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

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[Mrs Bean]

Hi Child@Heart,

Thanks for your post 🙂

Yes, I go through this.. through phases where I cannot connect to a happy state, no matter how hard I try or what I try to do to overcome it, e.g walking or exercise, music, sometimes even coffee.

What does help me is resting up, so that my body has a break, and finding like-minded individuals so that I feel understood.

This is because a fair bit of my anxiety comes from others not understanding me, and at times I need to see people who don’t understand me when I’m not feeling up to it.

Keep communicating, that’s the key, and understand that it’s not your fault. You may just see the world in a totally different way to a lot of the people around you.

Hope this helps 👍

Kind regards,

Mrs Bean

[demonblaster]

Hi Child@Heart and all ☺

Although it's a bit belated but welcome to the forums ☺

In reply to your question about does anyone else have times when it just won't budge?

Yes many times. It's really hard isn't it in those times. Full stop anxiety's hard but when it's full on like that it's exhausting which I suspect is a big contributor to anxiety too. Sigh.

One extremely stressful time the anxiety was overflowing way past maximum it was really scary because I didn't know how to stop it or at least ease it just a bit for my sanitys sake.

Like you I tried a walk which helped a tiny bit but nowhere near enough. Looked around for distraction... no go. Also had other strong physical pain and meds adding to extreme tiredness that already was full on

I really thought I wasn't going to escape this mental torture but I guess at that point survival, the universe ...? Lateral thinking or firm self talk of no that's enough! I CAN get through this.

I can't atm remember what caused my change of focus but being outside led me to look at the stars that I love. It was a clear night and a very good area to see a fantastic view of them.

I stayed there for quite some time and only allowed myself focus on them and appreciating the beauty.

It calmed me significantly. Was still pretty worked up in a very hard situation but was enough to pull out of the extremes.

It sounds like you too had some parts of your day that it was at least manageable Child@heart which ? Might have been something you tried or was doing that refocused your thinking that you may/not have been aware of. I don't know but distraction is often a good tool but doesn't necessarily help the cause of anxiety.

Thanks for posting here and I hope you and us all can find ways that make it all more manageable. It is doable. I do think the majority of success in overcoming our hard times is in us to make it happen. We need to believe learn and practice are good starting points imo

Hope to see again sometime ☺

Take care everyone ☺

Remember ....to breathe ....deeply 😲 anytime and oftens a good habit....Oh and to breathe out too 😄

🌱 new beginnings start with us ⚘

[ChildHeart]

Hi, Mrs Bean!

Thank you for reaching out with a response and letting me know I am not alone in this by sharing your experiences with anxiety as well.

I'm glad that resting helps you however I feel it sadly isn't the same for me. I can barely rest up and sleep as it is.. I mean well... I guess it's complicated I mean if I'm deep in my depression (a bad day) then I can sleep but I have lots of triggering nightmares and when the depression isn't affecting my sleep the anxiety keeps me awake. It's like I just can't shut my brain off at all.

I can relate to your comment about the anxiety coming from others, not understanding. It gets difficult, doesn't it?

Thank you for your support and I will do my best to keep the communication going. 🙂

[ChildHeart]

Hi, demonblaster!

Thanks for responding and sharing your thoughts.

I am sorry you have dealt with anxiety though am glad that you found the strength to try to stand up to it!

The stars are beautiful! I often find myself looking up at them when I can get moments of peace in my mind to remember to look up at the sky. When I do it reminds me of a connection to my dad who has passed and my childhood. I'm glad that you have found some solace in that.

My father used to love the poem Desiderata and we have one of his quoted lines on my father's grave which is "go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence". I keep thinking as nice as that sounds and as much as it seems to make sense, it's hard when you have anxiety sometimes to find that silent moment in order to have that peace. Is that a catch 22? I feel like I have never used that in the right context.

I would like to think it is a matter of belief and inner strength but I just don't think I have that yet. At least for myself I can preach it to others and wish them well but myself? .. nope.

Same to you, and you take care as well. 🙂

[Deeway]

YES! You described it perfectly! Absolutely perfectly 100% I get this too, I had it yesterday and it's still here today. You are strong. I am strong. You are stronger than you know and so are we all. You're amazing to have moved past this feeling in the past and are doing it again. Absolutely amazing. I have no tips on doing so but want to say well done.

[erin_mack]

yes! and i just cant seem to find the motivation to do the things that should help me.

[erin_mack]

does anyone else get work related anxiety? i really struggle the night before and in the mornings getting ready and out the door before work. once im there im generally ok but its the thought process of HAVING to do things within a time frame i guess. all i want is to be able to go to work and do normal things comfortably but its such an uphill battle lately. my boss is not happy with me as ive had to have a few days off becuase of my anxiety so that doesnt help either. one thing i can reccomend which has given me some form of hope is the book by Eckhart Tolle 'The Power Of Now'. also any of his youtube videos are quite helpful. i hope this helps someone!

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone 😊

DEEWAY/MRS BEAN & ERIN MACK. Hi there I'm not yelling with caps on 😄 just my Bold and Italics aren't working.

Wanted to thank you and everyone for your input which can be of help to many and I've no doubt many sadly can relate.

Welcome as well to the forums there's a lot of helpful info here and around the forums.

I'll be back to chat and reply in near future and to you Child @ heart and Missep as well ☺

Remember good people to breathe nice and deep several times often. It really does help in a few ways especially because we're tensed up it helps relax and focusing on only that gives our overwhelmed minds some respite.

Here's such a caring lovely community. We understand pain.

Care ⚘

[MainlyG]

Yes. I'm 39 male and have started getting this lately.

Usually within 2 hours of starting, i get anxious.

Never happened before.

Just this year.

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone ☺

MainlyG hi and thanks for posting which goes for everyone too. Welcome here as well same for all newbies 👋

It's not easy going through anxiety. I find it encouraging knowing it can be worked through.

A great deal comes from us inside. Working on controlling/ being aware of and directing our thoughts helps.

Up to you if you want to squiz through this thread there's quite a few varied ways people find helpful with coping.

Hoping that you're able to find ways to work through the hard times, never easy is it. Hopefully we become stronger from it.

Take care good people. I'll be back sometime near future.

🕊