Anxiety can paralyze you when you have a significant event ahead of you, like a presentation. How do you quickly calm down your racing heart and mind minutes before your presentation? How do you pull yourself together?
You can avoid anxiety by preparing properly for your event. Or rehearsing your presentation in front of your friend or your mirror. But you can’t prepare for everything. For the inevitable moments, here are some helpful tips to quickly reduce your anxiety.
There are many ways to relieve stress. If you know yourself, you know what calms you down. Whatever has worked before should be your first line of defense.
How To Relieve Anxiety Fast And Naturally
Deep Breaths
Deep breathing is a valuable tool for relieving stress and anxiety. Start by sitting or standing comfortably. Loosen your belt or any tight thing you might be wearing. Then inhale deeply through your nose for five seconds (or more). Fill up your lungs without stressing it, then release the breath gently through your mouth. Take as many breaths as you need.
Drink Water
Research suggests that dehydration is associated with increased tension. Further studies found that people who have a habit of drinking water have positive emotions and calmness. Water has natural relaxing properties. Try it out! When you feel anxious, drink some water.
Stay In The Present
Anxiety almost always arises from the fears in your mind. Being present is better known as mindfulness. Mindfulness gets you out of your mind and into what’s going on around you. One easy way to practice mindfulness is to pay attention to your breaths (without controlling). Simply feel the air as it goes in through your nostrils. Notice how your lungs fill up, and your ribs move in response. Notice how the exhalation happens. When you follow your ten breaths, you forget your fears and feel more relaxed. Try it now!
Take Hemp/CBD
Hemp flowers are applauded for their calming effects. While there are many ways of consuming hemp flowers, smoking hemp is the fastest way to get the CBD into your system. As soon as you inhale the sweet aroma of hemp flower, it relaxes your mind and calms your racing thoughts. Hemp is legal in most states, but confirm your state laws before smoking your hemp in public. Try the plain jane hemp and see how you like it.
Sniff Diffused Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is a popular essential oil used in aromatherapy for its widely known calming effects. Women use lavender oil massages to relax during labor! Diffuse your lavender oil with a carrier oil like coconut oil because lavender oil is very potent. Apply the diffused lavender oil on the sleeves of your shirt, on your collarbone, or even your temples.
Laugh It Off
Laughter is a cure for stress. Go to TikTok, and you will watch enough funny videos to lighten up your mood. Or go through the conversations with your crush or spouse or friend. Some public speakers find relief from admitting to the audience how anxious they feel! Everyone bursts out laughing, and the anxiety paves the way for the presentation. Fear is human, and there is no shame in it.
Music
On your phone, you have music that relaxes you. There’s no better time to listen to it than when you are losing your mind. Plug in your earphones, and listen to that track with all your senses. Feel the beat, feel the flow, appreciate how good the singer sounds. There are calming instrumentals you could stream or download. Try it!
Do An Activity To Take Your Mind Off Your Anxiety.
The more you think about your anxiety, the worse it gets. The point is to stop thinking about your fears. Take a walk, draw something, write about your worries, sing, organize your space, talk to someone, the list is endless.
Anxiety is human, so don’t fight it when it comes. Instead, accept it. Accept that you are human, and you are very anxious. Then find your way around it. If one thing doesn’t work, try another. Experiment, and stay positive.
One fundamental truth about anxiety is that it is rooted in your fears. Fear is an illusion, and it doesn’t have to paralyze you. Most of your fears only happen in your mind. They never manifest. So why worry? Why not just let things be? If you make a mistake, good. You will learn something new!