We all experience anxiety from time to time. In small doses, anxiety can be a good thing because it helps you realize when things aren't right. However, stressors can accumulate over time to cause a permanent state of anxiety that requires retraining your mind. Feelings of fear and concern that something bad may happen can penetrate day to day life, making it difficult to relax and enjoy the present moment. Sometimes anxiety passes when its source fades away, but for many people it lingers, taking the joy out of life. Taking measures to form new mental and physical habits is the first step toward getting relief.

Confront changeable sources of anxiety. Sometimes anxiety stems from a feeling of being overwhelmed by a million little things you have to get done. Taken alone, each item on your to-do list may not be a big source of stress, but the compilation of a lot of small obligations can end up being an anxiety-inducing burden. Tackling issues you have the power to change one at a time can help you feel less anxious right away.

  • Perform small but annoying tasks right away so they don't start accumulating. Pay your bills and parking tickets on time, get your taxes done well in advance, register for classes in plenty of time, keep your doctor and dentist appointments, and so on.

  • You may have the power to change situations that seem out of your control if you approach them from a different angle. For example, if you're dreading a family reunion that's coming up, put a time limit on how long you're going to stay. Make sure your accommodations are comfortable. If taking these measures still doesn't stop feelings of extreme anxiety, you can always skip the event. You have control over how you spend your time.

  • You may have the power to change situations that seem out of your control if you approach them from a different angle. For example, if you're dreading a family reunion that's coming up, put a time limit on how long you're going to stay. Make sure your accommodations are comfortable. If taking these measures still doesn't stop feelings of extreme anxiety, you can always skip the event. You have control over how you spend your time.

Change the way you think about sources of anxiety you can't control. Some sources of anxiety aren't going away anytime soon. Illness, financial problems, relationship issues, and other more permanent sources of anxiety aren't easily fixable, but thinking about them differently can help you reduce the stress and fear they elicit.

  • Do what you can to make the situation better. For example, you can talk with a financial counselor to help you sort out your financial issues. You can spend time helping your loved one who is ill. You can talk to your partner about getting couples counseling.

  • Limit the time you spend actively thinking about your main sources of stress. You can't change anything by obsessively worrying. Do what you can do, then spend time thinking about something else or having some fun, even if it just means taking a walk or watching an episode of your favorite show.

Train your mind to calm down. Have you ever tried meditation? It's a useful tool for relieving anxiety on the spot. With practice, it can make a marked difference in your long-term state of mind and improve your mental health.

  • If you're a beginner, pick up a guided meditation CD or join a meditation class. The leader of the meditation will teach you how to relax your mind and reach a state of calmness when your thoughts start to race.

  • Mindfulness meditation is also useful. It involves focusing on the source of anxiety until you've thought through it and your mind is free to think about something else for the rest of the day. If you tend to wake up full of anxiety, rise and go to a quiet, peaceful place in the house. Spend 5 minutes thinking through your worries and making plans on how to deal with the issues you can change. After that, go about your day knowing you've already addressed what's bothering you.

Talk about your feelings. Letting anxious feelings bottled up inside you is a recipe for anxiety attacks. It's important to discuss your feelings with someone else. You'll gain an outside perspective,and you might even get some good ideas for solving some of the problems you're facing.

  • Talking to a trusted loved one is a good place to start. Your partner, parent, sibling, our dear friend knows you well and may be able to provide an inside perspective on how to reduce your anxiety. On the other hand, the people close to us are often sources of anxiety themselves.

  • Talk to therapist. Therapists are trained, objective listeners who are getting paid to give you the tools to relieve your anxiety. If you feel persistent anxiety that you can't seem to kick on your own, you should give therapy a try.