Anxiety can cause you to lose sleep. You lay in bed after a long day, you are exhausted, but your mind won’t stop. Here are a few tips to try calming anxiety and hopefully help you sleep.
1. Four square breathing
Four square breathing is a breathing method that can not only calm anxiety, but relax your mind and body. This method is as straight forward as it sounds. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Hold the breath for four seconds. Breathe out of your mouth for four seconds. Hold for four seconds. Repeat. This method can be useful to slow your heart rate and help you fall asleep. Many who utilize this method focus on the counting. This can take your mind of off the things you may be anxious about.
(photo courtesy of Markus Spiske on unsplash)
2. Grounding
Grounding a method that can be utilized before bed or during everyday activities. There are two methods of grounding:
1. In the moment grounding. In the midst of a situation that causes anxiety, finding something that appeals to each one of the senses can help bring anxiety levels down. Find one thing around you that can be touched, smelled, seen, tasted, and heard.
2. The second method is the same as the first method except you think of a place where you feel the most relaxed and apply the five senses to that place. This one is often times utilized before bed to relax.
3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
PMR is the tensing and relaxing of each muscle in your body starting from your head down to your feet. This method helps to relax each muscle in the body, relieving anxiety and calming your body and mind. This is often down before bed to relieve anxiety because people tend to tense certain muscles when they are anxious. This exercise also helps people to identify that they are tensing their muscles in anxiety causing situations so they can relax them.