Coming from someone who has an anxiety disorder, here are the things that help most with my anxiety:
1. Writing in a journal
Before my anxiety peaked, I thought "journaling" was a waste of time and not helpful. Now when I have anxious thoughts, I write them down and think of ways I can cope and/or fix my thoughts to think more positive.
2. Deep Breathing
If you are 100% committed to it, deep breathing really does wonders! Deep breathing gives your mind a break, and if you have a constantly racing mind like me, you really do need to give your brain a breather. Meditation, Guided Imagery, or Hypnotherapy are some of my favorite deep breathing techniques!
3. Distractions
Focusing your mind on something else other than your anxious thoughts is something that helps me so much. A "distraction" can be anything from going for a walk, coloring, writing, cooking, etc. I have even found that playing games on my phone is a great distraction!
4. Medicine
That's such a scary word, right? Nobody wants to be on a lot of medicine, BUT being on medicine for my anxiety has helped me in a way that I probably can't even explain fully. It does NOT take away my anxiety fully, but it calms my mind down just enough for me to do the rest on my own. Since being on medicine, my anxiety has decreased a fair amount.
5. Staying Organized
Staying organized is a MUST for me. I am always so paranoid that I'll miss an appointment or get the time wrong and be three hours too late. Writing everything down on a calendar (or if you're me, you have a tangible calendar AND a calendar on your phone) is a great organization technique.
Also, if you are afraid of missing a dose of medicine, get a weekly medicine organizer and dedicate one night every week where you fill it up!
6. Talk Therapy
Sometimes I just need to talk out my anxious feelings with someone else to realize they are usually irrational and can be fixed easily!
7. Staying Hydrated
Eating the right foods and drinking the recommended amount of water for your BMI is magical. It can fix so many things in your physical body, and for me, staying hydrated helps my mentality.
8. Staying Away From Caffeine
This is such a hard one for me because I used to live off of caffeine. Once my anxiety spiked, I weaned off of caffeine and now rarely drink it. It makes such a big difference with my heart rate. It works differently for everybody, but when I drink caffeine, my heart rate increases, which gives me adrenaline, which makes me feel so much more anxious. If you experience these symptoms, try switching to caffeine-free drinks... It does wonders.
9. Watching T.V.
Who knew that something as simple as watching T.V. could ease a person's anxiety so much? Before having major anxiety problems, I rarely ever watched television. I might have watched it once or twice a month, but now I find it a great distraction. When I am feeling nervous or panicky I like to watch something I have already watched before (I have watched the entire series of Everybody Loves Raymond about a hundred times). It brings me comfort knowing what is coming next in the series. On my better days watching a movie or show I haven't watched before acts as a great distraction!