8 Things You Can Do When You’re Feeling Anxious

I am an anxious person.

If you ask any of my closest friends they will tell you the struggle I go through when I faced with a seemingly stressful situation.

I go into panic mode.

I overthink, I analyze, and if it’s really bad I get compulsive, I cry, squeeze my head, curl up etc…

Now, I don’t do these things in front of anyone, I keep my anxiousness contained; only sharing it with people I trust.

However, it’s not healthy and that’s why I have recently focused on being intentional about finding ways to cope with it.

I have taken the time to think about things that relax me in order to get my mind off the problem at hand so that I can eventually think clearly on how to act.

These are some the things that work for me:

• Listening to calming music – I literally go on YouTube and open a video with music that is soothing, put my headphones on and disengage from the world.
• Writing – What I am doing right now. Some of my best content has come from moments when I have needed to disengage and have grabbed my laptop and decided to work on a blog post.
• Disconnecting from Social Media – Sometimes this can be compulsive for me but it doesn’t always have to be. The thing is to literally put the phone away for a while and not constantly stare at it thinking about not going on social media.
• Getting some fresh air – I prefer going for a walk but since it’s cold out now I just crack a window open and let the cold air hit me as I snuggle in a blanket. I sit there and take in nature in front of me. There’s something soothing about admiring the beauty of the world void of any other voices.
• Spending time with friends – This could be watching a movie or going out just doing something fun that will make you feel good.
• Watching funny videos – I unknowingly started doing this a while ago when I was going through a tough time, but it’s so beneficial. I got into watching Julioangeltpr and LeJuan James on Vine. They had me laughing so hard I cried. And they say “laughter is the best medicine”.
• Going to Target – Okay so I don’t know how beneficial this is financially LOL. However, for me, there is something calming about walking the aisles of Target. It’s so aesthetically pleasing. I especially love going to the office supplies section and tend to purchase more journals than I actually need.
• Talking to a counselor – I would include talking to a friend as well but if you have experienced anxiousness enough you know that eventually you become fearful you are going to exhaust your friends. A counselor is trained and prepared to listen to us and give us advice. Although our friends love us and mean well a counselor can give an unbiased perspective.

The main theme with all of these is separating oneself from the problem or finding someone, like a counselor that can help us see the bigger picture.

This does not mean conflict avoidance but rather taking the time to clear your mind in order to be able to better address it.

I have found that the worst decisions I’ve made are when I act on my anxiousness without thinking and the best decisions are when I take the time to clear my mind and carefully think about what I should do.

Please note that I am aware that some of these things are symptoms that require special attention and can be a result of General Anxiety Disorder. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s important to seek the help we need.

Also, know that being an anxious person doesn’t make you any less valuable or lovable. It just means that there’s an area in your life that is difficult and requires special attention to get through. It’s not, however, a reflection on who you are. You are amazing.

Keep your head up, beautiful.

Xoxo,

Mara