11 Helpful Tips to Ease Anxiety

Anxiety affects so many people. How each of us are affected varies from person to person, but I know everyone has felt anxiety to some degree. This is why I felt it important to write a blog post about 11 Helpful Tips to Ease Anxiety.

If you are new to my blog and haven’t yet read my anxiety journey post, I recommend you read it here.  It will give some background to my story so you can see how my journey has evolved over the years.

I always find myself “Googling” tips to ease my anxiety.  You have to be VERY selective with what you read on the internet.  I never Google my anxiety symptoms (you will see this in #9 on my list below), but sometimes I will research ways to help ease what I am feeling.  Some articles have been helpful.  Other articles leave me wondering who would actually write this junk…..so just be careful with what you read and trust.

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I am not a doctor, nor a trained mental health professional.  Everything I write about is from my personal experience only.  Please consult your doctor before trying anything new.

What I have discovered by reading different articles is that that people who experience anxiety first hand are much more likely to provide GOOD tips that actually WORK.  I have major respect for those people who study about anxiety and depression as a career, but I think there is just a different perspective when you have physically felt what a panic attack is like or you can be inside the mind of someone who deals with all of the thoughts and emotions that anxiety brings on a daily basis.  Again, I’m not saying that professionals give poor advice, I’m just saying that my tips come from a perspective of someone who has “been there, done that” 😉

Here are 11 helpful tips to ease anxiety. Taking these steps have helped me a lot when I need to keep my anxiety under control.

11 helpful tips to ease anxiety:

1. Have a routine that you can stick to as much as possible. If you feel anxious in the morning (thinking of everything that needs to get done during the day), it helps to do as much as possible the night before.  I make sure my clothes are set out, my kids clothes are set out, homework is finished and lunches are packed the night before.  It helps a lot to have those things all ready in the morning so that you can start your day off peacefully.
2. Make a small (manageable) list of things to get done in one day. When I am feeling anxious, I lose my ability to focus and get things done. I feel like my head is up in the clouds and even the smallest tasks seem impossible to do.  If I make a small list to follow, it helps stay me on track.  And who doesn’t feel good when you are able to cross of things on your to-do list?!

   

3. Get a good night’s sleep. I try my best to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.  My anxiety goes into full overdrive if I do not get the proper sleep the night before.  And then anxiety during the day can lead to a disruptive sleep at night……do you see where I am going with this?  It can be a vicious cycle.  Try your best to catch those zzzzzz’s.  I absolutely LOVE my weighted blanket.  I use it every night and would recommend buying one for anyone that has trouble sleeping.  Simply click on the picture below to be directed right to the Mosaic Weighted Blankets website where you can place an order.

   

4. Pick something to declutter. I find that a clean space helps keep my mind clear. And the best part is that it forces you to focus on something else other than the gazillion thoughts going on in your head.
5. Exercise. There is no doubt that exercise DOES help anxiety.  I’ve tried it.  So if you are up for a short run or even a brisk walk, go for it.  If you are already feeling like all you can focus on is the adrenaline rushing through your body and your fast heart rate, maybe exercising is not the right thing to do on that particular day.  Instead find a way to calm your body by using one of these techniques and exercise when you feel like you are ready.  Just listen to your body because only YOU know what will make you feel the best.

   

6. Change your focus. I will have days (even weeks) at a time that I feel like it is hard for me to breathe.  This causes my heart rate to increase and the adrenaline to start rushing.  When I feel this way, I will lay on my bed (on my back) and rub my arms, stomach or my head.  By feeling sensations in other parts of my body, it allows me to shift my focus to those areas and stop focusing on my increased heart rate.
7. Pick a scent that you love. When you ARE feeling calm, pick a scent that you love and smell it. Associate your sense of feeling calm with that scent.  It doesn’t matter what your favorite is…..a candle, a lotion, an essential oil…..pick whatever works for you.  The next time you are feeling anxious, take that same scent and breathe it in deeply (big, belly breaths, not shallow chest breaths).  Try your best to focus and associate the scent with how it had made you feel calm before.  You can check out my blog post about My Love For Essential Oils HERE. Or jump directly to my Young Living website by clicking HERE.

   

8. Practice being grateful. Before I get out of bed in the morning, I silently give thanks to all that I am grateful for and embrace the calmness of the quiet moment.  Don’t turn on the lights and certainly DON’T grab your phone and start looking at social media.  Wake up calmly, give thanks and start out your day with a positive mind.
9. Do NOT Google your anxiety symptoms. I know, here we go with Google again. It is a blessing and a curse.  One of the first things my doctor told me when I first began treatment for anxiety was never to look up anything medically related on the internet.  He was right…..no matter what you look up, it always relates back to you potentially having something horrifically wrong with you.  Just. Don’t. Do. It.
10. Embrace the end of your day. Just as I do in the morning, before I fall asleep at night, I think about all of the things that went well in my day. I count my blessings.  It may not have been a perfect day, but there is always something to be grateful for.

    

11. You aren’t going to figure out your life in one day and that’s okay. Trust me, I’ve tried it.  It doesn’t work.  I will save you the time and worrying.  The “unknown” is scary to any person, but the “unknown” to a person with anxiety can be crippling.  It just adds to the many other thousands of thoughts we already have going on in our head.  Be kind to yourself and take one day at a time.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you feel anxious. Remember that anxiety may be a part of you, but it does not have to define who you are as a person.

If anyone else has ideas that work for them, please share!  We are here to help each other!