Every emotion we feel is essentially just unreleased or unused energy, so we have to learn how to use our energy in the most efficient way. Before modern times, fear helped us to know when a predator was approaching and initiated the fight or flight response in order to propel us into taking action. Due to the influences of modern times, this natural instinct of anxiety sometimes kicks into gear in inappropriate circumstances.

To keep your fear responses in check and maintain your cool throughout the day, read on for some helpful tips about effectively managing fear and anxiety.

Here are 10 Ways to Keep Your Day Free From Fear and Anxiety

1. Ask yourself why you feel afraid.

Is there something in your immediate environment that will cause harm to you or others, or warrant a strong reaction from you? Anytime you feel anxious, you need to check with yourself whether the source of the fear actually exists, or if it’s just in your head. The danger is very real, but fear doesn’t really serve our best interest.

Try to see your surroundings as they are rather than let your mind influence what your eyes perceive.

2. Breathe deeply.

When we truly feel in danger, our hearts race due to extra blood being pumped throughout our body, and this puts an enormous strain on us as a result. Our bodies make adrenaline for one purpose only: to prepare us for sudden action in the presence of a hazard. If you don’t encounter any direct threats, the adrenal glands quickly stop producing this hormone, and your body goes back to its normal levels of adrenaline.

As you can imagine, this takes up a lot of energy and makes us feel exhausted afterward, so try not to put your body through all of that stress. If you feel a panic attack or any sort of anxiety coming on, stop it in its tracks by taking a few controlled, slow breaths. That will automatically make you feel more relaxed and scare off any fear you might have felt.

3. Get outside.

Just feeling the rush of fresh air against your skin and getting some sunlight will immediately lower your blood pressure and slow down your heart rate. Walk around barefoot in the grass if you can – grounding helps relieve anxiety and stress because it strengthens your root chakra, making you feel secure and balanced. Getting in touch with nature can help you stay in the present moment and forget about all the worries that your mind likes to mull over.

4. Move your body.

All of that energy needs somewhere to go, and what better way to release it than by making your body sweat and improving your health. Remember that fear and anxiety carry heavy energy along with them, and you can counter that by making your energy lighter through exercise. Do something you love so that it doesn’t feel like boot camp, but above all make sure you incorporate exercise into your daily routine somehow – exercise is still one of the best scientifically proven ways to alleviate anxiety.

5. Listen to calming music.

If you feel anxiety coming on at work or in a public place, put in your headphones and turn on music that puts your nerves at ease for a little while. As humans, we have the gift of being able to absorb energies, so if you expose yourself to positive, relaxing music, you will start to emit those energies as well. Plus, music takes you away from whatever you’re dealing with in the present moment, and allows you to decompress and recharge your batteries.

6. Work through the fear.

Naturally, we want to run away from whatever makes us afraid, but that doesn’t allow us to deal with the underlying cause of the fear. By ducking out of the situation that made you anxious, you only make the fear grow more powerful, and it will keep rearing its ugly head until you face it. So, instead of letting the fear get the best of you, remind yourself that it doesn’t really exist, and remember that you have ultimate sovereignty over your emotions. If you tell fear that you no longer fear it, it will slowly melt away when it realizes that it can’t control you anymore.

7. Eliminate added stress.

If something in your life continually causes you undue stress, you should evaluate what you can remove in order to maintain your mental stability. You can work through fear if you can’t change the circumstances of the situation, but sometimes, discarding stress makes more sense if you don’t enjoy something about your life (i.e. your job, where you live, financial burdens).

If finances concern you, consider adopting a minimalist lifestyle – keep in mind that once you own a lot of stuff, the stuff ends up owning you since you have the burden of paying back the debts to have those material goods, plus the added liability of maintaining the items.

8. Talk about your feelings with someone you trust.

Oftentimes, others can dissect our emotions and give us an outside opinion about whether we really should feel afraid of something or not. Getting a fresh perspective might also shift your own viewpoint and allow the stress to leave your body by releasing any pent up emotions. Everyone needs some sort of outlet for their feelings, so don’t hesitate to call upon a loved one or dear friend for support.

9. Celebrate your life.

Take a few minutes out of your day to do a happy dance about everything you’ve been blessed within your life. Notice how any fear or anxiety melts away when you give more attention to what you love rather than what you feel stressed or fearful about.

10. Focus on the reality you DO want.

If you feel anxious or afraid, pay attention to your thoughts. Most likely, your dominant thinking patterns revolve around things you don’t like or what you want to change about your current reality. By continually mulling over what you don’t want, you will only see more of the same. Instead, shift your thinking into what you actually do want to see so that your surroundings become more cheerful, safe, and less threatening to you.