Quick, easy and inexpensive ways to feel less anxious and combat stress

Struggling with stress and anxious thoughts? Here are some easy and free (or very, very cheap) ways to help you feel better sooner.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, merely imagining how you might find ways to cope with those thoughts is enough to make you feel, well, anxious.

For serious mental health challenges, it’s obviously always worth consulting a doctor to talk through what’s happening and consider the best treatment options.

But for when you’re feeling stressed, anxious or a bit out of sorts, where do you turn to get some relief?

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, with experts identifying these simple tips and tricks to boost mental wellbeing.

GET OUT AND ABOUT

A wealth of research has identified the positive impact of nature on mental wellbeing, but a recent study indicates being beneath trees is especially beneficial.

Scientists from the University of Wollongong tracked the health of 46,000 adults over six years and found those with 30 per cent or more of their neighbourhood covered in some form of tree canopy had one-third lower odds of developing psychological distress.

Being out in nature is good for your mental health, but sitting or walking beneath trees has huge benefits.

There are a number of possible reasons.

Tree cover reduces temperatures, making it cooler and more pleasant to get out for a walk, ride a bike or exercise, which is beneficial for physical and mental health.

There’s also growing evidence that higher temperatures are linked to poor mental health outcomes.

But being beneath trees and taking it in — both the sights, sounds and smells of natural beauty, is likely to lower stress levels, increase alertness, reduce blood pressure and lower anxiety levels.

News.com.au is this month raising awareness of good mental health as part of its campaign Let’s Make Some Noise. We are highlighting the issue of anxiety and its cost to employers, the community, families and sufferers in support of Beyond Blue.

In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service has tested a new program of green prescriptions, with doctors referring some patients to community gardening projects.

Previous experiments with what psychologists dub “social prescriptions’ — non-medical treatments that have health benefits — have shown benefits for people experiencing anxiety.

Numerous studies have shown gardening can lift wellbeing in a number of areas, from reducing anxiety to promoting weight loss.

Adding a community element to that with a spared space has the extra benefit of greater social connections.

COME ON, GET APPY

That device in your pocket gives you direct access to thousands of applications that can improve your everyday life.

For free or fairly cheap, relaxation techniques, mindfulness, breathing access, coping strategies and exercise are at your fingertips.

Here are a few well-regarded ones:

• Smiling Mind: This Australian-made meditation and mindfulness app aims to take relaxation techniques to the masses. It contains a range of guided routines for adults and kids that you can access on the go. All you need is 10 minutes a day. And it’s free.

RELATED: Everyday signs you could have anxiety

Jane Martino is the creator of free Aussie app Smiling Mind.

• MindShift CBT: This is regarded as one of the top apps for people struggling with anxiety. It’s free and relies on a number of proven and effective cognitive behavioural therapies to give you tools to cope with worry, panic and social anxiety.

• Breathe2Relax: A technique known as belly breathing is an effective way of slowing your body and reducing anxiety and stress levels. This app teaches the diaphragmatic method, helping to slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. It helps with everything from anxiety to panic and anger, while also being beneficial for general relaxation. It’s free.

• Worry Watch: Anxiety Journal: In the moment, worry and anxiety can feel extreme. But on reflection, those things that caused grief can seem unnecessary or irrational later. This app, which costs $5.99, tracks those what-might-happen thoughts and then checks in to track what actually happened. The idea is that it trains us to help challenge anxious feelings in the moment.

• 10% Happier: In this app, users have access to a library of more than 500 guided meditations help with everyone from anxiety to negativity and lost focus. There’s also a sleep section with tracks when you’re having difficulty drifting off. It’s free to download and explore intro features, but there are premium subscription options to access the full suite of content.

RELATED: Never say this to someone with anxiety

There are countless free or cheap apps for relaxation, mindfulness, yoga, mood tracking and cognitive behavioural therapy tips.

• Yoga Workout — Meditation & Fitness: Yoga has been shown to be an effective way to reduce anxiety and stress. Not only is it a physical exercise, but its breathing and stretching techniques add an extra benefit. Yoga classes can be expensive but there are a number of free or introductory apps for beginners, teaching moves that can be done at home. This one has a number of free video-guided workouts.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

It’s no secret that exercise is good for your physical health, helping to lose weight and reducing the risk of a range of conditions such as heart and lung disease and high blood pressure.

But the mental benefits from being active are also significant.

Exercise pumps blood to the brain, encouraging clear thinking, and promotes the release of chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins, Associate Professor Samuel Harvey from Black Dog Institute and the University of New South Wales says.

“Most of the mental health benefits of exercise are realised within the first hour undertaken each week,” Associate Professor Harvey said.

RELATED: ‘Cry breaks’ at work expose hidden crisis

Any exercise is better than none so start small and commit.

Beyond Blue suggests starting small, adding exercise to your regular routine, setting goals and making a commitment to yourself.

Ideally, it suggests 30 minutes of vigorous exercise at least five times a week, and by vigorous they mean an activity that’s challenging. Think something that would be difficult to do while carrying on a lengthy conversation at the same time.

“Don’t get disheartened if these guidelines feel unachievable. It’s important to remember that while more exercise is better than less — any exercise is better than no exercise,” Beyond Blue advises.

WRITE IT DOWN

A British study last year found writing about your positive emotions experienced that day could reduce anxiety levels.

The Northumbria University research recruited a cohort of healthy volunteers and put them in two groups — one would write about their most positive life experiences for 20 minutes a day and the other would write about something neutral.

Scientists measured levels of anxiety before and after they completed the task and found a significant decrease in anxiety levels of those who wrote about positive emotions.

“Stress and anxiety decreased to a significantly greater extent for those who wrote about positive experiences after four weeks, compared with the levels reported before they completed the writing tasks,” Associate Professor of Psychology Michael Smith said of the outcome.

“We also found that writing about happy moments was effective, regardless of the levels of distress that people reported at the start of the study.”

Writing down positive emotions has been found to reduce anxiety. So too is chronicling worries to reflect on that.

Writing about emotions might not be for everyone — including those with acute psychological conditions.

But this study and earlier research projects have identified that reflection can get things off your chest and put worries into perspective.

TAKE A BREATH

We all know how to breathe, obviously, and do it without thinking.

But concentrating on your breathing and employing a few simple techniques is an effective way to relieve stress and reduce anxiety.

Breathe deeply into your stomach for five seconds, holding it for one second, and then releasing it for five seconds, and repeating that cycle several times.

Breathe deep into your belly for five seconds, hold it for one, and breathe out for five seconds. Repeat several times.

“The immediate impact of doing this can be seen in the reduced production of one of the stress hormones, noradrenaline,” molecular genetics lecturer Michael Porter at the University of Central Lancashire said. “Levels of cortisol, another stress hormone, will also start to reduce.”

SEEK HELP

If you’re struggling to manage your anxiety, make an appointment to see your GP to talk through your issues and explore treatment options.