Let me just start by saying I’m not a psychologist or a professional when it comes to solving anxiety issues. I’m just a patient, a patient who suffers with occasional bouts of anxiety, and I’m sharing some of my experiences and ideas.
I also have a general interest in mental health and how society works (I studied Sociology at uni). These suggestions may not work for you, but who knows, you might find them useful, or they may at least inspire you to create your own.
After several conversations with different counsellors, friends I know who work in mental health and doing research online, the same suggestions keep coming up. When it comes to anxiety management, there’s a few mindfulness and cognitive behavioural exercises that pop up all the time.
Some people find they work, and others struggle with them (like me). I have to admit, sometimes these strategies can help me, but it depends how anxious I am. The common ones you would have heard of (and may want to try) include:
- Picture yourself in your ‘happy’ place (yes really). To be fair I have found this one works, despite how cheesy it sounds.
- Listen to the sounds around you and take note of what you can see. Take a moment to pick out five things you can see, hear and feel for example can help distract your mind and bring you back to the moment.
- Think about how each part of your body feels, and go through your body from top to bottom, trying to relax your entire body.
These exercises don’t always work for me. Plus, it’s kind of the one size fits all type approach. None of these exercises are specific to me, or tailor made for the type of anxiety I suffer. Why not think of some of my own? So this blog post is part of my self-improvement process. I’m coming up with a few alternative things for myself to try, but also so that I can share these suggestions with you.
It’s a win/win situation for both of us. So here’s my little anxiety coping strategies brainstorm, I hope you find it useful. Remember these are my ideas, and they may not work for you, so you may want to take a moment to try and think of some of your own.
Listening to someone’s heartbeat
If breathing techniques don’t work very well for you (I find them impossible, and sometimes they make me worse), there are other ways to calm down. Try listening to someone’s heartbeat, and tuning into it with all your attention. When stressful thoughts drift into your head, divert yourself back to the simple sound of the heartbeat.
I find it also makes you realise how simple and fragile life is, and how you are lucky to be alive, when you are focusing on this precious pumping organ that’s the key to survival. If you don’t have anyone with you, feel your own pulse instead, and try and tune in to the rhythm of your heartbeat.
Walk around your neighbourhood mindfully
Sometimes, when you can feel anxiety brewing, you don’t need to sit there and try and do breathing techniques, you just need to get out of the house. When you step outside your front door often you instantly feel like you can breathe more easily, and catch your breath. If it’s safe to do so (e.g. not 2am in the morning and pitch black), head out for a walk, even if you only go for a few minutes.
Repeat a powerful mantra, and try and believe it
Someone telling you what to think doesn’t always help. If you are thinking negatively and you need to break the cycle, use something that works for you. Don’t go for the obvious clichés like ‘don’t worry be happy’ or ‘what’s the worst that could happen’ or ‘think positive’, because many of these just seem too farfetched.
When you are in a calm state, picture your anxious self, and try and think about what you would tell yourself. What, in your anxious moments would be a useful phrase to repeat? By constantly saying this phrase over and over in your head, and not letting the damaging thoughts through instead, you might just start to believe it and calm down a little.
If you are struggling for ideas, here’s some suggestions off the top of my head:
- I’m strong and I can get through this.
- The only way to be happy is to be kind to myself.
- Whatever happens, I will be able to deal with it.
- My happiness is in my control, and I deserve to be happy.
- The calm after the storm is coming, I just have to sail through the rough waters with awareness.
A counsellor I was working with did suggest this, but he had a specific phrase I had to repeat whilst gently tapping different parts of my body (annoyingly, I can’t remember the phrase, soz). I know it sounds odd but try tapping different parts of your body (such as your nose, forehead, neck, wrists, chin etc.) with two fingers and repeating your mantra, this can be quite powerful.
Do something that will help you snap out of it
You know when you have hiccups and they say making yourself jump can help them go away? Perhaps it could help with anxiety. I don’t mean anything extreme. If you feel your anxiety peaking, you could just do something to snap you out of it, even if only for a moment. For example, you could go and splash yourself with cold water, do ten press ups or have a cold shower.
Trace the wrinkles on your hand
You know when you were little, and you would stare at all the lines on the inside of your hands in awe? Just me? Anywho, if you start to feel anxious, distract your mind by examining all the small creases and lines on your hands. Have a look at each finger and see if you can make out your fingerprint, what patterns can you see? Simply tracing your finger along your hand will awaken your sense of touch, so think about how it feels and focus on the sensations.
These are my ideas so far, I will add more as I think of them. Perhaps it’s time for you to think of some of your own? Good luck!
