Anxiety is something that we all deal with, at varying levels during different moments in our lives. It can be a scary, overwhelming feeling that can absorb you and all of your confidence along with it. Many situations in life come with anxiety to a certain extent, each with its own side effects. For example, developing a new crush: that gives you some anxiety, which mostly takes the form of butterflies in your stomach. Another example could be that adrenaline rush from doing something exciting, like riding a roller coaster. Or, it could be that dreadful feeling you get right before you think something bad is about to happen, like when your parents are about to yell at you, you just got a bad grade on a paper, or right before a big test you might not have studied too hard for.

Today, we’re going to be talking about the last example of anxiety, in its worst form that it can take: fear. I believe that fear is one of the strongest emotions we as humans are able to feel because of the immense power it can hold over us. Fear drives us into fight or flight mode in certain situations that we seem to find threatening to our well-being. This type of anxiety can be scary, to say the least, but I've compiled a list for myself over the years, one that can drive my mind out of these dark corners full of lies and into the light, which the truth is found. So I wanted to share this list with you all, to help out those who feel lost and like they can't overcome their anxiety because they just don't know how.

First things first. Stop sitting on your butt and keeping your thoughts inside your head twenty-four seven. Letting them spiral around like that doesn't make you feel any better, in fact, it makes you feel worse most of the time. Your thoughts can easily fall further and further down the line from bad to worse. So get out of your head, get out of your room, get out of your house and go outside. Nature is such an amazing thing and it's all around us. God's wonderful creation is at our fingertips to get out into whenever we please, so walk your dog, walk with your family or friends, or even walk by yourself. A walk is an amazing way to get some fresh air to clear your head, and it almost instantly puts me in a better mood.

Next, stop spending so much time on social media. Not only is it just simply precious time wasted, but generally there is so much negativity that can be found virtually anywhere on social media. You can begin to dread it, to look for it, just to make yourself feel worse and confirm whatever fears you have, whether it's about yourself or about the newest shooting or bombing that has happened and is currently trending. My suggestion: delete the apps. But, if you can't bear to part with the apps, at least limit yourself. Only look at for a certain period of time, maybe an hour or an hour and a half a day. Honestly, that's all you need, and sitting there constantly refreshing your feed will never do any good for you.

Another suggestion I have is doing things you enjoy. Little activities, habits, or hobbies that you can look forward to each day. They give you something to do and allow you mind to focus on something else, something that can make you happy. For me, it's reading, writing, doing typography, and photography. Obviously, there are so many more hobbies that others might be interested in, such as art or playing a sport, Whatever it is, do it because doing what you love is so important because it really can bring a lot of happiness and joy into your life.

My last recommendation is like a two in one, the first on being to stop filling yourself up with so much negativity. If you're made up of 70% negativity, then there's only room for 30% positivity, and that's next to nothing. Generally what I've found when I'm surrounding myself with negativity is I'm not in God's word that much. My devotional life and prayer life aren't going too well and I find myself getting down and sucked into the world. This is the exact opposite of what God wants for us. So my next suggestion is really diving into the Word or your devotional or prayer life. Reading all of these truths really opens up your mind to some positivity and allows God to fill you up with it.

These are just a few of the ways you can reduce anxiety and stress, but it really is a personal matter. Every one of us is made differently and that's incredible. Everyone has bad days, bad weeks, bad months but don't let it get you down. Keep your chin up and keep looking for the positivity in your life, because there's always something good there.