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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[Adalaide]

Hi Missep123,

I agree that introducing new techniques is so difficult at times but I truly believe that even if it takes years to master, it is worth putting in the effort to put some great practices into place.

I have plenty of tips that I've tried over the years! One incredible one that I've found increasingly helpful when I feel like I can't escape my anxiety and feel really overwhelmed is getting a piece of paper out and putting a timer for 10 minutes on and just blurting every single thought that I have out on paper. Then once the 10 minutes is over, I can see all of the things that are making me anxious out on paper and address them much easier. This is especially useful when I'm experiencing derealisation or depersonalisation as it makes me feel like I can't access my thoughts.

I hope this helps! I would love to hear some more of your tips too - we can all stand to learn some new things 🙂

[Emma_Mil]

I often find my anxiety and panic cannot be relieved through a thought process and need to use body techniques as my mind has disconnected from by body. These are my go to:

1. Hug yourself: Place your right hand underneath your left armpit and your left hand over your right shoulder. This makes me feel calmer and safe.

2. Massage: There are a few videos on how to massage your vagus nerve to help calm yourself down. Simple ones are to massage your fingers from the base upwards and your toes. You can also take your index finger and place it in the little spot about your ear canal (the hole in your ear!) and VERY gently massage in small circles. Sukie Baxter has some really great videos on YouTube about this.

3. Hang upside down: In a standing position, begin to fold forward from your waist so you're head is hanging towards the ground. Make sure your stomach touches your thighs so you might need to bend your knees to make this happen! Lean forward as much as feels comfortable. You can loop your arms together like a ragdoll to help as well or dangle your arms.

I find once I have calmed my body and nervous system down then my thoughts can be dealt with after that.

[missep123]

These tips are really amazing, I feel like they are going to be excellent in my anxiety 'toolkit'!

One thing that really helped me come out of a spiral recently was listening to songs that are positive in their themes. For example 'it knocked me down but I am now back on my feet'. Listening to these kind of songs on repeat really helps to push them into my mind if that makes sense!

[HappyWen]

Whatever I'm doing when a panic attack hits, I stop it. Watching funny cat/dog vidoes helps. Involuntary laughter helps me. Singing also helps me. Deep breathing (when I remember to do it - rational thinking can go out the window during an attack). Megan Buer 'Stop a Panic Attack in Two Minutes' video is great. I've always got Megan close to hand. I keep saying to myself, "It will pass." Knowing that I am not alone is a great comfort.

[Learn to Fly]

Love this Emma Mil. Love them All you Guys.

Mine: if I can, I try to find a secluded spot. If possible, close to plants, leaves, flowers. The nature has always been soothing to me. I close my eyes and try to take some deep calming breaths. I focus on this act for as long as I need it and then I try to listen to the surrounding sounds. Check if I can smell anything. What can I taste in my mouth? If I have to, I go back to my breathing. I check my heart beat and slow everything down. Gradually.

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone 👋 Welcome Emma Mll and Happywen to the forums ☺ your and all posts are much appreciated.

One of the many things I like about here is there's so many different coping strategies.
If some don't work for people there's other choices

I started a reply to some recent posts which are noted. Hope to finish & land them. Posts are being read it's not intentional if not replied too ☺

So true in anxiety our rational thinking isn't active
I now know it's still there and can be accessed

It gets blocked because we're hearing only what our minds are telling us which isnt necessarily how it is or will be

It's possible to access it amidst the racing fear strickened thinking we need further thought

Recently my mind went into overdrive being the operative word 😄

The internal dialogue was...
If I drive down the Rd I might or will have an accident

I was only focused on that. Stress and fear was escalating fast

With further thought ...Yes that could happen

Then...why would it?

Would it be through a fault of mine? There's no reason I won't be careful and alert

It could at anytime not just today.

By the time I'd finished reasoning I'd calmed down. The thought process allowed me to explore the other side of anxietys bombardment
I drove incident free.

What also helps at least slow & at times stop the racing negatives is to be aware that this is wasted energy creating high stress. I don't want it!

Rational thought can be accessed through furthur thought.

I just realised a dear friend 💜 here went through the same.

In their case imo it was good they didnt drive that day. They managed the next day because they'd worked through it. That was a huge achievement

In my instance ? because I caught it before it escalated further causing a paralyzing feeling making it easier to regain control/calm

*HappyWen hi sounds good stopping what you're doing at the time of an anxiety attack. May help too if we can figure why we became anxious at that time

Yes deep breathing's a good habit to get into which in the moment can be easily forgotten.
It does help knowing it'll pass. That'd be rational thought too.
I'll try to check out Megan Buer

* Missep123 hi Sounds like a good way listening to positive music and often. We need to hear the other side of negatives else we stay in that mode. Kudos 👍

All the best everyone it's encouraging the experts say we can get on top of this ☺

It's in us 🌱

⚘

[missep123]

Something new I have been trialling is that if I'm very nervous about something I imagine a version of myself of everything I want to be (i.e. super confident) and imagine how that version of myself would act. It's been interesting because changing the framework of how I am thinking helps to adjust my anxiety!

[demonblaster]

Hi everyone 👋

Missep123 hey there ☺. I like your above post. It's a good way to handle anxiety.

It's helps not only redirecting the focus of where our thoughts take us, it's positive and certainly achievable. Gives us a goal to work towards for better peace of mind which is what we all want.

We're taking control by considering our choices of how we can work through. Definately a plus on our minds causing havoc

Without further thought in turmoil we'll stay there

Your ways being proactive. Kudos darl ☺

I think we need to consider our thoughts in anxiety.

By reasoning which can open our thinking to coping strategies.
A good ways to ask ourselves if there's any validity to them in order to prepare IF/when it happens. Keeping in mind so often it doesn't eventuate.

I believe and have seen numerous times we all have intelligence.
Our strongest defence we're born with is survival.

When we allow more productive thought it let's our minds and survival step in towards better.
We're capable of so much more than we think.

Most thoughts are unrealistic and rubbish I'm finding.
I'm letting more of those go these days which lightens the load considerably.

In ancious times it's not easy as we know being aware. Often it's when we're tired.
I'm finding some energy in further thought comes on maybe because there's a chance giving hope that ignites some good chemicals rather than the negatives stress and pain.

Thanks always to the very good input here and across the forums.

Go easy good folk⚘

[missep123]

Sometimes when my body isn't anxious I find that it is looking for things to be anxious about! However, it is nice knowing that some things in my 'toolkit' are helping to reduce my anxious baseline. I look forward to learning more from this thread!

[ChildHeart]

Hi all,
I know that this is self-help with anxiety and you're looking for more contributors, but what do you do when you're completely restless and nothing seems to be re-directing or removing the anxiety? Today has been on and off of anxiety for me and it's like in those moments I wasn't able to do anything but stay in the anxiety until it passed. I try to listen to happy music and play a game that I enjoy (anybody for hoyle board games?), but what do you do when you're mind/body is saying nope? For example, I put on some music and straight away my mind and body respond as if to say noooo nope so I try to play my hoyle board games and again noo no way so then I go for a walk and nope no don't want to. Does anybody else go through this?