6 Simple Steps to Help Reduce Anxiety and Fear

We all experience anxiety and fear at some point in our lives and for some, it’s handled well and for others, it can feel debilitating and hard to move past.

I hope this post helps you add a few more mindset tools to your mindset tool kit that will help you manifest the life of your dreams and help you live a happy positive life.

What is Fear?

Fear is something we learn from at a very young age. It can help us navigate away from danger, to keep us safe but it can also stop us from achieving so much in our lives. For me, a lot of my fears stem from how I was raised. I was always told the world was a bad place with bad people in it from a very young age.

Facing your fears is sometimes a great way to reduce them, sometimes fear is fictional and there’s really nothing to be afraid of. Fear stems from a fight or flight response in us to protect us from being hurt, it’s a natural feeling that we all have in some shape or form. 

I learned to always think the worst in people and to always be careful. Although my parents were trying to make me aware and keep me safe, the fear started to consume me.  I remember terrible nightmares when I was young and I can tell you so many stories where fear took over and it shouldn’t have.

I do believe that fear has kept me from achieving some milestones and successes. A lot of the time we don’t even recognize that fear is holding us back.

Learning to pay attention to your fears will make a big difference in you choosing between staying away from something or someone to stay safe or if the fear is just holding you back from achieving something great.

How can I Stop my Fear and Anxiety Symptoms?

There’s no sure way to stop your fear and anxiety but I do believe that you can help reduce them and learn what your triggers are. One important thing is to always seek out medical and health professionals to help if you’re feeling down. Talking to a professional is the best course of action.

The things I write about in this post are things that help me and do not replace the advice of a medical professional. Always talk to your dr about your symptoms. 

Why Does Anxiety Cause Fear?

Anxiety and fear almost go hand in hand. Our fear causes us to feel anxious which then causes us to overthink and come up with more fearful thoughts. Stress and anxiety are triggers that also go hand in hand with fear.

Anxiety is a trigger from our emotions while fear represents danger around us.

Sometimes anxiety can feel so bad that you feel your heart rate increase and you might even experience physical pain. I always try to remind myself of all the good things I have in my life, all the things that bring me joy, and that everything will be ok.

Repeat to yourself that you will be ok and it usually will help calm you down. Remember to take slow deep breaths while you’re feeling anxious. 

How to Reduce Your Anxiety

If you find that your anxiety stops you from living your life and doing things that you should be doing please seek out professional help.

The things that are listed here are ways that I have been able to reduced minor symptoms of fear and anxiety. They do not replace medical advice. 

Meditate

Meditation is such an important thing to do that will help you with both fear and anxiety. Meditation allows you to clear your mind, relax, and release some of the stress you carry around with you every day.

Finding a few minutes a day to meditate will allow you to reset, clear your mind, and set your intentions. Whether you like meditation, hate it, have never done it, or have never tried it, I’m telling you. It will help reduce your anxiety tremendously.

There are so many ways to meditate and I won’t go through them all here today but what I want you to take away from this section is the importance of finding a few minutes a day to meditate.

I’ll teach you how to start but I highly suggest you look into the different ways to meditate or find a meditation book that works for you. Meditation music is also a great way to relax and start your meditation journey.

Find a quiet place to sit. Relax your body. Take a deep breath in, then release it all slowly. Relax your neck, shoulders, arms, hands. Let yourself relax and let your mind go. Try to think of nothing at all.

Take a few deep breaths and allow your mind to clear and your body relax. Any time your mind wanders bring yourself back to thinking of nothing at all.

Thinking of nothing is hard at first so if you find this easier think of something that relaxes you. The ocean, a beach, a cottage, a trail, any place that makes you feel relaxed think of that.

Picture it in your mind and any time your mind starts to wander off bring yourself back to your relaxing space.

Think of the way the beach sounds, or the way the ocean waves sound when you’re laying on the sand. Do this for a couple of minutes. After a few minutes repeat a mantra to yourself that you feel suits your needs that day.

Repeat it again and again as you keep breathing.

Focus on your mantra and keep repeating it until you feel the stress and fear disappear. Once I’ve done this for a few minutes I like to take the time to set my intentions. Tell yourself how you are going to feel today, and what you’re going to do today. Something like, I am going to have a great day today, I’m going to accomplish _______.

Breath

This is so crucial. Breathing through difficult times and times where your mental health is suffering can really help reduce anxiety symptoms and a potential panic attack. Taking long deep breaths will help you gather your thoughts and calm down a bit. Breath so you can make a decision about your situation and come up with a plan. 

Get Outside 

Fresh air will do wonders for you. Getting outside is a great way to hit that reset button when you feel anxious or nervous about something. Sometimes a change of scenery will make a big difference in your situations. Nature allows us to see things from a different perspective and potentially gives us a break to come back and see things a little differently. Try to get outside at least once a day for a bit of a breath of fresh air.

Yoga

Yoga is another way that you can release anxiety and fear. Similar to meditation it takes your mind off of things and slows you down. It allows you to take time to breathe, clear your mind and get your body moving. It’s no secret that when you move your body you feel better. Try to find some time in your week to practice yoga, even if it’s just for a few minutes to help you relax and allow yourself to reset so that you’re ready for your day.

Roll out your yoga mat and enjoy the process of moving your body and clearing your mind. You can find lots of books on yoga or free workouts on youtube to get you started.

Listen to Calming Music

This one seems pretty simple and it really is! If you are feeling anxious or feel like fear is taking over, take a minute and put on some calming music. I use the Calm app quite a bit and I also ask my Echo to play peaceful piano or meditation music. Once it comes on I literally feel the stress disappear.

Try it and let me know what you think. My kids make fun of my husband and me for listening to the piano but honestly, it makes you feel so good and gives you that time to breathe and just relax for a few minutes. We often have it playing in the background at home, we find it makes the house feel a little less chaotic.

Read

Reading is an escape, whether you want to read something that’s fiction or a self help book, whatever you choose it let’s you escape for a while. I’m a self help book enthusiast. I love to read books that pump me up and keep me motivated. I love reading books that help me stay focused on being the best version of myself.

Reading whatever makes you feel better, makes you feel good and better yet, allows you to feel and be a better person once you put that book down. Read a book that will have you feeling better when you put it down, more relaxed, calm, and with your head a little clearer. No matter what you read, make sure you enjoy it and you find yourself relaxing while you read.

How Can I Reduce Anxiety Quickly?

For me, the fastest way to reduce anxiety is to breathe. Taking a moment to recognize that I’m dealing with anxiety and allowing myself time to breathe lets my mind calm down a bit.

Try to take at least 3 big, deep breaths and try to calm your mind and thoughts. Keep breathing until you find a little relief from your thoughts. Share these tips with a family member that you see might be struggling with the same. Breathing helps you stay in the present moment so you can collect your thoughts. 

Make sure you breathe. When you feel anxious, take a second to stop and breath. A big breath in, and a big breath out. Think of a positive mantra and repeat it as you breathe. This will help you take a second to clear your mind and reduce your anxiety.

The world is full of stress and unknowns and this simple trick will help you feel better and will give you a tool to use anytime, anywhere.

No matter where you are, take a few seconds to repeat a positive mantra and breath. Getting some nice printable affirmation cards will really help so you don’t even have to think about what you tell ourself, just read the affirmation cards and breathe. Reduce anxiety and fear and you’ll feel so much better each and every day.

What Makes You Anxious?

The list of things that make me anxious is a long one. I think with fear comes a lot of anxiety. I look at feeling anxious as an emotion you feel when you are in a situation of fear but you don’t have control. Maybe you’re choosing to overcome that fear and go for it but you are anxious about the result. 

I have found that feeling anxious comes from a lack of control for me. Situations where I don’t have control over my children make me anxious, like a rollercoaster ride, them being out with friends for the first time unsupervised, when they get sick. Situations where I can’t always control the outcome make me feel anxious.

Fear and anxiety are two emotions that I find hard to cope with sometimes and I’m almost sure you’d agree. Learning on how to cope with anxiety and fear in your life can help you feel more in control, if you can recognize the situations where you need to overcome your anxiety then you can use these tricks to plow through your emotions, stay in control and continue past those fears more easily.

Living with Anxiety and Fear

Living with fear and anxiety is a reality for so many people. It can be crippling and feel so hopeless and lonely. I’ve been there and I still face these issues from time to time. I don’t know if it’s something you ever completely overcome or if it’s something you’ll always have to deal with. Living with Anxiety and Fear is hard but it can be done and you can feel better and live a normal happy life.

Being aware of your thoughts and being proactive based on how you feel and what you’re thinking is how you learn to live with anxiety and fear and I’ll show you how to do that here today. To this day, if you ask anyone close to me what I’m afraid of they’ll probably laugh and say “everything”. 

They’re not wrong but I’ve learned to push through the fear a little better so that I can still live my life. I’ve learned to rationalize my fear and really decide if it’s just fear out of habit and panic, or if it’s a fear I need to push through and not allow it to take something from my life.

The Quickest Way to Reduce Anxiety 

Make sure you breathe. When you feel anxious, take a second to stop and breathe. A big breath in, and a big breath out. Think of a positive mantra and repeat it as you breathe. This will help you take a second to clear your mind and reduce your anxiety.

The world is full of stress and unknowns and this simple trick will help you feel better and will give you a tool to use anytime, anywhere. No matter where you are, take a few seconds to repeat a positive mantra and breath. Reduce anxiety and fear and you’ll feel so much better each and every day.

Summary

Finding things that you enjoy doing and things that help you calm down and quiet the noise will help you push through times of fear and anxiety.

Life can feel very hard at times but it’s important to focus on gratitude and that we lean on our mindset tools to help us ground ourselves so that we can rise back up.

If you have tricks that you use that help you reduce your anxiety and fear I’d love to hear them and add them to this list. Feel free to email me at hello@motherhoodlifebalance.com