“The day began like all the rest, a frantic beating in my chest” - Vance Joy
Whether it is an upcoming job interview, a first-date or even travelling to a new destination, stress and anxiety can impact everyone in different ways. The effect of stress and anxiety can be significant to our health. The main culprit is the cortisol hormone, which is released in times of high stress. This release is the body’s response to threat or danger as it prepares for action. This response was perfectly suited to a dangerous situation such as running from a saber-tooth tiger, but it less useful in your modern day 9-5 corporate job.
Likewise, anxiety can prime to body to act and perform. But too much anxiety can result in excessive worrying, apprehension, racing mind, and at worst - anxiety disorders.
Often when circumstances feel out of our control, whether that be unrealistic work deadlines, gridlock traffic or people who antagonise you, anxiety and stress rise to the surface.
Luckily, there are methods to reduce both anxiety and stress which are easy to implement into everyday life and are backed by scientific evidence.
1. Meditation
While it may sound like new-age voodoo, this ancient Eastern practice has a plethora of scientific benefits and has been practiced for centuries. A key focus on meditation, is body awareness, which can be achieved by a mental body scan - paying attention to how the body feels and what emotion is present. When the mind wanders (as it will inevitably do), instead of getting lost in thought, a visual noting technique is applied. It is important to determine whether the mind is getting lost in thought or distracted by physical sensations.
The next step to bypass negative emotions is to understand how the mind operates. Often, when when we are feeling angry, we feel angry that we are feeling angry and the emotion fuels itself and continues to spiral out of control. Or say, we feel sad about something we care deeply about, by focusing on the emotion, we feel even more sad. This negative feedback loop can be short-circuited by identifying the underlying feeling.
The scientific evidence supporting meditation is impressive. One finding found that long-term meditation reduces the size of the amygdala (the fire alarm of the brain), which is responsible for the "fight or flight” response. Other benefits include greater mental clarity and calmness under pressure.
In comparing meditators and non-meditators, scientists found that meditators had greater levels of pain tolerance than those who did not practice. Parts of areas of the brain that connected to the pain appear to be uncoupled. Studies found that long-term meditation decreases migraine pain, PTSD and boosts compassion and empathy. Other research found that meditation was associated with pro-social behaviour, curbing self-criticism and prejudice towards others.
Much like exercising or pumping iron at the gym, practising meditation assists with long-term health benefits to the brain and body.
There are many forms of meditation that have different benefits. Apps such as Headspace and Smiling Mind are easily accessible and require only 10 minutes per day.
2. Control your breathing
When the body is stressed or under pressure, there is a tendency to breath in short, sharp breathes from your chest or lungs. This approach does the complete opposite of calming the body, at worst leading to soaring blood pressure and panic attacks. The best method of breathing is to use the diaphragm located in the stomach region. Taking long slow breaths and exhaling with the nose is a method to reducing anxiety and stress. As with meditation, focusing on how you are breathing at the present moment will assist in your pathway to Zen.
3. Exercise
No surprises here. Exercise significantly reduces anxiety and stress, releasing feel good chemicals in the body as well increasing productivity, fights against disease, boosts energy and improves sleep. And makes you look good!
Experts recommend obtaining 150 minutes per week of moderate physical exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. Strength training is also recommended to be incorporated into a weekly schedule. There are many different formats of exercise, not limited to:
running
gym
swimming
cycling
basketball
netball
cricket
football
tennis
golf
walking
yoga
pilates
weights
athletics
Find one that suits your lifestyle. Incorporating these three tips can help you reduce anxiety and everyday stress and lead you on a path to a relaxed zen state-of-mind.