All of my life, I have dealt with anxiety and, for the most part, it consumed me. I didn't focus on fixing it, I just did my best to ignore it. But, I eventually learned that you can't ignore something as demanding as anxiety. I found that I was constantly thinking about every little detail around me trying to figure out what my "triggers" were. Once I thought that I finally figured out what they were, out of nowhere I would start to feel it happening. The anxiety creeps over my shoulder reminding me that it's not hiding in a crowd of people, a messy room, or a long to-do list but instead, it's hiding in my head, ready to pop out and scare me at any moment. Many people are affected by anxiety and as stressful as it seems, the people living with this burden have figured out their own tips and tricks for making it all a little easier. Here are some of the tips that I use when I feel myself starting to get anxious and 9 times out of 10 times I am able to avoid an anxiety attack.
1. Drink a cold glass of water
There is something about cold water that makes things kinda wash away.
2. Take a walk
Whatever situation you're in–whatever you are doing–if it makes you anxious, walk away. When you walk around, take in beautiful details around you rather than focusing on other stressful details. If where you are walking is a peaceful wood area, try admiring the natural design of the trees around you and the different types of birds flying around. If you're walking down a busy street full of people and buildings, try picking out something you've never noticed before. Whether it's art on a street corner or an interestingly shaped building. If you're super observant and can't seem to find something new, people watch. It's fun to look at people walking by and come up with their entire life story.
3. Call a friend
Call someone you feel comfortable with and you know will understand how you're feeling. Maybe they won't completely understand exactly what is going on in your head, but you know that they are happy to sit on the phone listening to what you have to say or not saying anything at all and understanding the silence.
4. Breathe
Trust me, it helps.
5. Eat
When I say eat, I don't mean eat all the ice cream in your freezer. I'm talking about fruit or fresh vegetables. Eating something fresh will make you feel better. Berries are always a good choice, as well as smoothies. A fresh cool smoothie is always a good idea.
6. Sleep
Sleeping is so important. If you are unable to get a decent amount of sleep at night, invest in nap time. If you aren't sleeping then you aren't able to be the person you wanna be and you can't possibly be as productive as you can be.
7. Stay Positive
Whatever is going on, it may not be as awful as it seems, so just try and stay positive. Everything will be okay; things tend to work out.
8. Laugh
I'm not kidding about this one. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemical. If there isn't anything to laugh about, just make yourself laugh. Even if you feel ridiculous, do it. You won't regret the temporary embarrassment.
9. Do what you love
Do something that makes you happy. If that something is painting, playing a sport, writing, scrolling through Twitter, playing Pokemon or watching a Buzzfeed video, do it. If it's something you love, odds are you're going to be happy doing it and therefore you may seem a little less anxious.
10. Talk to yourself
I'm really not kidding. Just like making yourself laugh, you may feel slightly ridiculous, but it works. Talking to yourself can help calm you down. Thoughts in your head can get rambled and difficult to understand after a while, so let it out. Talk it out with yourself. You will feel relieved and more organized.
Having anxiety isn't an easy thing but if you use some of these tips along with your own, it just might make it a little easier.
