8 Anxiety Tips That Actually Work

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Written by Jess Carroll

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[SDHealth]

My anxiety makes me feel as if I am going to die any moment. It's so scary!! I can't eat, sleep, hearts racing and its so scary.

[JordyAllen]

One of my favourite tips to stop ruminating thoughts like regret anxiety and time-management anxiety, is to instead use your symptoms as a way to feel excited rather than fearful. I've only figured this out recently after being a long-term sufferer of anxiety and panic disorders, but by telling yourself "I'm not jealous or scared I'm just excited to try those things too". I know that's not psychologically true, but It really works trust me, here are some other good ones too. I hope they help. ^_^

1. Use your anxiety as an in-built detection system, whenever you feel anxious either talk to someone about it if it persists, or write it down as a "trigger" and eventually attack that fear(if you need to) and it will go away.
2. Realise that if you suffer from a mental illness only so much can be done to subside the symptoms, just acknowledging and accepting this, for me, has been so helpful. Don't beat yourself up constantly, you're doing a great job.
3. Don't try to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, or feel regret or guilt for doing things you enjoy, I know that's one of my biggest worries. But I realise now that I be excessively selfless so I can distract myself from my own problems and ambitions, which isn't healthy.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help, speak a bit louder if you can, I know it's tough but give it a shot every once in awhile.
5. Use your initiative, be honest and make your own decisions. Anxiety, I've found can be crippling for confidence and self-assurance, but if you start doing more simple things on your own without relying on others, it can do wonders.
6. DON'T OVERTHINK! This one's a killer for me, but by just simplifying things, and calming down your breathing, things will start to feel like less of a worry and more like an opportunity.
7. Only be concerned with what YOU can control, that doesn't translate to "defeatist" it just means that you have to be more accepting of a situation or circumstance, you are not a miracle worker so stop trying to be.

I really hope these help someone, I know how difficult it is living with anxiety, many thanks for listening and have a great day! :D

[Alexa-cjih]

The word "stress" actually stresses me out.

[BulkkocKariseuma]

'For people with mental illness normal stuff can sometimes feel hard, but it dosn't make you faliure or a weirdo. It just means that you have an ilness that you have to be constantly aware of and.. Sometimes it's painful, but.. Mostly it makes you the most intresting person in the room.'
That felt amazing to hear..

[dulceg]

the ending almost made me cry. from one anxious person to another thank you 💗

[witchplease]

I have social anxiety. I just kind of have to isolate myself from others and cry it off.

[raisin]

She literally just told me to skip school by saying I have to stay away from things that upset me.

[FeelsLikeHalloween]

ASMR videos have SERIOUSLY helped me whether I'm just feeling a bit uneasy or if I'm in the middle of an awful anxiety attack. Especially ASMR videos that focus on personal attention for anxiety attacks. These videos are often made by ASMRtists who experience panic attacks themselves so the are very good at techniques to calm the viewer down. :)

[lilbizzy]

I feel anxious right now and it’s just eating at me cause I’m calm but on the inside I’m worrying about nothing, I’m just worrying

[procrastinationcreation]

The 4-7-8 tip helps so much; it's definitely a great thing for anyone who feels really nervous and needs a way to help calm down.

[shannencherry]

I have suffered with generalised and social anxiety for pretty much my entire life (I'm 21) so it's something that's always been a part of me, but it's only been in the last year or so that I've learned to accept it as part of my life. I was always told I wasn't normal and that I should be like other children my age, so that made me feel very inadequate and alone but now that I've learned to control it (for the most part) and accept it as part of my personality, it's much easier to deal with. I'd say my top coping mechanisms for dealing with anxiety and/or the depression it can often cause are as follows:
1) don't make yourself the centre of the situation. Identify other aspects of the environment you're in that you can focus on which will help distract your attention away from the panic you're feeling.
2) don't be afraid of anxiety. Anxiety is a natural thing and is there to keep us safe during times of danger. Understanding that allows you to identify the role anxiety plays in your life and where it may be having too much of an influence. When you identify this, you can then work on reducing any extra "unnecessary" anxiety.
3) recognise your achievements. A lot of the time I would feel unable to cope with the anxiety attacks and how that affected my life, but then I taught myself to look back at everything I had achieved in the past and this really helped as it made me realise how strong I was, and how even the smallest actions of asking a stranger for directions, picking up the phone or getting up to do that school presentation were all things that filled me with terror, but at the same time were things I had conquered. It may seem like a small accomplishment to some, but to someone with anxiety it is a huge achievement.
These are just things that have helped me but if they help just one other person who may read this, then I figured it's worth sharing :) xx

[lilytattooss]

You know your anxiety is bad when you're trying to watch this video but keep clicking away to check social media to make sure there is nothing to worry about. Ugh I hate this

[sherribobbins]

I have tips as a person who's suffered from GAD for 20+ years I've been to several therapists and taken my meds, but here are ways I handle anxiety attacks.
1) find something completely banal to distract yourself. I usually do this with bad TV like watching 80's sitcoms, it's inoffensive, distracting and completely simple and it works!
2) I had a therapist tell me that a lot of times when you suffer an anxiety attack you tend to breathe irregularly or hold your breath without noticing it. This sends a trigger to your brain to release adrenaline and thus makes your anxiety go up to 11 on a scale from 1-10. So breathe from your stomach and concentrate on it.
3) the 15 min rule. If you're worrying or something starts to trigger your anxiety, tell yourself you will worry about it in 15 minutes. When 15 minutes are up, give yourself another 15 mins (you do this while distracting yourself) and keep doing it. 15 mins later I will think about my bills. Etc.
4) shoulders and teeth. When you get stressed or anxious a lot of people bring their shoulders up closer to their ears. Kind of like an animal protecting its neck from attack. Bring your shoulders down. Also if you're like me and clench your teeth put a pencil or something akin to a pen or pencil horizontally in your mouth between your teeth so they are not clenched. Both of these work pretty well.
5) take your meds!!! I actually get anxious when my prescription starts to dwindle so not taking my meds scares me, but a lot of people resist taking medication. There will always be someone who will tell you that you don't need meds and you can do something like exercise, pray, meditate, or just have better inner strength. Unless that person is a medical doctor they can't refute what a medical doctor tells you. Also, one medication does not work with every person and finding one that is good for your brain chemistry can be very disheartening especially since it takes a while for meds to kick in enough to see if they work. So, if you've been put on a medication and it doesn't work for you after 2-4 weeks, please don't give up. I remember having crazy reactions to different medications when starting out. One gave me road rage! One made me feel even more anxious and one had me borderline hallucinating. Stick with it. You may have to take meds for the rest if your life but if you had a disease like a heart problem you would follow your doctors advice and work with them until you were well. Also, if you are like me and have been on medication a long time, your brain will sometimes figure out how to go around your regular medication and slowly stop working. If this happens and you start feeling bad again tell your doctor immediately. Changing medication after being in the one that finally took care of you is scary but sometimes you just have to give in, listen to your doctor and put your trust in their hands. What meds you take is no ones business but yours. You don't need anyone's approval to justify your emotions or illness. If you had that heart condition and your best friend said you could just be stronger and think your way to healing your diseased heart you'd pretty much think they were the crazy person. It's no ones business but you and your doctors.
I could continue but that's enough. I hope something I've said will help someone. ❤️

[nerdydragon]

I always think it is brave of people to publicly discuss their struggles... of course it would cause anxiety... so anxiety is probably the most challenging thing to open up about in a public forum! Thank you for your frank and honest approach.

[greenday]

My tip, don't consume caffeine in massive amounts. Coffee should be a no no.

[ambyrbartlett]

It seems like more and more people who are in positions of influence are coming forward to talk about mental disorders and I am loving it. The worst thing you can do to an already anxious and/or depressed person is make them feel guilty or abnormal for a condition they neither asked for nor have any control over. So many people are suffering yet we are just now becoming more vocal about it. The more that we collectively discuss these issues, the more opportunity we have to heal. Talking to others and feeling a sense of kinship has helped me tremendously with my panic disorder, however hearing words like these from someone on an influential platform is a very emotional experience for me. It takes a very brave and strong person to talk openly to potentially hundreds of thousands of people about an issue that is so truly sensitive and, at its core, tremendously personal. Your bravery helps thousands.

Also, to share what helps me personally with my anxiety: nostalgia. It may sound strange, but if I can trigger myself to experience nostalgia for a time I associate with carefree happiness, it's almost as if I can trick my brain into feeling that way again for a short period. For me and many others, the happiest time of my life was when I was young. Watching my favorite movies/TV shows from that time period (Cinderella, Boy Meets World, Fresh Prince, etc.) always fills me with a sense of comfort. Find what is comforting to you and utilize it but do not depend on it. Strangely, I also find comfort in watching ID channel shows as they evoke memories of watching Forensic Files with my big brother growing up. Every person is different and this approach is not always effective, however it is worth a try.

Thank you, Mitch and Greg. As always, love you guys!

[lilwombat]

when i get anxious i really dont know why most of the time so i write everything that comes to my mind no matter how weird or stupid eventually i figure out what it is and it goes away by like the next day

[manyChameleons]

Thank you so much for NOT saying "exercise" is a solution to anxiety. Like you, thinking about exercising often just adds to my stress and sends me into a spiral of self-hate, and nobody who gives me anxiety-coping advice (including my former therapist) ever seemed to understand that.

[brooklynnfisher]

My anxiety has been so terrible lately due to school starting, it's to the point where I get really nauseous and I throw up. Does anyone have any tips to calm myself down before I get to the point of feeling like I'm going to throw up?

[selahslag]

I have different symptoms of anxiety sometimes, sometime my heart beats really fast, sometimes my whole head deals really warm, sometimes I get really sweaty, sometime I feel super light headed and like I'm literally not even a person, I have really bad anxiety, I can't have friends over, it's super hard to go to school without getting scared, it's not as bad as it used to be though, I'd have huge anxiety attacks in class and I had to leave all the time