How to reduce your anxiety about returning to bars and restaurants

Yippee that bars, restaurants and hairdressers are open again… but are you ready yet? How comfortable are you feeling about doing those normal day-to-day things like meeting a friend for coffee or having a drink after work? If you’re feeling slightly jittery and anxious (and who isn’t at some point or other), here are four simple ways you can tone down your anxiety…  

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7/11 breathing

A key way to feel calmer is to make sure your exhale is longer than your inhale – longer exhales help to stimulate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, or relaxation response. So 7/11 breathing is a brilliant way to calm yourself,

  • Closing the eyes, you simply inhale to a count of 7, then exhale to a count of 11.
  • Aim for 10 rounds of the 7/11 breath each time you practise. 

 

Change the sensation

This simple visualisation exercise is a very helpful de-stressor.

• Close your eyes and notice where you feel anxiety in your body.
• Visualise what colour and/or shape the anxiety would be.
• Now imagine how the colour and shape would need to change for the feeling of anxiety to be manageable and OK.

 

Shake it off

When we experience anxiety the stress hormones of  adrenaline/cortisol course through our bodies. To break down these hormones we need to move so shaking the body is a very effective way to release anxiety.

  • Simply shake your arms, legs or torso vigorously, focusing particularly on areas that feel tense or uncomfortable. 

 

Dial it down

Another visualisation exercise that takes a bit of practice but is perfect for dialling down any strong feelings.

• Close your eyes and imagine a dial with the numbers 1 – 10 on it, as vividly as possible.
• See or sense the needle registering at the number that best represents how anxious you feel right now.
• Look at the dial and choose to turn it down to the amount of emotion you feel is appropriate to the situation.

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