6 Simple Steps to Help Reduce Anxiety and Fear

We all experience anxiety, panic attacks, and fear at some point in our lives; for some, it’s handled well, and for others, it can feel debilitating and hard to move past. Learning how to reduce anxiety and fear symptoms can make a solid step toward overcoming fear or at least not letting it control you.

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 young age. It can help us navigate away from danger, keep us safe, and stop us from achieving success. I was always told the world was a bad place with bad people in it.

Facing your fears is sometimes a great way to reduce them; sometimes, fear is fictional, and there’s nothing to fear. 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 remember terrible nightmares when I was young, and I can tell you so many stories where intense fear took over, and it shouldn’t have. Although my parents tried to make me aware and keep me safe, the fear consumed me. I learned to always think the worst in people and always to be careful.

Fear has kept me from overcoming and 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 your choice between staying away from something or someone to stay safe or if you worry that 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 believe you can help reduce them and learn your triggers. One important thing is always to seek out medical and health professionals to help if you’re feeling down. Talking to a mental health 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 the perceived threat and danger around us.

Sometimes anxiety can feel so bad that your heart rate increases, 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, which will usually help calm you down. Remember to take slow deep breaths while you’re feeling anxious. 

How to Reduce Your Anxiety

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

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

Meditate

Meditation is 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 and anxiety fear you carry around with you every day.

Finding a few minutes a day to practice mindfulness meditation 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, and 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 to 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 imagine it any time your mind starts to wander off; bring yourself back to your relaxing space.

Think of how the beach sounds or how the ocean waves sound when you’re lying 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 want 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 when your mental health is suffering can help reduce anxiety symptoms and potential panic attacks. Taking long deep breaths will help you gather your thoughts and calm down a bit. Breathe so you can decide 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 situation. Nature allows us to see things from a different perspective and gives us a break to come back and see things a little differently. Try to get outside at least once a day for a breath of fresh air.

Yoga

Yoga is another way that you can release anxiety and overcome fear. Like meditation, it takes your mind off 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 you feel better when you move your body. 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 simple, and it really is! If you feel 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.

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 relax for a few minutes. We often have it playing in the background at home; it makes the house feel less chaotic. Try it and let me know what you think.

Read

Reading is an escape; whether you want to read fiction or self-help books, whatever you choose, lets 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 focus on my best version.

Read a book that will have you feeling better when you put it down, more relaxed, calm, and with your head a little clearer. 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. 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.

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

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 give you a tool to use anytime, anywhere.

No matter where you are, repeat a positive mantra and breath for a few seconds. Getting some lovely printable affirmation cards will help, so you don’t have to think about what you tell yourself, just read the affirmation cards and breathe. Reduce anxiety and fear, and you’ll feel much better daily.

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 see feeling anxious as an emotion you feel when 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 my lack of control. 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 how to cope with anxiety and fear in your life can help you feel more in control; for example, 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 disorders 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 occasionally. I don’t know if it’s something you ever wholly 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 to live my life. I’ve learned to rationalize my fear and decide if it’s just fear out of habit and panic or if it’s a fear I must 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 give you a tool to use anytime, anywhere. No matter where you are, repeat a positive mantra and breath for a few seconds. 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 overcome anxiety more.

Life can feel challenging at times, but it’s essential 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 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