10 Things I Do To Manage My Anxiety
Seeing as it is Mental Health Awareness Week I am dropping a bonus blog post and sharing 10 things I do to help manage my anxiety! Maybe they could help you with yours.
Journaling
I have kept a journal since being a teenager and I try to write in it everyday. If there is something on my mind I use my pen to take it from my mind and put it on to the page. I also use my journal as a way to habit track as well if I am starting a new routine or trying to adjust my existing habits. Journaling is a great way to put things into perspective and it is also an amazing way for you to reflect and look how far you have come on your growth journey.
Walking
It doesn’t have to be a long walk but a walk is always a great way to reset the mind and get the body moving. I try to focus on how my feet feel as they hit the pavement because it helps me to refocus, this has been especially useful on those days when my anxiety is high and I feel like I am going to experience feelings of panic. If I count my steps as I walk and focus on how the soles of my feet with each step it grounds me and brings my thoughts back to the present.
Reading
Reading requires focus, and focusing on a book means you can put some space between yourself and your anxieties.
Spend Time Outside
Spending time outside puts physical distance between me and the things that tend to trigger my anxiety. I try to focus on the things I can see, feel and hear rather than what is happening inside my head. I especially love blossom season and have favourite streets with the most beautiful blossom trees and Wisteria that I like to visit as I know being there will instantly change my mood.
Spend Time With People That Make Me Smile
If you struggle with anxiety it is important to create a network of people that you can be open with. You don’t need to overshare or go into detail if you don’t want to but having people around you that you can be anxious around is helpful. Knowing that my loved ones will just sit with me on my anxious days makes my anxious days easier. They also help me to calm my mind without down playing what I am going through.
Bubble Baths
Self care is key, and when you are in the bath you can’t do anything other than be in the bath. Spending in the bath slows our bodies and minds right down so that we can gather ourselves and create clarity in our minds.
Djing (Or Insert Appropriate Hobby)
Find a hobby that requires focus. When I am djing I am only thinking about what I am doing in that moment because it requires my full focus and attention. If I am focused on a practical task that requires my full attention it creates space between me and my thoughts as I have to think about what I am doing and nothing else.
Exercising and Moving the Body
Aside from the way you feel after exercise, when we are exercising we are focusing on what our body is doing and it distracts us from what our head is doing.
Singing and Dancing
I love to sing and I love to dance. I especially love to sing and dance when I am feeling overwhelmed. The reason I love to sing and dance when I am overwhelmed is because it is hard to feel bad when you are singing and dancing. Next time you feel stressed or overwhelmed play your favourite song loudly and sing it with everything you have, and think about how it made you feel. Trust me, it will help!
Spend Time By Water
I don’t like to swim in the sea but I do like sit by it and listen to the waves as they lap against the shore. As the waves go in and out on the shore line I like to think of it as washing away my worries. I know it isn’t quite that easy but it definitely makes me feel so much calmer. Being by water is so peaceful and relaxing to me and its usually quite beautiful as well.
