As well as supplying our customers with anxiety relieving toys, our team understands on a personal level that these are only additional aids in helping those in need. So we have taken it upon ourselves, through both research and personal experience, to put together top ten tips on helping with your anxiety.
- Speak kindly to yourself
Positive self talk is beneficial as over time, you can often change the way you see yourself. As you may know your negative thoughts can have a real impact on your wellbeing, which is why it is very believable that it has been proven that you can fix this by reciting positive thoughts. It’s no way an easy fix but I can assure you, over time your mind will believe you. It’s brain training for your overall well-being.
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Stay in your time zone
Anxiety is often triggered due to those who have it overthinking about the future. So instead of worrying about what’s going to happen, try to focus back on to the present. Ask yourself: What’s happening right now? Am I safe? Is there something I need to do right now? If not, make an 'appointment' to check in with yourself later in the day to revisit your worries so that those distant scenarios don’t throw you off track.
- Write a grateful list
Gratitude helps to disconnect from things that are toxic, negative emotions and the dwelling that often accompanies them. Our team have found that writing down a list of things that you are grateful for will then shift your emotions, looking at all the positive things in your life. Deep down everyone knows their blessings, but by having them on paper ready to be read can have life changing results. You could start by creating a gratitude list, then reading it every morning and evening before bed for two weeks. After two weeks check in with yourself, has this task helped me? Has this suppressed my bad thoughts in any way?
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Fact-check your thoughts
People with anxiety often fixate on worst-case scenarios. To combat these worries, take a step back and think about how realistic these scenarios are. Say you’re nervous about an interview later on. Rather than think 'what if I don't get it?', you could think 'if I don't get it then I can learn from this' or 'it just wasn't meant to be... there are more jobs out there'. Getting into a pattern of rethinking your fears will help to train your brain to come up with a rational way to deal with anxious thoughts.
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Try exercise
There’s no doubt that exercise can have just as much of a positive result on your mental health as on your physical health. We know from science that exercising will release endorphins that can enhance your sense of wellbeing. Not only this but when you are exercising it can also take your mind off of worries, giving you an instant relief, as you focus more so on the acts that you're doing. Lastly, regular exercise has many additional physiological benefits such as gaining confidence and potentially more social interactions.
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Eat healthy where possible
When considering this with our team we started to think about times when after eating an unhealthy meal we would then feel awful and sluggish afterwards. Our bodies are fueled by whatever food and drink we decide to take in. So, we shouldn't be surprised when eating unhealthy food or having unhealthy eating habits can develop into negative thoughts. Therefore, eating healthy, well-balanced meals and drinking plenty of water should greatly impact your mental and physical health.
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Look after your sleep
Sleep gives your brain and body time to heal. Healthy sleep has been proven to be the most important factor in improving your health, even more so than exercise or diet. Studies have shown that almost every system of the body is affected by the quality and quantity of sleep a person gets, especially the brain. Sleep gives the body's neurons a chance to shut down and repair themselves. Without that opportunity, neurons become so depleted and polluted through normal cellular activities that they begin to malfunction. Sleep provides cells with increased protein production that fuels growth and repairs damage incurred by stress and other factors. It is also integral to maintaining healthy emotional and social functioning. So, make sure that you get enough sleep!
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Take time out from social media
Often social media, whilst beneficial, an be an emotional trigger for many. Despite the fact it can help with loneliness in keeping people connected, it can often make those who suffer with anxiety overthink and feel on edge. The fairly recent introduction of being able to see when others are online or have read your message can make you feel as if friends and family are ignoring you, when they may simply be busy. For those with anxiety it can heighten your emotions and worsen the feelings you may get. It is therefore a good idea to take breaks from social media to focus purely on yourself and relaxation.
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Help others
This is a personal favourite of ours and one that we will go to whenever we feel anxious. From experience of being an extremely anxious as a child, the moment our founder Zak decided to dedicate his life to helping others, his anxiety became a thing of the past. Of course the emotion will still occasionally come knocking from time to time, but it’s only a shadow of its previous self. There isn’t anything more powerful than setting aside your own feelings to help someone else, which in turn can abolish the source of your anxiety.
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Use anxiety relief toys
Here at Sensory Toys UK we know that our fidget toys can be beneficial to lots of people, both from using them ourselves as well as our customers giving us rave reviews. Not only can they help children with an array of additional needs, they can also be used to relieve anxiety and stress in both adults and children. If you would like to hear more about what toys can be used to relieve anxiety then please read our previous article here.