Living with anxiety is a daily struggle as I've said before. Having incredible people in your life (see "Shout Outs!") is a great way to express your anxiety and cope with it. I can't express that enough. But I've also found some other awesome and useful tools and coping skills to "deal with" my anxiety. Here's my list of coping mechanisms that have worked for me:
Exercise: Moving your body is one of the best things you can do for your body. Personally, I always feel really good after even just 30 minutes of exercise. It doesn't even have to be some long, grueling thing. It can be as simple as walking around the block ten times. My personal favorite form of exercise is dancing! It doesn't feel like I'm working out, it feels like I'm at a party!
Coloring: Color inside, color outside- just color. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, anything! You can even paint if you want! Get messy! Create! Put on some music even and just color until your hearts content. Maybe coloring isn't your thing. Give it five minutes. Try. I thought I would hate coloring and I gave it a try and I really like it. I don't do it as often as I used to though. Probably should color again soon. Forget about all your worries and just color. Just color. Let it all out on the paper.
Organize: Sometimes cleaning and organizing can calm my racing thoughts in seconds. I love deep cleaning and organizing. I don't have t to think about anything except where the vacuum is and if I can move my desk on my own or if I should ask my mom. Their's something about dusting, scrubbing, and clean sheets that makes coping with my anxiety "easier".
Writing: Writing is a nice way to express your feelings when you don't have anyone to talk to or vent to. Just talk to your paper. Let it all out on paper. You don't have to show it to anyone, or you can share it with people. Personally, I was way too lazy to write a lot when I got anxious but I wrote a little. And now, I love it. Ask me in a week though. HAHA. I really love the idea that people want to read about my anxiety and learn more. Writing about it eases my anxiety knowing by posting this, people might understand and we can get rid of the stigma attached to mental illnesses. (sorry that got rambly)
Bake/Cook: I love baking because that means I can eat and eating is wonderful for coping mechanisms, just don't get sick. I love making a smoothie when I'm anxious because there's something about making things and combining ingredients that makes me smile. LOL.
Take a shower: Scrub off all the yucky feelings...Literally. Stay in for five minutes or twenty-five. Relax. Feel the warmth of the water against your skin. Fun fact; no one can tell if you're crying in the shower.
Cry: Let it all out, but don't dwell. Give yourself 10 minutes and then get back in the game.
Let me know some of your best coping mechanisms in the comment section :)
Love,
Olivia
Exercise: Moving your body is one of the best things you can do for your body. Personally, I always feel really good after even just 30 minutes of exercise. It doesn't even have to be some long, grueling thing. It can be as simple as walking around the block ten times. My personal favorite form of exercise is dancing! It doesn't feel like I'm working out, it feels like I'm at a party!
Coloring: Color inside, color outside- just color. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, anything! You can even paint if you want! Get messy! Create! Put on some music even and just color until your hearts content. Maybe coloring isn't your thing. Give it five minutes. Try. I thought I would hate coloring and I gave it a try and I really like it. I don't do it as often as I used to though. Probably should color again soon. Forget about all your worries and just color. Just color. Let it all out on the paper.
Bake/Cook: I love baking because that means I can eat and eating is wonderful for coping mechanisms, just don't get sick. I love making a smoothie when I'm anxious because there's something about making things and combining ingredients that makes me smile. LOL.
Take a shower: Scrub off all the yucky feelings...Literally. Stay in for five minutes or twenty-five. Relax. Feel the warmth of the water against your skin. Fun fact; no one can tell if you're crying in the shower.
Cry: Let it all out, but don't dwell. Give yourself 10 minutes and then get back in the game.
Let me know some of your best coping mechanisms in the comment section :)
Love,
Olivia
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