Anxiety is something that a lot of us deal with on a daily or weekly basis. It manifests itself differently for all of us, and each person experiences it on a different level of severity. Perhaps the only common thing among people who suffer from anxiety is that they want to learn how to get over it and work through it. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another, and none of us are medical professionals, so take the advice at your own risk.
One of the biggest things that can help calm you down and make you less anxious is music. Making a playlist of calming or comforting songs to play when you’re feeling anxious can help enormously. Playlists can vary, but any song where you can just focus on the lyrics and breathe should make your cut.
Another big thing is breathing. Often when we get anxious, our breathing can get faster or out of control. Taking the time to take deep breaths and focus on your breathing can definitely help make you less anxious. Become aware of the breaths you are taking, and make them slow on purpose. Another tip when it comes to breathing is to breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for three, and breathe out for seven seconds.
Often we experience anxiety when we feel overwhelmed, and have a lot of things to do. Another tip to help with this is to create a list of everything that you need to do. Handwrite it, make a list on your phone or computer—just make a list. Once the list is made, plan out the next few hours of your life. Having a solid plan of what to do when will help decrease your anxiety, and crossing or deleting things off of your list will make you feel as though you are accomplishing something.
This list isn’t exhaustive; a simple Google search will reveal options upon options of what to do when you’re feeling anxious. Additionally, friends, family, and therapists (if you see one already) will have their own methods for dealing with anxiety. Reach out to them and see what they do. What works for them may not work for you, and nothing on this list may work, but it doesn’t hurt to try. What is important to remember is that you are strong, you are more than your anxiety, and you can overcome it.