The snow is melting and march break is around the corner. There’s something about sunshine after dinner that makes us hope again. We know winter is not over yet, but can’t help feeling like the worst of it is behind us.

Yet deep down there’s this restlessness. There’s this part of my spirit that won’t sit still, won’t stop talking, won’t stop tensing up at the worst times. It’s messing with my sleep, my moods, my relationships. It’s been clinging on and I need a break.

Wouldn’t it be nice to take a spring break from anxiety? It usually doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right tools it’s possible to feel more calm and composed.

There are a lot of ways to address anxiety. One of the most common tools is CBT-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. CBT helps you to identify thought patterns and root issues that may be contributing to anxiety. It then helps you to retrain your brain’s responses to triggers, slowly re-learning appropriate or relaxed responses. Other interventions are mindfulness based, giving your brain a chance to listen to your body while in a relaxed state.

Try out these 5 relaxation techniques:

Belly Breaths: Did you know deep belly breaths can trigger a nerve response that relaxes your whole body? Try this: take a deep breath, pushing out your belly as far as you can. Hold it for a few seconds, then release. Repeat at least three times.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Try clenching and releasing your major muscle groups (feet, legs, buttocks, abdomen, arms, face). Start with your feet and move upwards. Squeeze those muscles as hard as you can, try to hold for 10 seconds, then release. As you release, take a deep breath.

Media Fasting: Give your phone a bedtime—say 9pm-9am. Screen time could be contributing to anxiety and even interrupting your sleep cycle. It could also be triggering anxious responses to social media, to news, to direct messages, to the unattainable Pinterest life. Why not shut it off and tell those things that they can’t mess with you for the next 12 hours?

5 Senses: Try to ask yourself about your five senses--What do you see around you? What do you smell? What do you hear, feel, taste? This is a tool you can ask your loved ones to use with you if you are having a panic attack. It gives us a chance to reconnect our brain with our whole body and redirect our attention from the panic.

Go for a walk outside: Take a break from artificial light, go out and breathe the fresh air. This is a chance to reconnect your senses with the natural environment.

With a few of these tricks up your sleeve, you may be on your way to a calmer more composed spring—we hope this is the break you were looking for!

----

If you would like to discuss your anxiety professionally, our therapists are here to help. They can help you identify roots and triggers, using CBT and other modalities to help you feel more relaxed and in control of your reactions.

You can call our 24/7 phone line at 705-300-0077 or click here to book an appointment.

Photo by Spenser Sembrat on Unsplash