Living life with anxiety is no joke — trust me. If you're like me, the smallest of things send you into a panic. Everything is spinning and you don't know which way is up or down. My lips tingle and my eyes blur — it's all a hot mess. But because I've been dealing with this since I was in eighth grade, I've learned some tricks on how to cope with it.

1. Essential oils

Essential oils have honestly become a huge part of my life, especially since starting college. Before I stated using essential oils, anytime I would take an exam, I would break out in hives. Like, INTENSE hives. It was so bad that my professors would ask if I needed to go to the bathroom (which would, of course, make it worse). Then, through my cousin, I started using oils and boy, did my life change. I started using a blend that changed my life. I started applying it before taking an exam, speaking in front of my class, or when I knew I was going to be around a lot of people and I was able to actually function!

2. Walking away

I know, I know. It seems pretty simple — but it isn't always. I am part of a rather large family, and by that, I mean that family reunions consist of over 100 people (and that's a slow day). That, then, leads to a spike in my anxiety and social awkwardness. And when it comes down to it, I feel like I can't breathe around everyone. So even though it seems super rude, I walk away. Whether that be to the other room, outside, or legit leave the area as a whole, I just leave and catch my breath.

3. Read a book

Recently, I was at a graduation party for my cousin — again, a family event — and let me tell you, I was getting overwhelmed. Of course, I couldn't leave the party. It wasn't just a random get-together, so I read. I found a nice little corner calling my name and read "To Kill a Mockingbird". You better believe that it helped me relax and center myself again.

4. Listen to music

Everyone has their own taste in music — classical, country, rock, etc. — but no matter what it is, it helps. For me, when I feel like life is drowning me, I listen to music that screams at me, as weird as that may seem. Any of the stress or anger I have built up feels like it's being released through the artist screaming about something completely unrelated and then I feel all better.

5. Text the person who's your happy place

Most of the time, when I start to freak, I don't want anything to do with anyone. But when it gets really bad, I need someone to bring me back down to earth. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes I just have to text my boyfriend. All I have to do is say that I'm freaking out and he is calling me to check on me and see what he can do. Knowing that someone is willing to drop it all for you is such a calming and reassuring feeling that it's almost an automatic calm-down.

6. Binge-watch your favorite show

Sometimes, even at home, I just start to panic. I panic about cleaning, my future, or repaying my parents for all they've done for me (weird, I know). So I run off to my room and turn on my best friend, Netflix. Although I enjoy watching the happy-go-lucky, good-always-wins kind of stuff, I really enjoy some "Criminal Minds". It helps me get my mind off my own problems and start trying to focus on why serial killers do what they do. I know, I'm weird — in case that wasn't obvious previously.

7. Sleep

Sometimes, when I panic, my body just becomes exhausted. So exhausted that I almost can't take it anymore. So I do what I do best — take a nap. Nine times out of ten, when I wake up, I feel 100 times better. Sleep is a great way to escape all the crap that is going on and I am a huge fan of it.

8. Do crafts

Even though I am not a crafty person at all, I still love to do them and they really help me relax. And more than anything, tie-dying is the most relaxing thing in the world. The fact that I get to control where the colors are going and how it's going to turn out — with a little bit of mystery — it's so pleasing.

9. Dance your heart out

If something goes horribly wrong and I still happen to be up after 2 o'clock a.m., my imagination goes wild and I think of all the things that could go wrong in my life. So I put in my trusty headphones, put on some rap/pop music, and dance. I dance like a total freak — I'd be embarrassed if anyone would see me, honestly. But, after about 30 minutes of dancing like a fool, I feel so much better and can actually go to sleep with a smile on my face.

10. Clean/organize

I am already a clean freak, like, to the point where I clean out my closet and organize it by color and style about twice a week. But when I get anxious, my cleaning mode goes into overdrive. I clean everything from my kitchen to my closet (again) to any room in our house. And I organize to the extreme. For example, the spring semester of college just ended and I had started to panic about the fall semester until I got my binders, notebooks, and agenda ready for all my classes — it's not even July and I am ready for my 18-hour course load for the fall. But I no longer am worried about my classes... Yet.

11. Drink tea

I know, it sounds a little silly, but tea is extremely soothing. I have a huge collection of teas — black teas, green teas, loose-leaf teas — all different kinds. And they all help me relax. The aroma, making it — everything. Nothing beats drinking a hot cup of tea while sitting back and watching a good movie.

12. Journal your feelings away

One of my many obsession includes collecting journals; I have a slight problem. But I have a journal for all my different moods. I have my daily devotional journal (my favorite one), one for when I'm feeling down in the dumps, one for when I'm angry, one for when I'm feeling lost, and even one for when I'm happy. Talking doesn't always help you feel better because you sometimes have to edit what you want to say — but with writing, it's fair game. You can let it all out and it's so freeing.

Living with anxiety is not something I would wish upon anyone, but there are ways to cope and anyone can make it through! I promise!