Tips to deal with anxiety

Anxiety is our bodys natural response to stress. Its a feeling of fear or apprehension about whats to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous. The most recent addition to these reasons is the pandemic which has made anxiety and stress more common in people.

Dr Chandni Tugnait, MD (AM) Psychotherapist, Life Alchemist, Coach & Healer, Founder & Director, Gateway of Healing shares a few tips to keep yourself anxiety-free during the pandemic scare:

Practice left nostril breathing for a couple of minutes daily to keep stress and anxiety away. Simply take your right hand and, with your fingers outstretched, block off your right nostril by putting gentle pressure on it with your right thumb. Be sure to keep the rest of your fingers straight and pointing up towards the sky; the fingers act like antennas for the "cosmic" energy that surrounds us all. With a long, slow, deep breath, gently inhale through your left nostril. Then, just as gently, exhale long, slowly and completely, again through the left nostril. Relax your body as you feel the relaxing, cooling breath bringing new life into your body. Relax even deeper with each exhale as you breathe out all tension, all stress, and all disease.

Journal your thoughts, feelings, fears, experiences and ideas to process them in a better way. This is actually a great therapy tool that improves mental health as we do not let things pile up, give space, distance & shape to things while reflecting upon them. This helps in venting, accepting and then finally healing.

Maintain sleep hygiene by sticking to the same time for sleeping & waking up daily. Evaluate things that disrupt your sleep so they can be avoided. Block blue light 3-4 hours before you sleep; no TV, no cell phones or iPads!

Use aromatic diffusers to enhance the mood and clear the energy around. Aromatherapy stimulates the limbic system of the brain that controls emotions & memory.

Sip water from a transparent green bottle daily to keep the lungs & nasal passage healthy. Using colour therapy with water is most effective as more than 75 per cent of our body is made of water.

Follow a meditation and mindfulness practice for 5-10 minutes daily. You can meditate in silence, body scanning or follow a guided meditation. This keeps the focus on the present moment' and hence greatly reduces stress & anxiety.