What do you do when you feel anxious?

[Bird_9]

Hello everyone i know from the bottom of my heart how it feels to deal with anxiety
Theres not a cake recipe that will work for everyone but i can recommend searching for help with a therapist
In my case therapy was helpfull for all tbe aspects of my life, i became more confident more focused and started to realize the triggers that are kind of the sparks of my anxiety.
Also i like to listen ti music durinh my crisis
It

 

[mocha.]

Hello everyone i know from the bottom of my heart how it feels to deal with anxiety
Theres not a cake recipe that will work for everyone but i can recommend searching for help with a therapist
In my case therapy was helpfull for all tbe aspects of my life, i became more confident more focused and started to realize the triggers that are kind of the sparks of my anxiety.
Also i like to listen ti music durinh my crisis
It

I’m sorry to hear you’ve gone through something similar, but thank you so much for sharing your experience and advice! I’m so glad it worked for you. I wholeheartedly agree that reaching out for therapy or medication is nothing to be ashamed of and can really help deal with your emotions/root cause. Mental illness is similar to a physical illness and we should remember to treat it as such plenty of rest and go easy on ourselves!

I really like to listen to music as well, I find that listening to audiobooks on a night time give me some sort of distraction too!

 

[Shawna]

1. Take a shower
2. Listen to upbeat music
3. Try to replace the thoughts that are positive
4. Draw
5. Write
6. Take deep breaths

 

[satine]

I honestly don't do anything healthy when I am feeling anxious so I can't really give good advice!

However, I have found that driving really calms me down and it's not self-destructive (just costly with gas these days), so maybe that's something. I live in a rural area so it's all farmland and farm-to-market roads. Heavy traffic stresses me out but when it's quiet and desolate I like to just drive around and listen to my favorite music. Doing that always seems to help me focus better and calm down. Otherwise I just do self-destructive things like stress eat or cry lol. Or self-soothe with watching Spongebob Squarepants/Drake and Josh/any other childhood nostalgic show lol...

 

[Princess Mipha]

Luckily the medicine that I take against my panic attacks / anxiety / depression is working really well!
However, I will still have small anxiety and panic episodes, in which I like to start playing a game, which happens to be usually Animal Crossing. My cats also notice it, so they like to come to me and make me feel less anxious! Animals are truely a gift, which every anxious person should be able to have around.

 

[slzzpz]

I try to distract myself but sometimes it's extremely hard when the anxiety hits.


I try to medicate but sometimes, it doesn't help. Feels like my anxiety is getting worse and I feel possibly slight depression.

 

[Jamborenium]

I only get stressed when I'm in certain social situation( I have AVPD) so,
if I can I will go off and isolate myself for a bit and relax until I feel better.

if not I just stand there and act like everything is fine, while I'm just screaming on the inside ​

 

[DJStarstryker]

Warmth in general helps me relax when I'm feeling anxious. I will drink hot tea or take a hot bath or get out my small electric blanket and drape it across my lap if I'm working.

 

[mermaidshelf]

not really healthy but i usually binge on junk food and watch shows :/

 

[TheSillyPuppy]

A lot of my anxiety was rooted in existential dread, so practicing self-reflection has helped me out immensely. Learning to see my anxiety as my brain thinking multiple steps ahead of what could go wrong and recognizing that these worries were not rooted in reality has also helped me better live with anxiety, rather than further punishing myself by having thoughts like "My anxiety is bad" or "Just stop thinking about it." Changing my perception about my anxiety from something that I need to fix to something that I can leverage to keep myself safe and alert has truly done wonders.

Talking things out with people I trust is another method I go by. I've noticed that I can endure a lot of negative energy, but eventually, I get to a point where I have to let out all that accumulated steam and explode. Now, I talk out whatever is bothering me with someone.

Physical activity and getting fresh air are also activities I swear by.

Back in school, when taking exams, I took deep breaths if I got stuck on questions and drank some cold water (small, infrequent sips to avoid needing to use the restroom). The deep breathing helped me center myself again after getting thrown off, and the cold water somewhat jolted me awake with the stimulation.

 

[Maymeows16]

I try to distract myself and listen to music or ASMR to relax me and just distraction in general. Going out always helps a lot but sometimes it can be there just more easy to ignore.
I do the same with OCD which has diminished more thankfully.
I hope everyone can get through these things because it really shouldn't be something you'd have to experience and hope you can all be free at some point~

 

[Furrton]

When I am having a panic attack now I usually understand that it is one and it helps to remind myself that it is temporary and I will get over it and stop feeling that bad. If other people are around I try to get out that it's not their fault and I am not really upset and that I will stop crying/hyperventilating shortly. I worry a lot when that happens -- not often. I can feel other people's helplessness and it makes it worse.

For non-acute anxiety, CBT. Stop it before it gets bad!!

 

[Kattea]

Sometimes I just give myself permission to curl up with my cat until I feel better. If being alone with my racing thoughts starts to become negative or counterproductive, then I try something else. I find yoga and meditation really helpful, but it can be any physical activity or hobby you enjoy that pulls you out of your head and into the present moment.

 

[Cirice]

When I'm anxious outside, well I don't have any particular thing I do, I just try to focus on positive things but it doesn't work.
When I'm anxious at home, I'll allow myself to just cry it out. Sometimes listening to Stale Cupcakes helps.

 

[mocha.]

Sometimes I just give myself permission to curl up with my cat until I feel better. If being alone with my racing thoughts starts to become negative or counterproductive, then I try something else. I find yoga and meditation really helpful, but it can be any physical activity or hobby you enjoy that pulls you out of your head and into the present moment.

This is one of the main reasons why I want a pet! When I lived with cats they helped soothe my anxiety so much, it’s kind of like having a purring hot water bottle

I was really anxious for my shift at work today (I don’t often do closes so I was worried I’d forget something, I was also worried about finishing late as I’m the early start tomorrow), but I managed to finish only 25 minutes late and genuinely had nothing to worry about. I kept telling myself “see, it’s never as bad as you think it will be” at the end and hopefully I can try to remember that in the future. At the end of the day our brains are only trying to protect/prepare us so it’s normal to go into overdrive. It felt good to prove my anxious brain wrong today!

 

[sleepydreepy]

I have pretty bad anxiety myself and I'm still learning how to cope with it. I helps me to talk about it with someone (therapist, friend, etc) or write/type how I'm feeling in a journal. I found that ignoring anxious thoughts and whatever caused them is more harmful than helpful, and its better to embrace how you feel even if its negative.

After acknowledging these feelings I like playing video games or watching my favorite shows to cheer me up. I'm the type of person who loves rewatching shows/movies a million times even though I know exactly how it ends. I think knowing what happens next is comforting to me, plus having watched the show so many times the characters themselves feel like old friends. Some of my favorite shows are LOST, the early seasons of NCIS, and The Flash (cw show). I also sometimes like making embroidery/friendship bracelets and re-arranging decorations in my room. I especially love cleaning, but that's tough for me since it can easily develop into an OCD issue if I'm not careful (it has been pretty bad in the past).

edit: wanted to add that aromatherapy has helped with my anxiety too! whether it be an essential oil diffuser or just a candle

Anxiety is hard, but just know you are not alone with your feelings <3

 

[Licorice]

Maybe I need to be on medication because none of this stuff works for me at all.

 

[Hype]

I ride my bike or meditate. Working out helps tremendously.

 

[Dwayne Johnson]

deep breathing and gaming is all i really use, its different for everyone though. i used to take meds for it but they had a lot of side affects that were affecting my health so i stopped taking them altogether

 

[visibleghost]

my healthy coping mechanisms include taking a shower, physical activity (especially walks), distractions (video games can help) and sleeping.