5 Simple Things You Can Do For Reducing Anxiety During Your Pregnancy

This post is all about what I did to reduce my anxiety during pregnancy and you can choose to do it too as well.

Anxiety means a feeling of worry or fear, especially about the future. It can cause sudden restlessness, an increase in stress level, anger, mood swings, frustration, and much more mixed feelings. Not giving importance to these feelings and avoiding them for long can affect one’s overall health. I personally have faced a lot of anxiety issues during my first 3 months of pregnancy, and below are the 5 things I genuinely did to reduce my anxiety. Believe me, it has helped me to a greater extent, and right now when I am in my sixth month, I feel much more relaxed and in a better state of mind.

30 Minute Walk

I started going for a walk with my husband every single day for 30 minutes either in the morning or in the evening whenever I get some time for myself during the day. Going out, feeling the fresh air, and looking at some greenery can really help in calming your mind. The only conscious effort you should make here is to listen to your body. For example, walking too fast during pregnancy can make you too tired very soon. So, you need to understand your pace first, and accordingly, you should incorporate your walking speed as per your body’s requirements.

I personally started with slow walking as I felt more comfortable doing that. But everybody is different, so again it is important to understand what is suiting you and what is not. You can even choose to walk for some time and then sit and relax for a few minutes and then again start walking.

So, do as it suits you but make sure that you do it regularly so that you feel active. Feeling active will help you in reducing your anxiety level to a greater extent.

Practice alternate nostril breathing for 5 minutes during the day.

Alternate nostril breathing, known as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama in Sanskrit, is a wonderful breathing practice for relaxing your mind and body. It is completely safe for pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive. I am telling this through my personal experience of practicing it. Each time when I used to do it, I feel more calm and relaxed.

By breathing alternatively through your left and right nostril, you recreate the natural balance of the body which results in calming your mind and ultimately helps in reducing your stress and anxiety. The only conscious effort you should make here is that keep your breath smooth and even throughout the practice.

The best part of this practice is that you can choose to do it anytime during the day when you are free and in the mind-set to practice it properly. You can start by doing this practice three times a week and then gradually start doing it on an everyday basis.

Doing 15 minutes of meditation every day

Meditation is something where you give importance to yourself. You basically make a conscious effort to look within. It is the practice that helps you in removing your attention from all the external factors that are not in your control and gives you the ability to look within; the true power that you have within you. I have been practicing meditation on and off from my college days and trust me whenever I make a conscious effort to practice it mindfully, I really felt more relaxed and in a better state of mind.

During my first trimester, due to hormonal changes, I had a lot of discomforts initially like morning sickness, anxiety, low energy level, uneasiness, and whatnot. To tackle all these discomforts, I started doing meditation for 15 minutes before going to bed at night. After practicing it for some days, I started seeing changes in myself. I started feeling much better and relaxed. I know for the fact that it definitely helps in reducing your anxiety level and allows you to remain in a better state of mind.

Practicing affirmations for 5 minutes anytime during the day.

Affirmations are positive statements that help you in keeping yourself in a positive mindset. It creates positive behavior and helps you in changing your outlook. It purifies your mind with positive thoughts and helps you in removing the negative thoughts from your system. Verbally affirming your dreams and ambitions create a sense of reassurance in your mind that these words will become reality. It is like any other exercise which you do for your wellbeing.

I have very recently after my first trimester got over, I started practicing these affirmations daily, and trust me this has helped me a lot in boosting my confidence, having a positive outlook towards life, and knowing my self-worth. All these positive emotions had me much calmer and relaxed now. Thus, practicing affirmations on a daily basis can help one in reducing the anxiety issues during pregnancy.

Some of the affirmations which I do on a daily basis are:

I am strong and healthy.
My baby is healthy.
I believe in myself, I know I am capable of doing things all by myself.
I can do it.
I love myself.
I can work hard for my dreams to come true.

Doing something related to your interest/hobby during the day.

One cannot deny that an empty mind is a devil’s workshop. Keeping yourself active during your pregnancy is equally important. During the first trimester of pregnancy, your body is already going through a lot of changes. If you keep yourself ideal for long, you will tend to feel much worst due to all the attention that you are giving to the hormonal changes that are happening inside you. Your mind will get stuck there and because of which you will feel more stressed and anxious.

Occupying yourself with productive work will help you in keeping your focus at work and not on unwanted thoughts. Doing something related to your interest or hobby during the day makes you feel much better and helps in reducing the anxiety level.

During the first three months of pregnancy, I was sitting all ideal thinking that all my body needs right now is rest. Resting for a long time and then remaining ideal for the whole day made me more annoying as a person. I soon realized that keeping myself occupied and doing something that interests me keeps me going. I started doing things that I like. I started cooking, reading, and traveling again to keep myself happy. After a few days, I saw myself in a better state of mind where I was less stressed and less anxious. Thus, during pregnancy, it is equally important to keep yourself occupied and productive.

I know for many of you, including all the above things in your daily schedule might sound difficult but trust me once you start doing it, you will see the changes in you. You will find yourself in a better state of mind where you are less stressed and less anxious.

This post is all about what I did to reduce my anxiety during pregnancy and you can choose to do it too as well.

If you wish to read more about what is anxiety, causes of anxiety, does it affects the baby and treatment for anxiety in pregnancy? You can read the below blog for a deeper understanding, knowledge, and wisdom.

Anxiety and panic attacks in pregnancy

Thank you for reading my post and I hope you enjoy your stay!