Anxiety doesn’t go away overnight. So how can we still enjoy life, despite our mental health? Below are some ways that I have successfully coped.
1. FIND YOUR ”PERSON”
A husband, a counselor, a good friend, a mentor, or a parent. Your “person” is there to non-judgementally support and listen to you. Perhaps they can even talk you through the possible source of your anxiety. Don’t take advantage of your friends and family to be your exclusive counselor, but always remember that being open and vulnerable with safe, non judgemental people will always make you feel better.
2. FOCUS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST
Sometimes if we feel our house getting out of control, our work piling up, or even our fridge getting empty, anxiety can strike. The “something isn’t right” feeling won’t go away until you get some work done. This is probably the hardest piece of advice for me to follow, as I am a chronic avoider. Unfortunately, avoiding your responsibilities is the easiest way to jack your anxiety up to extremely high levels. Start small, with something easy, and roll down through your list from there.
3. EXPLORE THE CREATIVE ARTS
This was extremely helpful in my journey. Sometimes with chronic anxiety inducing problems, we DON’T have control over our situation. This is when it can be helpful to explore the Creative arts. creating with your hands can be especially therapeutic and take your mind off of the situation at hand, AND help you feel accomplished. I’ve explored baking, sewing, painting, writing, and more. You don’t even have to be good, just explore!
4. TAKE A SEASON TO PROCESS
Maybe it’s time to slow down. Take a job with less stress, say no to some stressful responsibilities, and work on your mindfulness. After the darkest season of my life, I began an intensive full time job that I wasn’t prepared for. On top of everything that i had been through, it basically broke me. My husband and I decided it would be best for me to work from home for awhile, and I really used that time to heal. I wasn’t on Instagram, I didn’t spend a lot of time in groups, and I basically just used the time to focus on self care, caring for my family, and nesting in my home. It was SO GOOD FOR ME. I kind of viewed it as my “monk time.” If you can, lower your responsibilities, or just cut yourself off from the world for awhile to heal.
5. BE LIKE BATMAN
Batman was afraid of bats and the night. He feared bats from a childhood trauma. A climactic moment in his life was when he chose to face his fear andopenly exposed himself to millions of bats. Now I don’t recommend this to just anyone, but if you feel like full on facing the source of your anxiety can help you recover, go full speed ahead! I’ve only done this a couple times, and the adrenaline was CRAZY. It can be very healing to pull a Batman and take control of your fear.
There you have it folks! Five ways to deal with anxiety! More tips to come.
xoxo,
Cait