Quick Ways To Lower Your Anxiety

Our own Lifestyle Audit* from March this year revealed that stress is a huge factor of unhappiness, so when e-commerce platform, Wowcher sent us statistics showing that anxiety products such as weighted anxiety blankets had been seeing a surge in sales (226% month on month), we weren't surprised. 

Another recent UK survey found that 92% of us suffer from stress, so regardless of whether you see yourself as stressed or not, the wet winter weather, dark nights and forthcoming Brexit doom and gloom are enough to make anyone feel restless and unnerved. “Brexit has clearly led to a crisis in national identity with many of those who voted to remain questioning what and who their nation represents,” says Emily Wysock-Wright, a wellness expert and founder of self re-discovery programme, Adira. “Uncertainty, the implications for future travel plans, jobs and the broader economy is all undoubtedly contributing to a general feeling of domestic unease which could show up in the form of anxiety.”

Impacting sleep, mood, blood pressure and mental health, it’s clear we need to employ fast and effective ways to deal with those pangs of anxiety when they begin to bubble up. And luckily it’s not so much of a mega task as you might think.

Here are Emily’s top tips we’ll 100% be getting on board with…

Have a bath: This is my place to cleanse my thoughts and gain perspective. Essential oils can be great for anxiety and relieving stress and I love adding lavender or chamomile to my bath.

Ground yourself: It’s very easy to fly away with the fairies when things feel too much and all perspectives blend into one. I like to go for a walk, practice some breathing techniques or do a 20-minute restoration session of Vedic meditation.

Be rational: Some self-coaching and turning down the internal dialogue going on in your head is a big help because actually, it’s very rarely right.

Take a breather: If things feel too much, it’s fine to retreat away from others and have a bit of space.

Try a supplement: Taking magnesium for anxiety can be beneficial as a lot of us are deficient. I find it’s beneficial to calming my nervous system at the end of the day while magnesium oil can help with aches and pains and improve sleep.

Eat chocolate: And also foods rich in folate as these will help with the body’s mood regulator.

Letting go: Easier said than done, everyone has a memory bank of experiences that will affect how we process situations and our resilience will vary. Journaling can help make sense of how our internal representation of the world is currently appearing and is a great first step to acknowledging the best way to move forward.

And one extra from us – Spritz a beautiful scent: we all know how scent can alter your mood and in just a few inhales our new Wellbeing Fragrances will help you press pause and quell any anxious butterfly feelings inside. Blending warm tonka bean with sweet ylang ylang and grounding vetivert, the Scent to De-Stress can be popped in your pocket, handbag or kept on your desk so you can deal with any dilemma at any time. For all those moments when you’ve wished you could cart your favourite NEOM candle around with you we’ve finally found you a solution!

*The survey, conducted by Populus which questioned over 2,000 adults, casts revealing new light on the direct links between sleep, energy, stress and happiness.