{3 minute read}

Breathe

Whether you experience anxiety daily or occasionally, its time to add breathing techniques to your tool box! The brilliant thing about breathing techniques is you can do them absolutely anywhere. Try these subtle breathing techniques for anxiety:

• Following the rhythm of your breath, repeat in your head *I am breathing in, I am breathing out*. Start to slow down the narrative, as you slow down your breath, continuing to repeat the mantra.
• Counting your breaths in your head. Breath in for 5 counts, hold for 6 counts, slowly breath out for 7 counts. Repeat this for as long as needed.

Mental Health

Setting goals and finding purpose throughout the day can have a huge impact on our mood, self-esteem and motivation. Setting small achievable goals throughout the day can give us a sense of purpose and achievement. Give these a go:

• Make your tasks manageable by breaking them down into a ‘To Do List’. Writing down what needs to be done can give your mind a rest and avoid you becoming overwhelmed. Once you have written down what needs to be done, focus on the tasks that can be ticked off first.
• Focusing on things that bring you joy. Write a list of things that you enjoy. Once you have your list, notice any similarities. Connect those similarities until you have one main source of joy. Make time for this daily, maybe even turn this into a hobby.

Meditate on it

You may have tried meditation before or you may be new to it. The key to meditation is persistence. Meditating once a month isn’t going to give you the outcomes that you desire. Try these tips to get the most out of meditation.

•  Start small. Give yourself 5 minutes a day to sit in a quiet space and focus on your breathe. Slowly start to increase this time as it seems fit.
• Try guided meditation to quiet the chatter of your mind. There are a number of great apps that offer guided meditations. My favourite apps are @insighttimer and @mylife.