Anxiety and Social Anxiety is something I’ve struggled with for most of my life. As a teenager when I first started to see it affect my life, I thought something was wrong with me. I didn’t understand what I was feeling and felt ashamed and embarrassed to share it with anyone. As I matured and went to therapy I learned having an Anxiety Disorder is pretty common. Knowing that has helped me not feel so horrible about myself when I’d get in those moods but it doesn’t change the fact that I still have to deal with it. Over the years I have learned to manage it better and wanted to share my 5 tips that help me get through those tough times.
1. Pray
Praying is my first go to when my anxiety starts to kick in. I simply ask God to take away these feelings and ask for his guidance to help me through it. If I’m at home, I’ll take out my bible and go through some scriptures that I’ve previously marked off or just simply read the bible. Sometimes, I might be in my car, so I’ll turn on some inspirational music. A couple of my go to songs are;
Not Today by Hillsong United https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jAtc_yC03Y
Grateful by Elevation Worship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh2goMABFPc
Touch the Sky by Hillsong United https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h38L1LPRzU
Hearing beautiful melodies and inspirational lyrics make me feel calm. It’s like I’m trying to hear every word of the song, that I forget about what I was worrying about in the first place.
Sometimes praying doesn’t take away those feelings right away and in those times I may try using one of these other activities. And if you are new to praying or maybe you’ve never done it, don’t think that there’s a perfect or right way to pray, just simply talk to God about how you are feeling and the rest will fall into place.
2. Yoga
Ah yoga…. ♥ I have to thank Adriene Louise Mishler also known on YouTube as YOGA WITH ADRIENE for introducing me to Yoga 5 years ago. I had heard from friends and family that Yoga was a great stress reliever and it helped with staying in shape. I tried taking some Yoga classes at the gym but I either had no clue what was going on or I got distracted way too easily. I randomly started looking up Yoga on YouTube and Yoga With Adriene was one of the first videos that popped up.
One of the first things that caught my attention was how she had videos for everything; beginners, morning yoga, yoga when your stressed, in a bad mood, sick, ect. I tried one video and got hooked. Not only is she a great teacher and motivator but she’s soooo likeable. I feel like we’re best friends. I’ll honestly say she’s the only person I’ve taken Yoga with but I make her videos part of my daily schedule. Yoga has a way of relaxing not only my body but mind. With Adriene you get the benefit of having a motivational speaker as well. She seriously has the coolest, chilliest personality.
Since doing Yoga I have seen a difference in my body shape. When I happen to skip Yoga my body definitely feels it. I also think starting my day with Yoga helps because it brings me a sense of calmness, positivity and my body just feels so relaxed. I highly recommend everyone, even you men to try Yoga and watch a video of Adriene’s.
Let me know your thoughts. https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene/videos
3. Work Out
If you are feeling really lousy, WORK OUT. Push yourself, I know how it feels when you just want to stay home but once you make the decision to go for a walk, run, go to the gym, lift some weights, do some pushups, or go for a hike, 9 times out of 10 you feel so much better. It’s just taking that first step to actually get up and go.
Don’t feel like you need a gym pass to work out, I have an app called, “Sweat” and I do a lot of my exercises at home. My cardio is a mix of things; walking my dog, going for a hike, cycling, dancing, taking classes at the gym, or running on the treadmill. Even cleaning your house is considered a form of working out.
Here are a couple links to check out if you are looking for a workout plan.
- Kayla Istines *SWEAT is her APP you can download on your phone* (She’s my favorite!!) https://www.kaylaitsines.com/
- Body for Life http://bodyforlife.com/library/exercise
4. Listen to Relaxation Music while Showering
If you don’t believe me you need to try. I just recently started adding relaxation music and lighting candles or incense and boy does it help. Sometimes when I get my anxiety, my thoughts are my own worst enemy, so when I hear the calming music and/or sounds everything else kind of goes away.
I would invest in purchasing a water resistant bluetooth speaker, so you can play from your phone. I either just go to Apple Music or YouTube and search “relaxation music”. I found this speaker on Amazon and it works well. https://www.amazon.com/SB510-Resistant-Bluetooth-Handsfree-Speakerphone/dp/B00ILM977Q/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511220828&sr=8-2&keywords=shower+music+player
Here are some links where to get candles & incenses:
- https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Home-Kitchen-Scented-Candles/zgbs/home-garden/3734451
- https://www.worldmarket.com/
World Market has some awesome smelling incense, they didn’t really feature them on their website but when you physically go into their stores, they have them around the candle area.
You can also purchase an Aroma Essential Oils Diffuser.
Each scent also provides the health benefits. For example the lavender oils are supposed to help eliminate nervous tension, relieve pain, disinfect the scalp and skin, enhance blood circulation and treat respiratory problems. I have felt a difference when it comes to the lavender oils helping with my nervousness and anxiety, I can’t speak on the others it claims to help but I suggest trying them. Your house will smell good too.
5. Journaling
Journaling, one of my favorite hobbies to do. I think that’s why I started a blog because I have journals filled with my thoughts and experiences. What I love about journaling is I don’t have to worry about my punctuation or grammar, I can simply just write. If you are someone who suffers from Anxiety, you know how hard it can be to verbally say how you feel, if that’s you and you are not already journaling, you will find this so healing. I usually carry my journal with me in my purse, so I always have it with me.
If you don’t know where to start, just write, don’t over think, don’t try to figure out what your feeling in order to write, seriously just start writing. It could be gibberish in the beginning but after 5 to 10 minutes you’ll be able to understand it. And even if you don’t who cares, you are letting out everything you are feeling so it doesn’t need to make sense.
Once I start writing I really do feel a change in me. I keep writing until I feel ready to stop. I do have to say I love journal shopping, there are so many cute ones out there. The one pictured up top I actually bought at the Renaissance Fair http://www.renfair.com/socal/
Here are a few links with journals you might like.
- https://www.papyrusonline.com/gifts/journals-and-notebooks
- https://www.etsy.com/market/cute_journals
- https://www.amazon.com/cute-journals/s?ie=UTF8&page=3&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acute%20journals
Now if all of those tips don’t seem help one day, allow yourself to be in a funk. It’s okay we all have those days, it doesn’t always feel good but you know it’ll pass.
We all are struggling with something, no one is perfect, so be okay with not being okay.
Leave me a comment, would love to hear from you!
