School, work, family, relationships. They all can be sources of anxiety in our daily lives. I know I get very wrapped up in my emotions and anxiety very easily, and I am working on handling it better. Sometimes it feels impossible to wind down after a rough day without having an explosion, but before you let the monster that is your anxiety eat you up again, try some of these methods that I've found work for me.
1. Keep a journal.
Whether it's writing about your day, writing down things that make you happy, or drawing pictures, keeping a journal is a great way to channel all your stress and allows you to physically see it. When you see it, the anxiety and stress don't seem so bad.
2. Take a bubble bath.
A good book, a warm bath, and bubbles galore are my absolute favorite way to wind down when I'm feeling anxious. You can buy stress relief bubble bath at Bath and Body Works, or you can always throw some lavender essential oil in there. If you want to get fancy, there are tons of DIY baths on Pinterest.
3. Exercise.
Running, lifting weights, and yoga are all great ways to decrease your nervous energy. Running and lifting help exert that energy, and yoga is relaxing, as it forces you to focus on your breath and makes you give your complete attention to something other than what is making you nervous. Walking is also a great way to get that energy out. Basically as long as you move, it will help.
4. Meditate.
Focusing on your breath and forcing yourself to relax is extremely helpful when anxiety hits. If you have never tried meditation before, there are a TON of guided meditation videos all over the internet.
5. Talk it out.
Whether it's your significant other, your best friend, or a family member, talking to someone about your worries and stress can help relieve some of the anxiety.
6. Sleep more.
A huge part of anxiety comes from things other than the actual stressors. When we don't get enough sleep, we are more susceptible to stress, and stress = anxiety.
7. Change your diet.
Junk food can throw our bodies off. It can mess with our weight, our energy, and even our hormones. When our hormones are screwed up, it makes it harder to bounce back when something goes wrong. Changing a few things in your diet may help keep you in balance, physically AND mentally.
8. Count to ten.
Stop. Take a breath. Close your eyes and count slowly to ten. While you count, imagine a relaxing place. The beach, the woods, your bedroom, anywhere that will help you calm down and realize that what is affecting you in this moment is not the end of the world.
9. Focus on what you can control.
Sometimes our anxiety is triggered by things we can't even control. Traffic jams, rude customers, computer malfunctions. All of these things are beyond your control and they should not be worried about. Focus on what you can do. Smile, find help for the computer problem, call your boss and say you may be late. When we focus on what we can do, the problem seems a lot more manageable.
10. Find something you're thankful for.
When you slow down long enough to remember that you have a lot to be happy about, it can help you come out of that fit of anxiety.
Anxiety can get the best of any of us. Nobody is perfect and sometimes you need to take a step back and take a minute to relax. Test out different things. Search the internet. When you take control of your anxiety and take time to focus on YOU, things don't seem so scary.
