What are your anxiety relief techniques?

[Xerosnake90]

Hey everyone,

I figured we'd get a thread going on the things you do to calm yourself when your anxiety spikes. Whether a panic attack or you feel your general levels rise. Share what helps you!

- meditation: this is my general go to. Clear my mind and allows me to redirect my thought flow to avoid or adjust my focus to a more calm state.

Anxiety relief won't necessearily fix our anxiety, we need to work on our needs to do that. Bit of relief is certainly beneficial!

[RavenM]

I benefit from deep breathing or even getting out of the house and going somewhere. The distraction helps!

[Anne1221]

Exercise, especially long walks. If you google "exercise for anxiety" you'll see it's been proven to help both depression and anxiety. I exercise as much and as often as I can. I also love doing yoga exercises as they are very calming and relaxing.

[RavenM]

Ah yes exercise is definitely on my list too. I try to exercise every morning and it certainly helps!

[Xerosnake90]

- spending time with friends: even if I'm feeling crabby I'll make an effort to see my roommates or friends to hang out for a bit. They keep the anxiety away as well!

- hit the gym: I love pumping iron. There are few things that raise my feelings of elation higher than progress at the gym. It contributes not only to immediate relief, but the personal need for growth as a person. Personal growth is a key need to fulfill for anxiety relief and elimination!

- eat healthy: making the right choices in my diet serves me relief. On the flip side eating things I know are terrible are no good serves me a dish of guilt and anxiety. I try to eat organic whenever possible, and if not I try to stick to foods I know to be rich in nutrients that the body needs. No meal makes me feel worse than one I get no benefit from.



Just a couple more examples myself. I'd love if some of you had some quick fixes to share when were out and about and can't necessarily do what we normally do to relieve anxiety.

[JaneB]

- Yoga! I do it at home all the time and take classes when I can. Even just light stretching helps.
- Going for long walks or swims
- Drinking calming tea (Traditional Medicinals (http://traditionalmedicinals.com/products/chamomile-lavender/) chamomile lavender is my fav)
- taking calming flower essences or Tranquilene (http://www.tranquilene.com/tranquilene_formula.php), a natural anxiety supplement I'm a bit obsessed with right now
- writing in my journal
- being outside in nature regardless of what I'm doing
- cuddling/playing with my kitty ... or anybody else's dog or cat for that matter, cute animals always put me in a better mood haha

[Xerosnake90]

I'm loving the contributions, let's keep this going so that people can see this and add some new relievers to this list!

Anxiety can make us forget what we love and hold us down from doing it. One of the worst things we can do is stop doing the things we enjoy. Let's keep fighting people!

[superchick22684]

-music-My go to anymore is mostly acoustic music or bands like Coldplay and the Shins (only their mellow stuff)
-reading-Only if my anxiety is spiking helps take my brain somewhere else without having to leave my current location
-writing-Sometimes journaling, sometimes just making up silly poems or songs.
-doodling/drawing-I'm not the best artist but it is a stress reliever.
-talking to certain friends/family

Most of this is if my anxiety levels are high but obviously music would be effective in either case.

[m3llowman]

I find progressive muscle relaxation to be helpful. It gives me a sense of control over my anxiety and muscle tension.

[Lilac]

I enjoy taking long walks with music in my ears :) It helps me challenging my anxiety too, as I'm currently struggling mostly with health anxiety (and GAD). Exercise and long walks proves to me that I'm not ill, but rather a healthy person.

[Mark A. Camacho]

sleep well and eat healthy food.

[AnxiousPsychGrad]

Was just going to make a thread asking for everyone's input on this. My techniques work most of the time but not always and wanted to get others' opinions.

My techniques for reducing anxiety:

Meditation
Listening to music
Going for a ride
Drawing/Coloring
Watching a movie that comforts me (The Holiday w/ Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet is my go to)
My dogs!!!!
A marathon on Netflix of my favorite shows.
Even writing here helps me take my mind off of things

[Lilac]

AnxiousPsychGrad: Oh, I also love curling up on the couch with a cup of tea and watching my favourite shows :)

[Kixxi]

For reducing my anxiety I use the following methods:

- Yoga (nearly every day for at least 30 minutes);
- Making sure I sleep properly;
- A daily meditation of at least 30 minutes;
- Medication (Sertraline/Zoloft);
- Having a relaxing bath;
- Breathing Techniques & Relaxation Techniques.

Hope this helps :)

[Joe.]

Deep thinking
playing a sport.
Walking
Deep breathing
this forum - seriously
sleep
positive thinking
MUSIC! - big one

[Xerosnake90]

Let's give this thread a bump up!

- reading this forum: "But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here."

My favorite quote from Alice in wonderland. We are pulled towards certain people and ideas because we share them. Coming here to see what others are going through helps me out. This place always seems to want to help one another and that shows. Thus this place helps greatly.

- video games: I'm very much a gamer. I love not only playing games but watching them. I probably watch more games than I play now, but if a big title comes out I'll spend quite a bit of time on it. Competitive multiplayer gets me my fill of human needs. Single player stories that enthrall me do as well.