Everyone feels anxious now and again. But if your anxiety doesn’t go away and starts to make your daily life more difficult, it’s usually a sign that there’s something serious going on.

According to Beyond Blue, anxiety is Australia’s most common mental health condition, affecting one in four of us at some point in time. How to aid anxiety is a question all of us may have to face at some stage of our lives.

Anxiety can affect anyone regardless of age and other factors. Signs of an anxiety disorder include feeling very worried or anxious the majority of the time, finding it hard to calm down and being unable to control your thoughts and fears. If you or a child in your life is experiencing these symptoms, it’s vital to seek support as soon as possible.

While they’re not a replacement for medical treatment, anxiety aids for children and adults can be useful for reducing the severity of symptoms, especially in conjunction with other treatments. Sister Sensory is Australia’s ultimate destination for fidget toys and other sensory solutions, and we’ve helped many children and adults find the right anti-anxiety tool.

Here are our tips for how to aid anxiety with the right tools and techniques.

Learn about anxiety

 Talk to your healthcare provider to find out what treatment plan is best for you, and what might be contributing to your feelings of anxiety. Knowledge is power, and the more you learn about the condition and your own mind the better equipped you are to handle it. It can also help you identify your triggers – those situations that activate an anxious response. Keeping a diary of when you feel anxious and when you feel calm can help you figure out how to aid your anxiety and what you should avoid.

Live a healthy lifestyle

 Lifestyle changes like diet, exercise and stress reduction can have an overall positive effect on your mental health and day-to-day mood. Some lifestyle tips include:

• Quit smoking
• Make sure you sleep at least seven hours per night. Children and teens frequently need more to aid their growth.
• Quit drinking (or reduce your intake of) coffee and other caffeinated beverages.
• Exercise 3-4 times per week.
• Eat a balanced diet with sufficient amounts of magnesium, calcium and vitamin B, as the lack of all these nutrients can contribute to anxiety symptoms.

 Use breathing and mindfulness techniques

 When we get stressed, our breathing often becomes faster. Hyperventilation can trigger the physical symptoms of anxiety, creating a vicious cycle. To slow down your breathing, try counting to three once as you breathe in and again as you breathe out.

Other stress management and relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga and visualisation can also be very helpful.

 Try cognitive or behavioural therapy

 Cognitive therapy and behavioural therapy are two therapeutic approaches commonly used to treat anxiety. Cognitive therapy focuses on changing beliefs and ways of thinking that trigger anxiety while behavioural therapy often involves gradual exposure to your fears in order to desensitise yourself.

 Build confidence and self-esteem

In both adults and children, anxiety can take its toll on one’s self-esteem. Socialising, setting goals, setting boundaries with people and undertaking counselling and talk therapy can help build up confidence and self-esteem. It helps to have a solid support network and a passion to pursue.

Stick to your treatment plan

 Make sure you keep up your therapy appointments, follow the guidance of medical professionals and take any medications as directed.

 Use fidgets and sensory aids

 Popular among children with ADHD and autism, fidget and sensory toys are beneficial for anxiety too. Feeling stressed and anxious leads to pent-up energy, and fidget toys give both children and adults an opportunity to release that so they can put their minds at ease and concentrate better. These sensory toys come in a variety of different styles including cubes, keychains, rings, chewable jewellery and other accessories.

 Find your anxiety aid among Sister Sensory’s range

 Sister Sensory is one of Australia’s leading providers of anxiety aids and other sensory solutions. With our massive range of sensory and fidget toys, we support parents, carers, teachers, healthcare professionals and people of all ages with conditions like ADHD, autism and anxiety.

Our anxiety aids include everything from bubble tubes with colour-changing LED lights, to adjustable fidget rings, to anxiety sleep buddy dolls, to sensory fidget rings and bracelets and more.

A registered NDIS provider, Sister Sensory consistently has new and affordable fidget toys to keep up with the latest trends and developments. Our therapy and sensory toys are hand-selected by our experienced team to ensure their suitability for children with autism, ADHD, anxiety and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Have a question about our range or want to find out more about how to aid anxiety with toys and tools? Call 0401 689 313, e-mail info@sistersensory.com.au or visit Factory 4/4 Brooke Ct, Melton, VIC, 3337.