We will all face stressful situations throughout our lives. They may range from minor issues like traffic jams to more serious worries, such as a loved one’s serious illness. No matter what the cause, anxiety floods your body with hormones. Your breathing speeds up, your heart pounds, and your muscles tense up. Here are three techniques to help you cope with the unwanted stresses in your life:

Guided imagery

With this technique, you conjure up soothing scenes, places, or experiences in your mind that will help you relax and concentrate. You can discover free apps and internet sites of calming scenes. Just be sure to pick imagery you find soothing, and that has personal significance. Guided imagery may help you reinforce a positive vision of yourself, but it can be difficult for people with intrusive thoughts or find it hard to conjure up mental pictures.

Mindfulness meditation

This routine involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your brain’s attention into the present moment without drifting into issues about the past or the future. This kind of meditation has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. Research suggests it may be helpful for people with anxiety, depression, and pain.

Breath focus

This is a simple, powerful technique. You take long, slow, deep breaths (also known as belly breathing or more commonly known as abdominal breathing). By concentrating on your breathing, your mind will gently disengage from distracting thoughts and sensations. Breath focus can be particularly valuable for people with eating disorders to help them concentrate on their bodies in a more positive way. However, this technique might not be suitable for those with health problems that make breathing painful, such as respiratory disorders or heart failure.