Blog — anxiety

100 Inspiring Quotes to Get Thru Corona-Stress and Other Difficult Times 0

The Coronavirus crisis is creating a lot of stress and anxiety for a lot of people. To help you deal with the stress without losing your mind or ruining your relationships, I put together a compilation of 100 inspiring quotes for dealing with hard times and sprinkled in reflection prompts and anti-anxiety resources.  

Hopefully, one or more of these encouraging words of wisdom from a wide range of people will spur you on and lift you up during the current crisis and other hard times. 

30 Positive Affirmations to Get Through Coronavirus Anxiety and Other Tough Times 0

Affirmations can lift you up, encourage you, and strengthen you to get through tough times including this Coronavirus challenge.

I've listed over 30 possible affirmations. Mix them together or change them to what works for you. Experiment with some for a while and alter them if you think something might work better for you. 

Affirmations usually start with "I", but for some affirmations, you can change “I” to “We” if it fits and helps.

Say affirmations to yourself or out loud throughout your day. Write or type them out and put them in places that will remind you to say and think them. (ie your pocket, mirror, fridge door, in your phone . . .). 

I'd love to know which ones are your favorites, or other affirmations that you are finding helpful. Scroll down to the comments section and let us know. 

1. This is tough, but so am I. (This is tough, but so are we.)

2. This is tough, but I am tougher. (This is tough, but we are tougher.)

3. This sucks, but I’ll get through it. (This sucks, but we’ll get thru it.)

4. I can do this. (We can do this.)

5. I can get through this. (We can get through this.)

6. I strive to change the things that I can change & accept the things that I cannot change. 

7. This too shall pass.

8. I’m OK.

9. I will be OK.

10. I don’t know how yet, but it will be OK.

11. I’ll learn from this. I don’t know what yet, but I’ll learn from this.

12. Challenges strengthen me. (Challenges strengthen us.)

13. I am not alone.

14. I find something good in every day.

15. I breathe in relaxation & breathe out tension. 

16. There must be a silver lining, even if I don’t see it yet.

17. Relax. Breathe. Repeat.

18. I am stronger than this challenge.

19. This is scary but I can do it.

20. This challenge is an opportunity for growth.

21. I act with courage while I feel fear. I am strong & mighty. 

22. This is making me stronger even if I feel weak right now.

23. I am stronger than I thought.

24. Courage is built by getting thru scary stuff.

25. I can survive this storm. (We can survive this storm.)

26. I can adapt to change and challenge.

27. Each day, I grow in confidence in my ability to deal with challenging situations in relaxed, calm & clearheaded ways.  

28. Life has pain. That’s OK.

29. Be brave.

30. This is building my character and strength.

31. Generations before me have gotten through worse.

32. Keep calm and carry on.

34. Diamonds are created by pressure and heat. I’m being transformed into a diamond!

3 Quick Relaxing Meditations to Relieve Coronavirus Anxiety 0

Here are 3 simple--and even fun--“meditations” that can help you quickly reduce your anxiety in stressful situations. They involve breathing, smiling, and laughter. 

1. 4-7-8 Breathing Meditation

Breathing exercises like 4-7-8 breathing exercise your diaphragm (which tightens up with stress), slow your heart rate, and stimulate your vagus nerve.

Your vagus nerve runs from your gut to your brain. Research shows that vagus nerve stimulation reduces fear and anxiety. It is thought to cause the release of hormones and neurotransmitters (ie serotonin) that assist in relaxation and a sense of wellbeing.

Here's how 4-7-8 breathing works: 

To begin, stand or sit up straight. Exhale to expel all the air in your lungs to start a fresh cycle of breathing.

Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind your top teeth and leave it there for the whole exercise.

Then:

The 4: close your mouth and quietly breathe in through your nose to a count of 4

The 7: hold your breath for a count of 7

The 8: exhale through your mouth for a count of 8 (allow your breath to make sound as it comes out)

Repeat the 4-7-8 steps for a total of 4 cycles.

 2. Smile meditation

We know that smiles release feel-good endorphins, but you don't have to wait around for something that makes you smile to get the benefits of smiling.

Research shows that even fake smiles improve your mood, reduce physical pain, and increase stress-resistance. Think of them as bonus smiles. 

Give it a go: Start a smile and keep it going for at least 15 seconds. Notice how it lifts your mood. 

Think about where in your day you can fit in some bonus smiles (ie when you wake up, in the shower, doing dishes, each time you wash your hands . . .).

Watch out for resting frown face. Pay attention to when you've gone into resting frown face and make yourself smile instead. Notice how it gives you a little (or big) lift. 

3. Laughter meditation

Laughter has many benefits to your body and mind: it increases your immune response, exercises your innards, and boosts your mood. You don’t have to wait for something funny to cross your path to get a laugh. You can make laughter happen with laughter meditations.

Here’s one laughter meditation:

1. Stand with your feet planted on the floor and your arms at your sides.

2. Raise up your arms as you say a stretched vowel (like eeeee or aaaaaa) until you turn it into a giggle.

3. Wave your hands around as you let it become a fuller laugh.

4. Repeat the arm movements as often as you want.

Make the laugh as big and long as you can.

Calming Anxiety by Reducing It to Concern 0

Anxiety is heightened fear. Anxiety can grab your brain and make it spin. It is painful and it gets in the way of you dealing logically with whatever created the anxiety. 

Some people try to avoid anxiety by going to an oblivious or numb place. They pretend there's no problem. Pretending there's no problem isn't going to solve the problem either. 

Spinning won't make the problem go away and pretending there's no problem won't make the problem go away. The solution lies in between these two: concern.

Concern allows you to calmly examine the problem and deal with it. 

How to Get Vitamin C to Boost Your Immune System and Stress Resilience 0

Most people know that vitamin C can help you fight off a cold or flu, but did you know that it can help you deal with stress and reduce anxiety? 

Two places in your body that are crucial to how you deal with stress and whether it becomes anxiety are your brain and your adrenal glands. They are also two of the places in your body with the highest concentration of vitamin C.

What I cover in this post

• How to get vitamin C: What to look for in Vitamin C supplements
• Recommended amounts
• How to get vitamin C: Vitamin C food sources

Ann Silvers' Books on Amazon 0

I now have 12 books on Amazon. Topics include anxiety help, what works and doesn't work in relationships, and emotional intelligence skills.

This post includes links for each of my books on Amazon.