen, didn’t happen. That was my turning point. I felt for the first time in years, my symptoms start to ease ever so slightly. The control I felt was giving me a new surge of confidence. After that, I kept going out and doing things that I would normally avoid at all costs. I kept taking back control of my mind until I fully knew I was capable of beating my anxiety.
And one night, I had a dream. I was fighting a mirror image of myself in a tennis court near my home. The “other” me looked like me, but his eyes were purple and made of flames. He had control over the weather and used electricity to fight. But I was just me, no superpowers. I remember walking towards him with all the confidence in the universe that this guy, my anxiety in its physical form, was no match for me. The fight itself was a blur, but I remember pinning him to the ground with my elbow against his throat. I told him with a smirk on my face that “I win”.
When I woke up, I knew that I beat my anxiety. Your journey will be different compared to mine if you decide to use this technique, but the purpose stays the same. Remember, accept, identify, and leap. You are the master of your mind!
Final Thoughts
Anxiety and stress can be…stressful, but I hope I was able to help reduce your anxiety and stress with some of the natural tips I shared above. Remember, these tips are natural home remedies and they do not substitute professional help. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your mental health. Do you have any natural tips to reduce your anxiety and stress?