SELF HELP TIPS FOR MANAGING ANXIETY

[AGrace]

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

]

[Annas1]

Hi Blufftuff, (love the name btw),

I can identify with your post in several ways - anxiety is complex (as depression is too). It is taking me years to put the learning and experience together to know how to care for myself and reach out when I'm struggling.

Being 'social' when feeling the effects of anxiety is a challenge, but I too like to feel in amongst it but at the same time unaccountable/anonymous by visiting a cafe or shop. I enjoy the impromptu exchanges and it reinforces my place in this wide world.

Thanks for your contribution,

Annas1

[Blufftuff]

Hi There,

Hope you had a Great Easter,

Totally agree anxiety and depression are very complex issues and the experience is different for everyone.

It is great to hear that over time you realised you need to look after well being and of reach out to someone when in time of need.

Coming out of depression I would force myself to visit a cafe everyday and buy a coffee and even though I was on own, I felt part of the small community of people there having coffees.

having a bright outgoing personality this would sometimes frustrate me, but it was the start of my recovery,

Now I am able to interact with people again and have gained my confidence back, I feel like a new person and this exciting.

One thing I have learnt is that everything we endure happens for a reason,

I wish you all the best.

[Ace1988]

Hi all,

a quick question...

im quite good now at getting on top of the first signs of anxiety (sinking feeling, racing heart and upset stomach) I can read those signs and breath through it, but does anyone have a way to stop the lingering feeling, or the anxiety hangover? I’m proud of myself that I can distinguish between anxiety and something else but the “left over” feelings are exhausting.
I hope that made sense, I typed it as I though it.

thanks,

Stace

[Buud]

Thank you very much for sharing. After reading your post, I feel much relieved and feeling at ease.

[Blufftuff]

Hi Ace 1998

It is great you are able to distinguish between anxiety and something else.

As for the hangover feeling, have you considered something like taking a long walk through a local park, or even joining a gym????

These are just a couple of suggestions you may find something else you prefer.

take care now.

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone and welcome new members here too ☺ good to see you and everyone thanks for your input which is valuable and potentially could help many.

Butterfly.wings.of.hope hi darl just wanted to thank you for that positive poem it's good ☺

I believe and it's said by professionals we can get on top of depression and anxiety.

Internal works needed and although it doesn't seem like these feelings of pain and despair will ever change, if we believe which we can get through it helps clear the way and makes it a bit easier.

Our strength comes in many forms. I believe we're all capable of learning which we need to understand how to build and free our strength that gets buried in darkness.

Imo we're all capable of learning

Take care everyone and remember to keep breathing nice and deeply. Feel yourself relaxing.

Self talk can be very helpful telling yourself you can and will get through.

🌹

[Blufftuff]

Love what you said so encouraging and inspiring

I must be a slow learner but over the years I have learnt to teach myself to be aware of the early signs of me getting anxious and to focus on something really positive or go for a walk so as to prevent me getting to the stage of real anxiety which as we know can be very overwhelming

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone ☺

Thanks Blufftuff nice to hear ☺

It's scary isn't it when anxiety gets a grip on us.

Good on you. Definately easier to control if we can catch it earlier than later but still can be dealt with.

As well as ? other causes our thoughts and reactions to them are what get us in a bind.

I think when we become aware of our thinking although so fast we can then step in and interrupt the negative spiral in the reactions.

They say about the thoughts they need to be heard.

So our jobs to learn how to react to them.

Gaining control. Our minds are very powerful.

We're capable I believe that 🌱

[CalmCat]

Hi Demonblaster,

I totally agree with your comment "Gaining control. Our minds are very powerful."

I've done with the book A Course in Miracles.

Go on youtube and search a into video on it. Its been a life changer for me.

Have a great Sunday night.

Regards,

Doz

[demonblaster]

Hi Doz and everyone ☺

Thanks I'll try and squiz today.

Our minds I believe and think it could be fact are capable of so much more than we know

None of its easy or is to live in pain but there's definately hope.

The followings about depression/anxiety.

Yesterday during a particularly hard patch. I became aware of why I was being dragged down into the Black abyss.

I've know for a while but not been able to practice it much

I was starting to go into a severe depressive episode. Was in a mood drop and a full anxiety attack was brewing.

I realused during it all I was reinforcing the negative painful emotional responses by continuing to allow thoughts on whatever it was I was thinking.

As soon as I became aware I stopped thinking in the negative and how it made me feel and tried to think of a positive which I don't think I managed.

Just the shifted focus was enough to pull out and later find positives.

Definately want to learn control over emotional reactions. I believe it's the main key to coping and overcoming

☺ hope everyone has good days or at least finds some light in them.

🌴