Whether you suffer from an anxiety disorder or not, we have all experienced feeling anxious. Being anxious is never a pleasant feeling. It can range from physical symptoms such as your heart pounding and sweaty hands to feeling like you don't have control over your own thoughts or that you're going to lose your mind. Here are the top five ways I help gain control over my thoughts when I'm feeling anxious.

1. Essential Oils

Essential oils have become extremely popular over the past few years, and are definitely worth looking into! There are all different kinds of oils for different purposes- some help for sleep, headaches, and anxiety. You can either rub them on your temples or put it in a diffuser to help keep the smell throughout the room. My favorite one is lavender, which is very good for stress and anxiety.

2. Taking a hot bath

Baths are a huge help when I'm feeling anxious. It also helps to put in a bath bomb or bubble bath. Many bath bombs also contain essential oils, so it's a win-win.

3. Listening to Music

It might sound cliche, but music is such a big stress and anxiety reducer. Different genres of music are helpful for different people, but I personally like alternative music- it's not too upbeat, but not too soft where it sounds depressing.

4. Using a weighted blanket or weighted pillow

I never really heard too much about these before until I got a weighted pillow, and it literally changed my life. It goes around your neck, like the pillows usually used for car rides or plane rides, and is infused with lavender. The weight helps relieve tension and the smell helps calm your body down.

5. Writing down how you're feeling

I've always found that writing about my feelings helps me feel a lot better when I'm anxious. It helps me organize my thoughts and gives me a clearer picture of what exactly is bothering me. Once I recognize why I'm feeling anxious, I can usually calm myself down and tell myself that I don't need to worry about. It also helps to read what you've written when you're anxious about the same thing in the future.