Simply defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, Anxiety is a fear or nervousness about what might happen.
If you have anxiety, then you know what it feels like when you are sitting there constantly re-evaluating everything you are doing in your life. Especially being a college student, with the world in our hands, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives is easily one of the most stressful times we experience.
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I would always Google tips on how to deal with anxiety and whilst I found some helpful, it was hard to not always come across tips that would suggest you to “take deep breaths” or “exercise” which in retrospect, does help.
Instead, I wanted to know how to specifically use those tips in my personal life. Lets face it anyone can say, “eating healthy makes you feel happier”. While this is true, until you actually know how to start eating healthy or even what types of foods make you feel happier, you will not eat healthy. You will need guidance, in order to help you eat healthier. Just like anything in life, you need guidance in order to help you succeed.
I wanted to find specific tips on how to deal with anxiety that would explain how and why they work. Since I did not find any, I decided to create my own personal list.
Here are just a few of my personal tips that will help ease your anxiety:
Step 1: Just scream it all out.
Seriously, whenever you are completely alone, just scream at the top of your lungs, everything you hate about your life. That step alone will make you feel 100 times better…trust me I have done it.
Step 2: Eat that fat looking crepe that you have been dreaming about all day.
Just imagine all the feelings that will ignite throughout your entire body once you bite into that juicy looking crepe. It makes my mouth water just looking at it
.
Step 3: Now that you have successfully completed steps 1 and 2 and hopefully laughed a little, lets proceed on to my actual tips.
Tip 1: Go outside.
Go for walk, go running, bike, whatever it is that you like to do, but do it outside. This one anyone can do no matter where you live. “But Elisabeth, it's too cold!” But Elisabeth, it's too hot!” If you live in an area that has a drastic climate, simply change your scenery. Fresh air and switching environments help abundantly because you can clearly put whatever you are anxious about, into better perspective. Even by just doing physical exercise, it releases endorphins that naturally make you happier, thus decreasing your anxiety.
Tip 2: De-clutter your life while listening to music.
Music just makes everything better, but literally de-clutter everything. Your living space, toxic people, negativity, ultimately whatever is causing stress or bringing you down, eliminate from your life. Now that is easier said than done, but in the long run, taking those crucial steps will free up more of your precious time to do what you want with your life.
Tip 3: Clean and organize your space.
This ties into tip 2, but the idea is to get rid of anything you do not need or use anymore. Eliminate any unnecessary junk that is lying around your home. Donate old clothes that you do not wear anymore, recycle lingering papers, and re-organize your home to how you envision it to look.
Once your living space is clean and organized, you will be left with only what you need and use. Internally, you will feel more open and inspired to get work done. Externally, you will have visually created a livable and breathable space, in order to be able to think more clearly.
Personally, this tip helps me a lot because it allows me to not constantly think about how “messy” my life is, and I believe that it all starts with your living space. The environment you live in reflects the way you feel internally. Therefore, the cleaner the environment, the more free your mind is.
Tip 4: Do what you love.
Now this tip is more broad and personal. Whatever it is that makes you happy, go do it. Now please do not commit a crime, but you get the point. Even if in the present moment, you feel like you cannot do what you want, take baby steps in order to help get you there.
For example, you love to travel and you want to go to a specific destination, but you cannot afford to go. Maybe you have a job or maybe you need to find a job. Once you do so, set specific goals of where you want to go, how much money you will need and when you want to go, then start saving your money. You can apply this tactic to literally anything you want to achieve in life.
Tip 5: Take baby steps.
The most important tip to do. I know I have bombarded you with all of these tips, but remember to apply each of them at your own pace. Because anxiety affects us all differently, no one is on the same path to making life changes. Therefore, even by just taking one small step to change one part of your life that you are unhappy with, will immensely help you. Remember, that one small step will lead you to take more, bigger steps.
Lastly, once you start feeling your anxiety creeping up on you, always remember to repeat steps one and two profusely…then maybe also re-read my tips to inspire you again.
Until next time lovelies,
XX
Elisabeth Melissa Popa
