We all know that being anxious is bad for your physical and mental health. It can suppress your immune system and cause mental and emotional problems. Although many people are used to feeling anxious, it is possible to take steps to reduce this stress in your life. Consider the following anxiety self help ideas.

1. Think about the now. That means not worrying about tomorrow or stressing out about what happened yesterday. Breathe deeply and slowly, and allow yourself to concentrate on what you're doing right now, without letting anything else get in the way. This anxiety self help strategy is easy and can be done anywhere, making it an excellent one to use at work.

2. Once a day do something that calms you down and removes the stress from your mind. When you feel the anxiety building up during the day, see if you can do this activity again. You might want to read a book or take a relaxing bath - whatever works for you and gets you to be calm.

3. Take care of yourself! This is a key part of any anxiety self help program. A poor diet, not getting enough sleep, and treating yourself poorly can all contribute to serious stress. You'll feel a lot better if your body is in good shape. Limit the amount of sugar, salt, alcohol and caffeine in your diet and drink plenty of water. Exercising on a daily basis will also help.

4. Keep a positive attitude. If you have feelings of anxiety you might feel hopeless, but it is important to think positive. If you do this you will suddenly see that things are getting better. In some cases just getting a new outlook on life is enough anxiety self help.

5. Breath properly. Make sure that you are not breathing from your chest. If you want to feel less stressed, you need to take deep and smooth breaths using your diaphragm. That way you get more oxygen to your blood and you feel more calm.

6. Smile and you will feel better. There is something about smiling that makes us happier, even if things are not great at the moment. Just make sure you are not gritting your teeth because that will just add to your anxiety and stress. Keep your the muscles in your face relaxed.

7. How bad are your problems? See if you can give your stress triggers a number between one and ten. Are your problems really so bad? Sometimes when we do this we realize that our problems are not so bad and that can make us feel better. Also make a list of things you can change and things you cant. This will make you worry less because you will take action on what you can change and will realize that worrying about the rest won't really help you at all.

If you've been having anxious feelings lately, especially with the state of the economy, keep in mind you are not alone. Addressing those feelings with the techniques suggested here are a good option the help keep mild anxiety under control. If however you find your anxiety is not getting better or even deepening it may be time to seek out a mental health professional or look for a more in-depth anxiety self help program of which there are a number of them available online.