As told by a self-proclaimed “Worrywart.”
- Create a playlist with positive music that is both relaxing and encouraging for solo car ride jam sessions or times you need to get work done.
- Try to do something that’s very repetitive and almost mind numbing. Examples of these activities could be a hobby like knitting or even something as simple as folding the laundry. It’s just about distracting yourself with fairly easy activities that utlilize your fine motor skills and calm your brain.
- Spend some time outside, even for just a few minutes during the day. You body is given natural happiness from the sunshine and human beings respond better mentally to being outdoors.
- Exercise in some way. I am not saying you have to get sweat out stress for three hours at the gym, but even a walk into town with friends for a short period of time makes a big difference.
- Make lists. Being able to see what you need to accomplish and time it out really helps those with anxiety calmly take the tasks one at a time.
- Drink chamomile tea. If not that, any kind of herbal tea.
- Don’t drink a ton of caffeine even if you feel you need it. It will just make you more hyper and stressed.
- On that note, if you are stressed about making a serious decision, make a pros and cons list. The reason our brains get so stressed is that they are so jumbled up with all of the different factors and options when making decisions. Take a deep breath and just write it out.
- Call your mom. Call your grandma. Call your best friend. Call someone who thinks you’re awesome.
- Talking on the phone is much more stress relieving than texting is, trust me.
- Cuddle. Sounds silly, but if you have a friend or significant other that is deemed your cuddle buddy, that short amount of human touch is so therapeutic.
- Get away from screens. We are constantly surrounded by screens, put them down and let your brain relax.
- Take a little nap. Napping is miraculously healing.
- If you are having what I like to refer to as a “full-on freak out”, count your breaths. Someone once told me that if you slow down your breathing and count each released breath it will calm your mind, and they were right.
- Make your workplace a relaxing area. I literally decorated my cubicle to look like a Pinterest inspired living room. It seems ridiculous to some but it makes my workspace feel naturally more comfortable.
- On that same note, keeping your living space clean and organized will lessen your anxiety. It will be easier to find everything and you won’t feel overwhelmed by a mess.
- Cleaning in general is stress relieving and productive, it’s a package deal.
- Take a step back. When you are starting to get really anxious about something, it becomes absolute tunnel vision. All you can concentrate on is what is stressing you out, and it feels like the end of the world. The easiest way to calm this is to just take a step back and look at the reality of the situation. It isn’t life or death, and you will be okay no matter what the outcome is.
- Understand that there’s nothing wrong with the way you feel. We all get stressed out sometimes, and it just happens more to some than others. If it hinders your life or happiness, there are medical ways to combat it and you should know there’s absolutely nothing wrong with looking into that option. Anxiety can literally take years off of your life, so don’t ignore it. Take little steps, long breaths, and some time to calm down, and you’ll be just fine
Carry on, “Worrywarts” of the world.