This morning I woke up to my four of my five birds screaming. Now, that is pretty normal for me, getting woken up by a bird that wants to be uncovered for the day. Today, though, was different, judging from the fact that my cell phone had been going off for an hour straight. I'm used to waking up to no text messages. I had a quite a few; all from the same person. Immediately after reading these texts, and responding, I just wanted to go back to sleep. I couldn't though because I had five birds who needed fresh food and water and attention. After getting my birds all settled, I tried to sit down and write an article and for whatever reason, I couldn't come up with an idea I really liked. So I told myself I'd work on it later and just relax. Here's a list that includes what I did today and some other ways to relax when you are stressed or anxious.
1) Turn on your favorite TV show or movie
I did this today. I turned on Netflix and watched Phineas and Ferb. I started the show from the beginning of season one, and then I curled up on my bed with a blanket to just focus on the show. I find turning on the subtitles really helps keep my mind focused on what I am watching and prevents my mind from wandering and stressing me out more.
2) Take a nap
Naps always seem to help me when I'm stressed and overthinking; even if it's just a fifteen minute nap. It's going to help you think more clearly and rationally. Plus, letting your anxiety stop you from getting enough sleep just makes you more anxious, trust me.
3) Make a cup of tea or hot chocolate
When I was in high school, my anxiety was really bad, and it got to the point where I got attacks, and I had "safe places" that I could go to. They were mostly the classrooms of teachers I was comfortable with. One of the teachers whose classroom always felt safe to me had a coffee maker in her back office area. I remember being soaking wet from the rain one day, and going to her classroom, and she and I talked over hot chocolate. I still have the mug she made me--she was the ceramics teacher. Sometimes, just drinking something warm helps me calm down.
4) Do something artistic
Color in a coloring book, paint a picture, scribble on a paper till you can only see the color of your pencil, pen or whatever you are using! Just let your emotions out onto the page. If you don't feel like you are good enough as a visual artist, just write down why you are stressed or anxious, then scribble the words out, and fold up the paper. You can even tear it up into tiny pieces. Another thing that I have done before and that has helped release some of my anxious feelings is to get an old, white bed sheet, and any colors of paint that you want. Then, go outside, lay the sheet down, and start throwing paint at the sheet. You could even invite a friend over and have a paint fight; just make sure the paint is washable and nontoxic!
5) Read a book
This is kind of the same concept as watching your favorite TV show or movie; getting lost in a different world for a few hours, and maybe even learning, from something that happens in the book, how to deal with whatever is stressing you. Need a good book to read? I have an article about three of my favorites and you can check it out here.
There are so many ways to relax, and everyone is different, so some of these might not work for you. Find what works best for you. Remember that everyone gets stressed out and anxious, some more than others, so be kind to one another.
