Is being kind key when it comes to tackling anxiety?

It makes sense.

Anxiety is really no fun, it can get in the way at the worst possible times and impact your plans and day-to-day habits. There have been several recommendations from experts and studies to help tackle anxiety, from eating probiotic yogurt to taking a cold shower. But new research suggests that kindness is key when it comes to managing those anxious feelings. While being treated kindly will always help when it comes to feeling down, it turns out that being kind yourself, can be a big help. In a study in the academic journal, Motivation and Emotion, looked at whether kindness can help people with anxiety, and it turns out that there is a correlation. Researchers took three groups of people and assigned each group a different method to cope with their anxiety. One was random acts of kindness, one was exposure only to the social situations and the other was recording life details. The group that performed random acts of kindness reported to have the lowest levels of anxiety.

''Acts of kindness resulted in the greatest decrease in social avoidance goals by post-intervention.'' The study said.

So if you're prone to social anxiety, try helping others or volunteering with a charity, it may help to take the focus of yourself and help you concentrate on doing good for others. Of course, if you are suffering from anxiety, speaking to your doctor is the most important step. However, it is helpful to know that there are other things you can do to improve the way you feel.