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SELF HELP TIPS FOR MANAGING ANXIETY

AGrace
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Hi Everyone,

Here are some ideas for helping you manage symptoms of anxiety. Feel free to add to the list, or let us know what works for you...

Mindfulness – Grounding exercises: noticing your environment, bodily sensations, and breath

Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Creating a Tension and Release effect with all the muscles in the body

Opposite Actions – By listening to calming music, taking a walk, talking, enjoying sunshine

Safe Place Mental Imagery – Visualising a place where you can go in your mind to feel safe

Calming Affirmations – To help recognise that the moment of panic will pass

Exercise – A valuable way to exhaust excess adrenalin built up in the body

 

[Moderator's note: this thread is for sharing what has worked for you to manage your anxiety. If you need support to manage your anxiety and would like to discuss this with the community, please start a new thread.

See also:

Anxiety management strategies

Worry worry worry

]

300 Replies 300

Jason71
Community Member
How does safe place mental imagery work?

GreenTea_Honey
Community Member

Hey! This thread is awesome 🙂

For me, exercise is a really proactive way of coping with my anxiety. There's something about it that focuses my mind away from the anxiety and calms me. Keeping a regular exercise routine really helps me even when I'm coping well because I know I'm proactively helping myself, and also because I know there will remain something untouched by my anxiety when I'm not dealing well. It helps me remember that not everything is affected by my anxiety, that there are other important things outside of it that I can still have control over - like keeping my body healthy.

A hobby of something that makes you feel good. And I don't necessarily mean something physical this time, but something that makes you feel good about your mind. Something that, again, reminds me that my anxiety isn't the only thing of note about my brain. For me, this is writing stories. I have always loved stories (in every form - books, tv, movies, comic books, everything) and their ability to absorb me, and now creating something that I love, that engages a different part of my mind, and that I feel proud of is profoundly beneficial. It reminds me that my mind - our minds - are a beautiful thing.

Animals were my first love and they are an immediately calming presence when my anxiety flares. I'm lucky because I have three pets, but obviously not everyone does. Maybe spend time with a friend and their pet, visit an animal shelter, even cute funny videos may help. Find what works for you 🙂

I haven't tried it yet, but I really like the suggestion of going backwards through the alphabet and counting back from 100 in 3s. I imagine it could be really helpful in the middle of a panic attack.

Best wishes!

YB
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

What I've been telling myself lately,

Giving yourself the permission to withdraw from the space that is causing the anxiety. To a certain extent, I believe anxiety stems from us being to attached to things and invested in situations, which tricks us into confusion and steer us away from the good things we originally intended to achieve.

Writing your thoughts down on paper, I find it pretty useful especially if anxiety is distracting you from getting work done. I just have a piece of paper beside my desktop, label it "rubbish in my head" and just dump whatever irrelevant thoughts in point form.

Observe your own pattern of thoughts. Once I've become conscious of what I'm thinking of, I find it a lot easier to identify the traps and loopholes. From there, I can slowly work towards that one day where I can see them clearly and make the conscious effort to walk around them.

Ruby44
Community Member

Yoga has really helped me, some days I feel like a completely different person after yoga! Even on the worst days I leave the class feeling calm and strong. I try to get out for a break from work for a walk which is nice to physically get away from the chaos.

Reducing sugar and caffeine has really helped. I notice now when I have a caffeine or a lot of sugar how much it affects me now (I feel on edge and sometimes get headaches). It can be hard since the things everyone suggests to cut down (sugar, caffeine, alcohol) are the things that you often reach for when feeling stressed or tired!

Meditating morning and night has been good too.

The hardest thing I find is getting through the work day I find so if anyone has tips for easy things to do throughout the day that would be great 🙂

smallwolf
Community Champion
Community Champion

Think that I posted this in the mindfulness section, but a deep breathing exercise is helpful.

10 deep breathes in through the nose and out the mouth. Do it very slowly. Breathing in good air and expelling bad air slowly. If your mind drifts, thats OK. Just bring your focus back to your breath. Feel it entering your body.

Ebbet21
Community Member

plan simple and I encourage anyone who suffers panic attacks or some form of anxiety to try

panic attack is a thought , it will not HURT you. Think that and next time you get one stand there and take it, enjoy it. More you run away and scared of them the more they follow you and yes go and put yourself in those situations that trigger panic attacks and I guarantee they will lessen and even diapers. The worst thing to do is run away

anxiety mine is at it highest first thing and only going into work.

Solution - exercise first thing in the morning it really does wonders, I find the more I face my fears the less anxiety I get.

If you do want to go down the med route I fully encourage seeing a natural path and get your bloods done and adrenals as things may be out of whack.

anxiety and panic attack in my opinion should be addressed without medication. As your just masking it. Abit of courage and will power goes a long way.

Chloe_M
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor

Hi guys,

I have this app called "Calm"- the full version costs $54.99, but the 'lite' version is free. It has loads of mindfulness meditation courses that go for 10 minutes a session. I also downloaded ReachOut Breathe and ReachOut WorryTime. They are also free.

Hope this helped someone

Chloe

Dez86
Community Member
Have you tried kava tablets from a chemist or health food store? I find they work well.

Dez86
Community Member
Do you mind me asking if the naturopath gave you something after looking through your bloods and adrenal results?

NicolaC
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Love seeing all the coping mechanisms, many which I have tried or currently do. The thing that has helped me the most which many people surrounding me find very interesting, is that whenever I feel anxious or am experiencing a panic attack, the only thing that calms me is chewing gum. Once i start chewing my symptoms subside... I have many theories on why this is, I'd love to hear yours.

I also have seen one woman having to suck a baby milk bottle to get her symptoms to subside.

Interesting what really helps us all!