While managing anxiety, medication doesn't have to be your only treatment. It is possible to calm your mind and reduce stress by following a simple steps which will help you to reduce anxiety and manage it if it arises.

Exercise

Exercise can help you to manage anxiety better. Exercise will not only help you physically, it will also provide mental health benefits. You need at least 3 to 5 thirty minute workouts every week. It will boost your sense of well-being and improve your mental health. There are different exercises which will offer you the same benefits but you can choose exercises that you enjoy. Because when you perform the exercises that he enjoyed, it is more likely that you will do it regularly.

Sleep well

Sleeping better will also help you to manage anxiety better. Both quality and quantity of sleep are important for good sleep. You may need 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. If you find it difficult to sleep because of anxiety, you can create a routine before sleep to help you get more and better sleep. Some of the things that you can include in your routine may be-

Following a schedule, creating a comfortable bed, keeping your rooms temperature cool, using screens to avoid outside light and so on.

It is also better to reduce caffeine and alcohol intake because they may increase the possibility of anxiety. Completely avoid them if possible and if it is not possible, at least reduce them. You need to avoid anything that contains caffeine and caffeine may be there in diet pills, headache medicines, chocolate, tea and other things. Specially, do not take caffeine just before going to bed.

Deep breathing

Learning to breathe deep will definitely help you to manage anxiety better. When you take deep breaths, it sends a signal to your brain that you are OK. As a result of that your mind and body will relax. You can lie down on a flat surface and then put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest and then perform deep breathing slowly. Take a deep and slow breath, hold it for a second and then slowly let it out.

Manage your thoughts

This is one of the most important ways to manage your anxiety. Your anxiety arises from the thoughts that are there in your mind. Specially, the negative thoughts that come into your mind result in anxiety. Such thoughts may be about present and future and you may be thinking about what can go wrong. It is very important to become aware of the negative thoughts and ignore them. If possible, you will need to change the negative thoughts with some positive ones. If you can do that, it'll be easier for you to deal with anxiety. You will need to face your fears head-on and then only you will be able to win in the fight with negative thoughts.

Take care of the triggers

There are some triggers which result in anxiety. You will need to notice those triggers if you want to manage anxiety better. There are times and places where you feel most anxious. You need to write them down and you can either avoid or confront from the feelings of panic and worry. Both the ways will help you to manage your anxiety better.

References 1. Overthrowing Anxiety Disorder
2. Anxiety Disorders
3. Anxiety disorders