Great Help For Anxiety and For Your Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

There appears to be a great deal of anxiety in the world today. In fact at this time the discomfort of anxiety is “the most common mental health issue for adults in the US.” And if you’ve ever experienced it, you know it’s no fun – adversely affecting both how we feel as well as how well we can think and remember. Additionally, we know prolonged anxiety or cortisol (the stress hormone) can damage cells in the hippocampus – the memory center of the brain.

So how can we avoid it?  There are a variety of cognitive behavioral and nutritional approaches (see this article on this topic on this site), but one of the best goes along with this month’s most prominent holiday – Thanksgiving, or in other words, cultivating an “attitude of gratitude.”

For a quick review: In the mid 70’s two psychiatrists, after decades of counseling, independently came to the same conclusion that our dominant feelings are caused primarily by our dominant thoughts. In other words “You feel the way you think,” noted David Burns,MD, the premier proponent of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, in his most recent book Feeling Great. The world could be going to “hell in a handbasket” as the saying goes, but if your thoughts are focused on the good things in your life, what you have rather than have not, you are not likely to feel anxious.

In that article on Anxiety Reduction we go through a variety of strategies for a powerful synergistic approach to reducing anxiety. These include:

• Proven nutritional protocols that may help
• Calming activities and aerobic exercises
• Relaxation Techniques
• Rest and sleep
• Supplements that can help and…
• A simple 4 Step approach to neutralize anxiety on the spot.

Paramount in this 4 step protocol, popularized internationally by Heart Math, is the importance of simply refocusing on things for which we can feel sincere appreciation, or give thanks.

If you go to the last section of our Anxiety article, and click on the link in the last sentence of step 3, it will take you to a YouTube presentation by Jennifer May, PhD. on the Heart Math technique. The whole 20 minute video would be great to watch, but if you are in a hurry you can drag the red ball on the timeline at the bottom to 12:45 and listen to that step.

But if we are not feeling very thankful, or not used to thinking of things we appreciate, here are 4 other approaches to help evoke thoughts of thanks giving.

1. If a stranger asked what you are grateful for what would you tell them?
2. Sit down with a notebook or at your computer and see how many things you can come up with, for which you can thank God, a higher power, or some other mortal. You should be able to come up with at least a dozen things or blessings. Do it again a few hours later (ideally just before bed), or the next day, to see how many additional items your brain has come up with.
3. Get a lined notebook, or clean document on your computer or cell phone. Number it 1 – 30 and then at the end of each day make a point to note down at least 2 or 3 things you received or experienced that day that were helpful, or worth being grateful for. Note new items ea day.
4. Get a 3 X 5 card, and note down the top 6 items from the lists above, for which you are or can definitely be thankful for, and carry those with you, just in case some anxiety creeps into your mind and heart. Then you can pull out your card and ponder the value of one or more blessings.

Finally, since our article on Anxiety, linked to above, was posted another potent aid to anxiety has emerged. A review of over 300 studies showed religious involvement is often associated with lower levels of anxiety and overall better mental health outcomes.

A study published in PLOS One found that attending regular worship services led to a reduction in the body's stress responses. Participants who attended more frequently had lower cortisol levels, which are higher in people with anxiety.  Possible reasons included:

• Community Support: Churches offer strong social networks that reduce loneliness — a major contributor to anxiety.

• Spiritual Practices: Giving thanks and asking for help in prayer, worship, scripture study and reflection can foster faith and hope for divine help, as well as inner peace (as Jesus promised in John 14:27) and emotional resilience.
• Sense of Purpose: Faith-based teachings often provide perspective and a sense of meaning which can buffer against fear and stress as well.

For a more extensive discussion of how religious practices may reduce anxiety see this review https://www.sharethestruggle.org/blog/can-going-to-church-help-with-anxiety

To Relax Now 

If you feel like you could use a relaxing break NOW, Just click on the link below which will take you to the relaxation section under the Anxiety Reduction tab, and there click on the link below For An Amazing Relaxation Experience Now.

https://www.abcbrain.org/anxiety-reduction/relaxation-techniques-that-work/

Whatever you try we pray it’s helpful, and gives you at least one more thing to be thankful for this month!

The American Brain Council