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Anxiety is something that many of us live with every day. Learning how to read your body and emotions, and manage them is essential to taking care of yourself. If you find yourself feeling anxious or stressed out, these four techniques can help you refocus, recentre yourself, and stay mindful.

4 Techniques for Coping with Mild Anxiety

1. 54231 Grounding Technique

If you’re having anxious thoughts about the future,this simple technique helps you bring your attention back to the present. To use the 54321 Grounding Technique, simply name:

5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste

This technique brings attention to your five senses and helps you gain an awareness of your physical surroundings, not just what’s in your head.

2. ABCDE Model

When a triggering event arises, use the ABCDE technique to address and write down the issue and the beliefs surrounding it. By arguing with our beliefs, we can reframe our mindset with an effective and rational new belief. With practice, we are able to work through triggering events faster and more effectively.

A: Activating event — what happened to trigger your anxiety
B: The Belief — what belief is core to this triggering your feelings
C: The Consequences of the belief — what happened to your emotions
D: Dispute the thoughts about the belief — explain why the belief is flawed
E: Effective new belief — create a new belief to replace the old, unhelpful one

3. 4-7-8 Breathing Technique

This technique promotes relaxation and calm. By dedicating time before bed to practice this technique, it can help you to put anxious thoughts aside and get a restful night of sleep.

Step 1: Inhale for 4 seconds
Step 2: Hold for 7 seconds
Step 3: Exhale for 8 seconds, then repeat

4. Engage Your Senses

Our senses can have a powerful impact on our bodies and emotions. Aromatherapy can be used to encourage relaxation and indulge in the things that make you feel your very best. A few ways to mindfully engage your senses include:

Smell: Use an anxiety relieving essential oil in your oil diffuser
Sight: Spend some time outside in nature
Sound: Listen to your favourite music
Taste: Eat a delicious, healthy snack
Touch: Wear your favourite outfit

If you are interested in aromatherapy, the ie: Anxiety oil blend can be used to help cope with the symptoms of anxiety.