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

]

[blondguy]

Hey DB! & Rivasands!

I havent been on this thread since the late 14th century...and there are many helpful tips here 🙂

This is only a brief comment re Managing Anxiety... just from my own experience since 1983

If our anxiety begins to have a detrimental impact on our ability to function on a daily basis in our work or personal life.....seeing our GP is a really good step towards finding some peace of mind

my kind thoughts

Paul

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone ☺ excuse me for a sec being off topic.

Annie1974 hi again darl I hope you're doing as well as you can hun.

Wow I finally looked up Pmdd and Hashimotos disease 😯. Struth you poor soul.

Without knowing about these two I could see you have so much on your plate including the other two.

Just wondering if you have a personal thread I'd be happy to support you if you'd like.

If you don't know how or need help with anything sing out.

The best place is FAQ (Red rectangles for some crazy reason are called buttons at the top of each section) because page 1 has info on how to start a thread if you haven't and are wanting to that goes for anyone 🙂

Gentle reminder peeps...

Habiting deep breathing has been of a lot of help avoiding going into anxiety attacks I feel tho I had a few full blown ones and experience with it in general.

So loveys howza bout all together 🤝 3 nice slow deep breaths through our noses if you can.

Hold a couple of secs ...

Yip that's the way...

annnd gently out imagining all the stress leaving our bodies.

You'd be surprised the effect that can have and focusing on the task is a distraction so boom diddy boom

👋

[Rivasands]

Hi blondguy and demonblaster

i Agree with that blondguy and have had to face the fact I am at that point again and am off to the GP next week.

There are many techniques that can be used including some of the ones I mentioned but if it’s not as helpful as it once was and is affecting the day to day more often then not then it’s a great idea to see the GP.

I don’t mind at all demonblaster I had noticed it hadn’t been mentioned in the threads ( that I could find) and have found it quite helpful.

I think sometimes our anxiety becomes our comfort zone , which is not actually that comfortable. We accept it but in turn make our lives smaller than they are by staying away from triggers or anxiety inducing scenarios.

You must remind yourself that you deserve happiness and actively seek it out - your comfort zone can become your cage. Start small and build up to the bigger stuff. Do one thing everyday that brings a little joy to your life.

Make a happiness list and every time you feel a small tinge of happiness add it to your list - this creates a manual to create happiness in your life !

I have found in the last few years that you shouldn’t “feed the beast” so keep pushing and challenging yourself when possible.

mindfulness helps , particularly guided mindfulness meditation. It introduces new thoughts and strategies to help break the loop of your own thoughts.

Im glad I posted , it’s nice to have a sense of community as it can be a lonely road at times. I will put up more tips as I come across them as I am actively looking for strategies all the time !

[Guest_4643]

For me, sometimes colouring in helps.

Stress balls, grounding, mindfulness, meditation, etc. are some other suggestions.

[demonblaster]

Thanks MB it's encouraging knowing there's so many techniques that people find effective.

We sure need something to get out of attacks. Preferably avoid them all together. They're very frightening as is anything interfering with breathing making us feel completely smothered and overwhelmed.

Remember good people... to breathe ..... Slowly ...deep in and same out.

Focus on that alone nothing else when you feel an anxiety attack coming on and throughout the days helps too.

In pain whether mental or physical we tense.

There's a lot of techniques here that if anyone wants to squiz I hope will find useful. Feel free to discuss the pro's and if any cons.

MB the adult colouring books are very good.

I introduced them yrs ago to my mil she still uses them and seems calmer from what I see and there's other benefits too like ...

• Satisfaction finishing something
• Something to do
• Beautiful colours of choice
• Memories of childhood drawing/colouring
• Some I like this have wisdom and positive quotes
• Focusing on the lines
• Redirecting thoughts
• Zoning out

• Appreciation of various art

• Some have themes ...maybe birdies flowers etc
• Entertainment.

⚘

[Sean_S]

Hey everyone,

A strategy that a friend pushed me to try is cold showers. I resisted the idea for ages, and finally did it. So far it has been the most effective strategy for switching off my trauma reaction other than medication and I do it everyday now. It's a shock to the system, like a reset. You can ease into it, start luke-warm and go progressively colder. Or jump right in. If you jump right in you'll hyperventilate for 30 seconds or so, that's ok but be careful not to get light-headed. I sometimes lie down in a warm room afterwards and mediate.

There is some research supporting it's positive effect on mood.

The benefits:

- You cannot possibly think about anything else in existence while you have freezing cold water running over your head!

- It's psychologically nourishing (makes you feel strong).

- Leaves your body feeling pleasantly exhausted (like you've done exercise).

- I feel considerably less stressed for about an hour afterwards (this could be the para-sympathetic nervous response)

[demonblaster]

Sean S hi and readers 👋

Welcome to bb matey.

Very good post thanks for that.

I've heard about cold water and I think ice water too can get someone out of an anxiety attack bu...t NOT IF THEY HAVE HEART PROBLEMS...

I'm not surprised about the benefits of cold water showers. I love cooler water for swimming and feel totally refreshed coming out not that I have for an age but awesome memories. Also feel invigorated.

Thanks again for great input.

[ecomama]

Hey Deebee and everyone

I just had to pop in and share something I learnt recently... quite the opposite to most people's first impulse I must say...

"Thank anxiety".
Spend time talking with the anxiety inside of you and yep, THANK it.

Anxiety is really full on fear, the 2 are so intertwined it's difficult to separate them.

So Thanking fear is a good one too.
"Thankyou fear for working hard at trying to keep me safe... but I'm going to do abc anyway".

I'm pretty confident that this practice for the past 2 weeks has soothed the last parts of C-PTSD away.

Btw this is from Brene Brown's research, not me!
Ref her podcast on fear. It's a beauty!

Love and many Blessings
EM

[ecomama]

Address your fears.

Love EM

[Guest_4643]

Sometimes playing a game such as a word search can help, for me anyway, or colouring in, walking, smells I like (Lavender for example), nature, animals, certain foods (comfort food), etc.