Anxiety is the one key symptom of stress. Whenever you dread some event and you feel your heart pounding, your hands sweating and your head throbbing, you are experiencing anxiety. It is normal to feel stress but if you are constantly nervous, worried, uneasy, or fearful, you may have some form of anxiety disorder.

Some of the symptoms of anxiety are:

• dry mouth
• sweating
• irregular heartbeat
• breathing difficulties
• muscle tension or trembling
• insomnia
• headaches
• dizziness

The modern urban dweller experiences some form of stress every day. It is therefore no surprise that many people suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder. It is possible to both reduce some of the stress and anxiety that you are feeling:

Make sure that you always have a good breakfast; by having a good nutritional breakfast, you are able to give your body the nutrients that it needs in order to be ready for the day. You have been essentially starving yourself for 6 to 8 hours while you sleep and are therefore starving whether you have the conscious sense of it or not. Digesting a good breakfast also slows down the body’s nervous system and this is a wonderful way to relieve any kind of anxiety.

Try to get a good amount of sleep every night; it is sometimes difficult to get to sleep when you are worrying about the problems of the upcoming day, but it is essential that you try to get as much sleep as possible. Lack of sleep can cause dizziness and disorientation, it can also make you far less stable emotionally. A good night’s sleep refreshes the body and strengthens your conscious control over yourself.

Try to take a vacation on a regular basis; we often believe that the world will grind to a stop if we are not able to work hard every day. You must realize though that in order to work better you need to take good breaks. Make sure that you take some kind of vacation on as regular basis and that you take as many breaks as you can whenever you are working. A week vacation or even a simple 15 min. break during a work day, allows your body to relax which is the most effective way to combat any kind of anxiety.

Do some gardening; a wonderful way to be able to relax and to focus your mind on things that are less stressful, is to just get out in the garden and do a little easy work. Getting close to the Earth and being close to plants, allows your body to take on a different rhythm. Through gardening you are able to experience the natural rhythm of the Earth which is far slower and much more natural to all of us.

Try to laugh more often; laughing is one of the greatest therapies that you can ever give yourself. Get a book on jokes and make sure that you go around telling some of these to your friends and coworkers. Try to watch funny movies and TV shows. Laughter instantly relieves tension and allows the release of pent-up nervous energy.

Get a massage; as I have mentioned above, relaxation is one of the most powerful ways to combat any kind of anxiety. A massage forces the body to relax even when it is tense and overworked. If you don’t have someone that can give you a massage, you can give yourself one with great efficiency. Practice massaging your body at least twice a week for half an hour per session. You will be surprised at the power of a self-massage to relax you.

relax to music; music has a magical way of being able to quite quickly change our mood and our focus. Get yourself a pair of good headphones and make sure that you turn on the tunes whenever you feel a bit stressed out. Experiment with different musical styles and see what works best to soothe your nerves. There are some wonderful nature sounds and special music compilations designed specifically to get you to feel like butter.

Try to get some sun; whenever you see a sunny day, make sure that you get out there and you experience some of that wonderful energy on your body. A sunny day has a way of brightening our mood instantly and the rays from the sun have a natural healing quality that our bodies need. Play hooky if you have to, but make sure that you get out on the sunny days and you get some fresh air as well.

There are also some supplements that are very good at relaxing you:

Kava; this is usually a pill that you can get in most health food stores it is made from the roots of the a plant and it has been used by Polynesian people for hundreds of years. It has an incredibly calming affect but it can make you drowsy if you take too much. Usually when you buy these pills they are called ‘kava kava’, one or two 250 mg capsules should do the trick.

Valerian; you can usually get this herb as a tea but it is also possible to get capsules. This is a super sleep aid and there are no side effects that I am aware of. A couple of 475 mg capsules should be good enough to give you a good night’s sleep.

Vitamin B; the last supplement I would like to mention is actually a vitamin. Try to get a B complex, something that has vitamins B12 and B5. Vitamin B has an amazing way of reducing stress and creates a calming effect on the mind.

If these things are not working or you find yourself in a situation where you’re just starting to stress out, try some breathing exercises. You can find some good breathing exercises in this article that will be of great help in reducing any kind of tension that you might be feeling at the moment.