4 Simple Routines to Adopt for Anxiety Relief in Bellevue, WA

Looking for anxiety relief in Bellevue, WA? We can help! Because anxiety doesn’t take a break when you’re on vacation or through the holidays, it’s important to develop simple routines that can bring relief, no matter the time of year or your circumstances. Medication can also provide anxiety relief, but here are some tools to help you focus on rhythms you can add to improve your overall well-being.

A routine is the “habitual performance of an established procedure” (Merriam-Webster.com). Developing routines works best when they are small, simple to implement, and don’t interfere too much with one’s lifestyle.

One example of a routine may be doing four leg squats while you brush your teeth every morning. Brushing your teeth is something you do each morning, and because you do not need your entire body to do it, you can use your legs to squat while completing it.

It’s a sneaky way to fit in some strength training. So, what kinds of routines can bring anxiety relief in Bellevue, WA?

4 Simple Routines That Bring Anxiety Relief in Bellevue, WA

1) Learn every day

This may seem like an odd routine to build into your life, but it works because it helps you focus on something outside yourself. It is also flexible, customizable to your interests, and does not require a huge time investment.

Ideas to help you learn something new every day include choosing a topic you have always wanted to learn about and studying it for 5-10 minutes each day. How would you build that study time into your daily life?

You can search your podcast streaming app to find a podcast that talks about the subject, subscribe to a daily vocabulary word email, a YouTube channel that’s related to your topic of interest, or search your streaming channels for a documentary related to the topic – one that you can add to your list and watch in bite-sized pieces.

If you don’t know where to start when it comes to learning each day, here are some questions to stimulate your imagination.

• Is there a hobby, sport, or trade I wanted to learn when I was a child but never had the opportunity to learn or try?
• What hobby does my friend or family member do that interests me?
• What pairs well with something I already enjoy? For example, if you already enjoy cooking, consider something that would help you be a better cook, such as learning about herb gardening, making your own spice mixes or dry rubs for meat, or understanding how specific flavor profiles work together.
• What do my kids enjoy doing? This one may seem too childish, but reimagining childhood pursuits on an adult level can help you rediscover the value of play. Consider a pottery workshop at Eastside Pottery in Bellevue or an art class at the Northwest Arts Center.
• What did I imagine myself doing when I was a child? Sometimes, our childhood selves thought we’d be astronauts or flight attendants when we didn’t end up pursuing those careers. But it doesn’t mean we can’t learn elements of them as adults.

With learning, one final idea is to close your eyes and dream. Whether you write down your dreams for someday or just imagine yourself in a safe place, the visual and sensory imagery that takes place when you use your imagination can bring peace to an otherwise heightened nervous system.

Perhaps you remember a place you loved as a child or your go-to vacation spot. Take five minutes to visit it in your mind. What aromas do you smell? What sounds do you hear? Run through the five senses and remember what your special place is like. Using your imagination can bring similar calming sensations to your physical body just as you’d experience if you were there.

2) Move every day

New Year’s resolutions are often discarded by January’s end simply because they are too big, too vague, and too guided by unrealistic expectations. So, moving every day for anxiety relief is not the same as trying to fit into your high school reunion dress from a decade ago.

Exercise has been proven to help with mood stabilization, and research suggests simple activities such as walking can reduce anxiety symptoms. However, walking isn’t your only option.

Moving every day can be a variety of things. You can aim to do two yoga poses in the morning and an extra trip upstairs in the evening. The key is to develop a small habit you can maintain.

Then, when you’ve maintained the movement habit for at least six weeks, you can change it, add something new, or lengthen it. Ideas for daily movement include:

• Walk to the mailbox through your backyard every day to get some extra steps.
• Find a five-minute stretching routine online to do nightly before you brush your teeth.
• Buy some hand-held weights and do three exercises for every extra episode you binge on your favorite show.
• Consider purchasing a desk treadmill to help you log extra miles while you work or check emails.
• Instead of mindless scrolling on social media to fill time, set a goal to do 10 squats while you peruse your social feeds. Doing this three times a day permits you to “check out” on socials while also adding in an exercise routine.
• Meet a friend for coffee at Fonte Cafe – Bellevue Place or Cafe Ladro – Bellevue and walk a few laps around the cafe parking lot while you chat.
• Instead of emailing your co-worker if you’re in an office setting, choose two to three days a week where you limit how often you’re allowed to email requests. Instead, walk to their office and talk in person.
• Start the day with 25 jumping jacks, 45 seconds of high knee marching, and 5 push-ups while you wait for your coffee to brew.
• If you’re trying to rush your children to get ready for school, tell them they have to be finished with their morning get-dressed and brush-teeth routine before you finish the 25 jumping jacks you’re doing (or whatever other physical exercise is easy for you to do while also keeping an eye on them).
• Get down on the floor to talk to your pet or feed him/her rather than talking from a standing position. This forces you to squat and sit and then squat and stand several times a day.
• Go for a walk at the Bellevue Botanical Garden one weekend afternoon or stroll through Bellevue Downtown Park on your way home from work.

Looking at movement as a way to incorporate a healthy rhythm for anxiety relief in Bellevue takes the focus off the exercise itself and helps you keep it in perspective. It’s just as much for your mental wellness as it is for your physical well-being.

3) Breathe intentionally two times each day

Spending a few minutes at the end of the day breathing will help you reflect and refocus. No matter what the day has held, using a rhythm such as this will provide variety and repetition, so you’ll learn them well practice them more effectively. By doing them daily, you will have them as a back-pocket rhythm you can do anywhere at any time for anxiety relief. (Be sure to consult your doctor regarding any breathing techniques if you have a lung condition.)

• Physiological sigh (also called cyclic sighing or cyclic breathing): Deeply inhale through your nose, making sure your belly rises, rather than your shoulders. Follow with a quick, short second inbreath, completely filling the lungs. Then exhale a long, steady outbreath through your open mouth. The second quick inbreath more completely opens the tiny air sacs in your lungs (alveoli), allowing you to expel more carbon dioxide when you exhale, reducing the physical sensations of anxiety. The long, slow exhale slows down the heart rate and also has a calming effect on the body.
• Deep diaphragm breathing: Feel your belly with the tip of your index finger and breathe in through your nose until you can’t breathe in anymore; next, slowly exhale through pursed lips for four seconds. Repeat one to two times.
• Box breathing: Simply inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, and exhale for four seconds. After a break, start over.
• 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath in for seven seconds, and exhale for eight. The varying numbers force you to pay attention to counting and allow your body’s physiological response to aid your emotional and mental response, helping you let go of fixating on what is making you anxious.

4) Practice awareness journaling each day

Whether you journal on paper or through a voice recorder on your phone, this practice helps you become aware of your physical surroundings. Over time, this practice can help you grow your emotional and mental health awareness, too.

Similar to mindfulness meditation, this practice gives you the opportunity to pay attention to your surroundings in everyday life. Spend a few minutes noticing and recording five things you see around you, four things you’ve felt today, three things you’ve listened to or heard, two scents you’ve smelled, and one thing you have tasted.

This journal can be a record that helps you stay aware of what’s happening on this day rather than focusing too much on the past or the future. Over time, it can be a sweet recollection of simple joys, much like a gratitude journal.

Developing routines for everyday life is a gateway to processing and healing from anxiety triggers. But we also recommend your everyday routines be paired with help from a trained Christian counselor in Bellevue, Washington who can provide you with additional insight into what’s causing anxiety and how to reframe circumstances to help you experience anxiety relief in Bellevue.

If you’re looking for additional support for anxiety relief in Bellevue, reach out to us at Bellevue Christian Counseling in Washington. I’d be honored to meet with you, or our reception team can help you find another Christian counselor in Bellevue who is a good fit for you and will meet your specific needs.

Note: No compensation is received from any local businesses mentioned or linked in this article.