Anxiety isareal problem for many, and for some, itcan besevere enough tobecome acrippling disorder. Enough todisrupt normal life and add even more stress toanalready volatile situation. While occasional anxiety over atroubling situation ispart oflife, for many people itcan take far more serious forms. Afew brave souls decided toshare what they dotomanage their anxiety levels and stave off apanic attack. Scroll down toread their inspiring tips and stories.
Out-of-the-box solutions tosoothe anxiety.
- I don't know if this is the healthiest, but I have “No worry times.” These are just 2 hours of my day I put away where I don't worry about anything, and then I'll do the worrying later. It took me a while to get used to, but it helped. Also taking a shower helps for me, but I don't know if that's just me. TheAbominableBanana / Reddit
- Maybe a weird one, but to counter my brain being hyper-vigilant about my body (heartbeat, breathing) and the tornado of thoughts, I recite The Litany of Fear from Dune over and over again.
The Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is a little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain. EvilMonkey_86 / Reddit - I give my anxiety and intrusive thoughts a name so it’s easier to dismiss them. I think to myself “Not now Debra, we don’t have time for this!” It’s like they’re these obnoxious backseat drivers, and sometimes I just need to remind myself that I’m in the driver’s seat, and Debra’s full of crap, but she’s just trying to keep us all safe. The quicker I can recognize “Whoa that’s an intrusive thought, it’s not real!” the easier it is to keep from spiraling. LePamplemousse817 / Reddit
- My anxiety tends to creep up on me the worst when I’m trying to fall asleep, so I end up lying awake in bed for 2+ hours thinking about the most random, stressful shit. The one night years ago, after getting into bed, my husband asked me to lightly run my nails/fingers up and down his arm to help him fall asleep. So I did, and I ended up falling asleep within a few minutes. So now, when we go to bed, I’ll hug his arm and run my fingers up and down his arm. It puts us both right to sleep with minutes.. MissMerrimack / Reddit
All you need tocalm down isskin, and sometimes water.
- Sometimes, Iget acute anxiety attacks. When this happens, Istart feeling hot and stressed and can’t focus onanything else. Mysolution issomething rather simple. Istrip down tomyunderwear, lie down somewhere cool, and listen toEnya. Sounds weird, but itworks forme. DinnerMilk/ Reddit
- IthoughtI was the only one that got naked, onlyI got fully naked and meditated somewhere inadark room. Itcalms medown and puts things into perspective. Twitxx/ Reddit
- Sometimes Itake ashower, itfeels like ithelps slow medown abit during anacute anxiety attack. Meditating can behelpful, but sometimesI just can’t focus enough onanything. andymancurryface/ Reddit
- Wet cloths, wrapped around ice packs. Place onthe forehead, temples, and small ofthe neck. Breathe slowlyin, through the nose, followed byasecond quick, short inhale, then full release with anexhale. Repeat. Staygroundedandsane/ Reddit
- Honestly, cold water helps methe most. Wherever you are, get toabathroom and run cold water over your hands, ifyou’re athome put your face underit. Itkinda shocks your system and forme, itworks. Also, rub your lips. Iknow itsounds weird, but just rub your lips with your finger orapply chapstick. Mydoctor told methat doing that will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which iswhat makes you calm. Google other ways toactivate your PNS :) kittysdoodle***/ Reddit
Sometimes, the best solution istomove and breathe.
- Forme, the best stress reliever ispicking heavy things upand putting them down repeatedly. Aka hit the gym and demolish those deadlifts. The best feeling ever works every time. Eat well after and sleep like never before. Asabonus, you get fit and gain confidence, among other great things.
Also, Ilike topreach the following tomywife when she isstressed: Can you dosomething aboutit? Ifyes, then doitand you can stop worrying. Ifnot, why worry about itifitisnot your concern? iamnotyourspiderman/ Reddit - Exercise. Can’t stress enough how much that helps mewith alot ofthings. Everyone thinksI love going tothe gym, butI hateit. Ijust NEED togo. Keeps mesane and fit. goldbamboo/ Reddit
- Square breathing. Inhale for 4seconds, hold for4, exhale for4, and hold for 4. Repeat until you feel calm. Practice this when you’re not inthe middle ofananxiety attack. Itcan bedifficult toget used tothat breathing pattern, especially when you’re inastate ofpanic. snoopwald/ Reddit
- Mindfulness meditation. Sit straightup, put myheadphoneson, listen toten minutes ofrelaxing music, and try not tothink about anything but mybreathing. It’s ahard discipline tomaintain, though, because itdoesn’t make mefeel good, itjust gets metoafunctional level. rnilbog/ Reddit
Asimple everyday task can tackle rising stress.
- I’ll goout and get groceries/something I’ve been meaning toget for myplace. Not like impulse buying, but like something INEED that I’ve just been putting off. Gets medoing something productive, I’m outside, and thenI feel “one step ahead” ofwhereI was whenI was feeling bad about myself. Playing music, gym, orjust any hobby. whiskey_agogo/ Reddit
- Acutely oraggregately?
Acutely: Try tofocus onthe present moment. Look around, take some deep breaths, and assess that nothing iscurrently wrong ordisastrous atthat moment. Additionally, itmay behelpful toengage insomething such asahobby, awalk, etc.todistract yourself.
Aggregatively— and hear mewhenI say this— Dosomething that will fill your ‘bucket’ daily, weekly, etc. Your bucket will fill 2-3% each day, and beemptied 1-2% from life’s stupidities.6months will goby, and you’ll be30-40% better. 12–18 months will goby, and you’ll be90% better. Just trust the process, take care ofyourself, and never giveup. TwinkleToes474/ Reddit - Ihave three approaches: physical, long-term, and short-term.
Physical: avoid sugar and carbs, get 8–9 hours ofsleep every night, wake upatthe same time every morning, and exercise every day.
Long-term: gradual, controlled exposure tothings that cause meanxiety. For example, ifI’m afraid totalk tostrangers (which Iwas), Istart bygoing toapublic place and keeping tomyself. Next time, Imight make eye contact afew times, ormaybe smile. Next, Imight ask someone for the time, ortalk alittle with acashier. You get the point.
Short term: Ifocused onmybreathing and reminded myself ofother situations whereI was anxious, and itturned out okay. Instead ofpushing the anxiety away, Iaccept itand pay close attention tohow itfeels— the slightly sick feeling, the quick heartbeat, etc. Ijust pay attention tothe physical sensation and accept that itwill bethere while Ido whatever itisthat needs tobedone. Mumble_bee/ Reddit
Each ofus has our unique ways ofhandling anxiety, and the key takeaway isthat itneeds tobetackled, not ignored. Here are some more tips onhow tocontrol anxiety and not let itaffect your life and mental health.
