I had never understood what anxiety was up until very recently. In elementary and middle school, I just thought that there were certain things that made me extremely nervous. It wasn't until high school that I figured out I was actually suffering from anxiety and occasional panic attacks.
To my surprise, the older I got, the worse my anxiety and attacks actually became. It wasn't until one severe incident that I realized I needed to figure out ways to cope or be forced to miss out on things that would otherwise trigger my attacks.
1. Working Out
Once something that I dreaded, I've found that going to the gym for about an hour or so helps to clear your head of stress and anxiety that has been built up throughout the day's activities. Your exercise routine doesn't need to be anything intense; even just sitting on a bicycle for thirty minutes and watching your favorite show can help calm you down. It has been proven that a regular exercising schedule can even help to decrease your anxiety symptoms over a period of time.
2. Make time for alone time
For some suffering from anxiety, being around large groups of people can be overwhelming. This is something that I can say is also true for myself. I find that taking a few hours, or even a whole night, to be with myself and away from other people can help reduce my anxiety levels and calm me down when I begin to feel anxious.
3. Avoid your triggers
While this may seem like the most obvious tip, it isn't always the easiest. For myself, public speaking is one of my greatest triggers. However, that isn't always something that is easily avoidable, especially as a college student. For unavoidable triggers, feel comfortable talking to people that you may need to explain your situation to. For triggers you're able to avoid, don't feel ashamed to do so. The easiest way to avoid anxious feelings and suffering from panic attacks is steering clear of the things that make you feel that way.
4. Try to stay organized
It has been proven that anxious and overwhelming feelings stem from messiness because it can lead you to feel overwhelmed. You may not know where to begin your tasks, or you may feel like you just have one too many to complete. For some, like myself, I'll admit being unorganized and messy is just a part of life. But also for some with anxiety, like myself, you may just have to bite the bullet and learn how to do the mundane task of making sure everything has its place. I have found that I feel way less overwhelmed when my bedroom floor isn't a sea of dirty clothes and my bathroom counter isn't covered with every type of makeup product and Morphe brush known to man.
Anxiety used to be something that I felt weighed me down. I felt limited, like I had to skip out on doing things because my anxiety or panic attacks might be triggered. I was nervous to go to classes or lectures because I would be embarrassed if I had to leave.
Talking to friends and other peers, I've learned that a lot more young adults than I thought actually suffer from the same kind of severe anxiety that I do. While there are many other ways, including medicinal, that can help you cope with anxiety, these general ones are things that I've found vital to keeping my sanity. Maneuvering through life with anxiety constantly threatening to appear is difficult, but it isn't impossible.
