2. MEDITATE FOR A WORRY-FREE BRAIN.
Meditation can help train your brain to stop worrying. Researchers in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine studied the effects of meditation and found that meditation is particularly good for reducing cognitive anxiety. Although some people believe they do not have time to meditate, meditation is as easy as choosing to close your eyes right now for 30 seconds or longer. The act of tuning out other sources of stress actively trains your brain to stop worrying.
When you take a few moments to consciously avoid any non-natural noise in your life, you center around what is most important to you. Worrisome thoughts may come to you while you meditate, yet this is normal. Those who have mastered the art of brain-training recommend observing worrisome thoughts as they enter the mind and simply watching them pass like clouds on a breezy day.
1. EXERCISE TO TRAIN YOUR BODY AND BRAIN TO STOP WORRYING.
Worry is how your brain learns to survive by deciding whether or not to activate the fight-or-flight system. If a cougar jumps out at you, you instantly feel a rush of adrenaline. This fear response is the same thing happening to your body when you worry, just at a much lower level over a longer period of time.
The same study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that exercise, on the other hand, is good for you, especially when your body feels symptoms of anxiety. If your body feels fewer physical symptoms of stress, your mind will interpret that there must be less to fret about because the body is not in a state of heightened arousal.
Exercise gives the body a secondary reason for the rapid heart rate and perspiration that we may feel when we worry. Exercise can help lower blood pressure, which is another physical symptom of stress in the body. If you identify that you are worrying, go for a 5-10 minute walk, outside if possible. Appreciate the sights and sounds of nature while focusing on the motion of your limbs and the breaths that you take.
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