Recommended for you

Start writing a post

Health and Wellness

5 Simple Ways To Help Cope With Anxiety, Because It's A Real, Debilitating Mental Illness

You're not the only one who needs a little help getting through the day.

Olivia D White

Aug 10, 2020

Miami University

1790

5 Simple Ways To Help Cope With Anxiety, Because It's A Real, Debilitating Mental Illness

Unsplash

I am not in any way any sort of medical expert. These are just some tricks that work for me and have worked for others who also suffer from anxiety. These may not work for everyone, but I do hope these help some people in their fight against anxiety.

1. When you start to get anxious, rub your middle finger and thumb together

This is a trick that works super well for me. This distracts your mind and allows you to focus on something other than the anxiety and the panicking feeling. Distracting your mind is a way to keep yourself calm. If a person starts to feel anxious and they just focus on what they are feeling, it can make the anxiety worse.

2. Realize your triggers

Try to find out what sets off your anxiety and what causes you to become anxious or out of control. Once these triggers are learned, they can be avoided or prepared for. Usually, anxiety comes at times when a person feels out of control. A person can prepare when they know their triggers and if they can't get their anxiety to fully go away, this may help at least to limit it.

3. Count to 10, forward and backward

Just like the first trick I mentioned, this helps keep your mind distracted and allows a person to focus on something other than their anxiety. Like I said before, distracting a person's mind when anxiety sets in is critical. This can help overcome or at least lessen the anxious feeling.

4. Smell lavender oils

Lavender is an essential oil and has many properties that do many different things. Smelling lavender oil or using a lavender soap/body wash can help relax a person's body and mind, allowing them to fall asleep and get a more restful night. Lavender is also seen as a natural stress and anxiety reliever.

5. Remember to breathe

Often when someone starts to panic they feel like they can't breathe, and that makes them panic even more. Remembering to breathe is definitely one of the main things to remember when starting to panic or feel anxious. Focus on breathing and feeling the air filling your body, it can help keep you calm. Take ten deep breathes and take a minute to yourself and then restart.

I hope that these tips help at least one person handle their anxiety a bit better and make them feel more in control.

mental health

Report this Content

Lifestyle

Pros And Cons Of Having A Birthday Near The Holidays

The truth of what it is like having a birthday around the holiday season.

Kansas State University

3313

Flickr

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! But for some people, including myself and my Dad, it can have its ups and downs when it comes to having a birthday near and around the holiday season. I personally share a birthday with my Dad two days before Christmas. Yes, Christmas Eve Eve is our birthday. Here are a few pros and cons for having a birthday near the holidays.

Keep Reading...Show less

birthday

Lifestyle

7 Reasons I Love Christmas

There is nothing quite like Christmas.

Radford University Liberty University

2169

Pixabay

It is that time of year again. Christmastime. It is one of my favorite seasons for a myriad of reasons. Here are just a few reasons why I love Christmas. This list is in no order of importance.

1. The Christmas decorations

I am that person who will decorate directly after Thanksgiving is over. This year, my roommates and I put the tree up in our apartment before we even left for Thanksgiving break. It is a great stress reliever for me to just sit in my living room and work on the huge amount of work I have before the semester is over.