For as long as I can remember I've been an anxious person. When I was little, it was the thought that any thunderstorm warning or watch meant a tornado was surely on its way. Or that constant stomach aches meant I had some deadly sickness that my doctor just couldn't see. Nowadays, I worry about everything from the people I care about to if I'm doing enough in this world to truly have a Christ-evident impact on others. And those tornado misconceptions still come into the mix every once in a while, even though I know the science behind tornados now! Here are ten things I do to quench my anxiety:
Cleaning.
For some reason (possibly because of my slightly OCD personality), cleaning really calms me down. I don't know if it's because of the productive feeling I get from it, or simply that my room automatically looks cleaner afterward. Either way, there's something I absolutely love about dusting my bookshelves or organizing my clothes drawers that takes my mind off of my anxiety.
Pinterest.
Anyone who has a Pinterest account knows that the app is truly magical. Everything from travel to clothes to cleaning to entertainment and more can be found there! Users can also make "boards" for those specific categories that they want to save images for. I particularly love Pinterest for its hilarious book memes and DIY projects. Recently, I've taken to Pinterest to stock my college apartment board. I'm trying to spend less money than I did freshman year and reuse a bunch of stuff, but I still need a couple things to spruce up my room. Pinterest makes those things cheaper! Anxious moments are also the perfect time to go on a Pinterest spree; soon enough you're not anxious anymore but laughing because of funny memes or planning on redecorating. While your bank account may not thank you, your anxiety levels definitely will!
Work.
I'm working at a daycare this summer as a lead teacher in our early two's class and, while it's exhausting most days, it's also been wonderful for my anxiety. I work nine hours each day, so work takes up most of my time during the week now, but that's okay because I've found that I remain more focused. I don't have time for anxiety when I'm so focused on taking care of my kids and making sure they eat or their diapers are changed. Also, I get to work with a couple of the most awesome kids I've met and see them flourish and witness joy that's still left in the world. Kids are one of the biggest reminders for me that God remains in the business of creating and doing wonderful things, even in 2018.
Coloring.
At first thought, "adult coloring book" doesn't sound like the best (or most innocent) thing, but they're actually great once you understand the idea better. While I'm the first one to pick up a princess coloring book and start working on a picture, it's also fun to color more challenging pictures. My favorite adult coloring book at the moment has to be the one from my favorite book series, "The Selection." It's got a bunch of gorgeous scenes from the book to color that are relaxing for me because I'm more focused on what colors I want to use and which picture I want to work on next. I get on these little kicks when I just really want to color, and it's also an awesome, colorful distraction.
Crafting.
This brings us back around to Pinterest. While the app is where I get most of my crafting and DIY ideas today, I can also get ideas for friends' homes and just things that pop into my head in passing while I'm at Michael's or another crafting store. For me, anxiety relief lies in something I can physically work on. I need something in my hands in order to distract my mind. Anxiety is that way for a lot of people that suffer with it. I encourage you to find a craft that you're interested in doing, even if you start with something small. I like DIY crafts that I can use in others places, like decorative pictures or hangings I can put up to look pretty. Not only does it quench my anxiety, but I also have something beautiful that I gain from it!
Reading.
Obviously, as an English nerd, this would HAVE to be one of the most relaxing things to me! I love pulling out a new book when I need to have some chill time. There are honestly so many things about books that I love, I'd have to write a whole separate article for it! But sometimes, I've noticed that reading doesn't help my anxiety if it's already pretty ramped up. This is when I swap to something like crafting or an activity with more physicality to it.
TV.
While scientists and plenty of developmentalists will tell you it's bad to watch a lot of TV, I LOVE it! Especially when it's Netflix. I don't have a bunch of time to watch TV when I'm in school or at work most of the day, which is probably a good thing. But I think it's so much fun to decompress by watching Family Feud with my mama after we both get off work or (semi) force my boyfriend to watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix with me. Just letting you know, it turned out he now loves it and totally ships Luke and Lorelai (lets be honest, who doesn't).
Praise.
This is one of the most important things to me when I feel anxious nowadays. Right after I get off work, there's a time when I'm driving that I can almost feel my anxiety try to start ramping back up again. I've spent most of my day looking after kids and not really having time to be anxious, so my mind tries to take its opportunity to ramp up. But I've learned that if I turn on my praise playlists from Spotify and blare them as I drive down the interstate, it keeps me in a better mood. Once I take the exit into my hometown, I turn my music down to a more respectful level, but on the interstate it's just me and my praise music. Listening to praise music is often involved in the moments when I feel closest to God. And being close to God usually always subdues my anxiety and puts me at ease.
Pray.
Like my praise music, prayer is becoming increasingly important to me as I get older. During my senior year, I went through some pretty rough stuff, including not getting into my top pick college. But I'm continuing to learn that my relationship with God is the most important thing I have in this life. Before my senior year, I'd never really been told no to something I wanted. That may make me sound like a brat, but it's true. Obviously, my parents told me no often when I was a child and I had a couple of friends who left me or guys who told me I wasn't what they wanted, but for the most part, any major thing I wanted, my parents provided for me. And school was the one area where I always felt I belonged; I felt like I could make anything happen there. So, not getting into my college of choice shocked me and made me realize that I needed to reevaluate what I put first in my life. After that, I started praying more. It started out as me praying for God to take my pain away or the anxiety away. Sometimes my prayers were answered almost immediately and sometimes they weren't, but I remained perseverant and now my prayers are of thanksgiving first then others needs then my own.
Bible.
Last, but most importantly, I believe the time I put aside each day for time in my Bible relieves my anxiety all the time. Even if it's only for the hour or two my eyes are glued to the page or writing things down from an Elevation sermon, that's enough. I feel content and joyful during my time in God's Word. There are certainly times where I feel desperate and extremely anxious and reading my Bible doesn't seem like it's helping, but God assures us anytime we come to Him, He immediately starts working in our lives. It may not be in the way we expect or as noticeable as we want it to be, but it's still going on. He's still working, and that gives me the most hope in my times of anxiety.
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