Okay so lyyyyke, I’m feeling much better! I removed myself from some situations that I believe were contributing to my heightened anxiety and depression, the weather is better, I am eating mostly plant-based foods, and I’m doing yoga again. I’m back in the zone y’all!
If you have depression and/or anxiety, you know that it can make you feel like you have absolutely no control over your emotions or mental state. Actual conversation transcript:
Depression: It’s time for you to be sad.
You: …ok 🙁
Anxiety: And make sure to spiral out of control when something mildly inconvenient happens.
You: …I mean…if you insist 🙁
Depression and anxiety, in unison: We insist.
Some people’s anxiety requires more than just a few deep breaths. Please don’t be afraid to seek professional help if you need it! But if you have situational anxiety caused by stress in your life, there are some little things you can do to calm your symptoms — like the racing heart rate, monkey mind, or feeling like you’re out of breath.
Here are my top 6 favorite ways to deal with anxiety!
Track your emotions
When you’re feeling low or anxious, it’s hard to know what’s causing those feelings — sometimes the causes are things you can control, sometimes not.
Intentionally tracking your moods with an app makes it a lot easier to pinpoint triggers (like work, the weather, being around certain people, etc.) and determine if any of those triggers are things you can control. I am using a free app called Pacifica. Highly recommended!
Turn your phone and computer off
We’re all guilty of being too attached to our internet-capable devices and all the social media platforms that come with them. Being connected to each other on the internet is mostly good, but having access to all the information in the world at your fingertips can also easily lead to overstimulation and the comparison trap.
If you find yourself picking up your phone often to mindlessly scroll through Instagram, then Facebook, then Twitter, then Snapchat, et. al — pause and think about how it’s making you feel. Does it make you feel happy? Or is it just temporarily alleviating your boredom? If it’s creating negative feelings rather than positive ones, it’s time to take a break.
One of my favorite ways to immediately deal with anxiety is to turn off my phone, close my laptop lid, and do something else for a few hours. Read a book! Watch a movie with your full attention! Hang out with your pet! It’s amazing how relaxed I feel after my temporary internet detox. Try it and see.
Take a bath
When I do my internet detoxes, I often like to use my web-free time to take a nice, hot bath. I might watch a show or movie on Netflix, read a book, listen to music or a podcast, or even just sit there and be alone with my thoughts (oooh spooky). Feel free to incorporate some lavender epsom salts, a nice-smelling candle, or my favorite — a delightful glass of red wine.
Read positive affirmations
I thought affirmations were a bunch of woowoo crap before I finally decided to try them.
I downloaded an app that gives a short, simple positive thought to meditate on each day. (Meditate as in read it over again a few times until it sinks in — you don’t need to spend 20 minutes on this or anything.) It’s such a simple thing but it’s a nice way to inject a little extra positivity into your day.
Get a little exercise
Moving your body is a good way to allow your mind to focus on something other than what’s stressing you out. No matter what form of exercise you choose, I recommend leaving your phone behind, in another room, or on Do Not Disturb mode.
Hit the gym, go for a walk, or try my personal favorite form of exercise to ease anxiety: yoga! Choose a slow flow (yin or hatha) and focus on your breath. Make sure you don’t skip savasana at the end — it’s the best part. I like to use the YogaDownload.com channel on my Roku to find yoga videos.
Keep a gratitude journal
Keeping a gratitude journal is something new I’ve been doing for the past month or so, and I like it for the routine it gives me every evening as well as for the catharsis of recognizing everything I have to be thankful for.
I started with a blank journal. Each evening, I write the date at the top and then write a bulleted list of “Challenges” — things that are bothering me or worrying me, followed by a bulleted list which I label “Grateful for”.
These things don’t have to be particularly deep — my cat makes the list daily — simply things you’re grateful to have experienced throughout that day. Once a week or so it’s kind of nice to re-read your entries from the past week and reflect on them.
Even though it feels insurmountable sometimes, you can find relief from your anxiety. Each of these tips has helped me deal with anxiety and I hope they help you too!
Carol Cassara says
May 4, 2017 at 12:22 pmThis is exactly why I started my business. I would love to help people deal with these issues without having to take prescription. I
Amanda Love says
May 4, 2017 at 12:20 pmDepression has always been around and so has anxiety, and over the years I have gotten better at dealing with it but it’s not exactly something that I want to keep around. I think these are great suggestions and it doesn’t hurt to try them.
Sherry says
May 4, 2017 at 10:27 amI find going outside for a walk really helps. It’s all that vitamin D. Keeping a gratitude journal is a great idea.
Marielle Altenor says
May 4, 2017 at 3:14 amDepression and anxiety are so real. Sometimes I just want to shut myself in a dark room. A walk usually helps me or a long hot shower. I did yoga for a while. I think I should start again.
My Teen Guide says
May 4, 2017 at 1:48 amAnxiety and depression can really take a toll on our health. When I get one of those “blah” days, there are three things I do to overcome it – take a good long soak in the tub, sleep it off, and pray. I will try your other tips too. Maybe working out a good sweat will help release our natural stress reliever, the mighty endorphins.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
May 4, 2017 at 12:45 amI like the idea of a long, warm bath and daily affirmations. No one else can convince you that your are great other than yourself. Other times, I just sleep it off. 🙂
Kristi says
May 3, 2017 at 9:04 pmSome really great suggestions! Perfect timing for everyone, we really could ALL use these.
katriza says
May 3, 2017 at 6:19 pmSuch great trips! I have some anxiety and working out and getting a little exercise in totally helps on a daily basis !
Rosey says
May 3, 2017 at 5:35 pmI love all of these ideas, especially the exercise. For the last few years I’ve been getting migraines when stressed out. I don’t like that at all!
Jamie says
May 3, 2017 at 2:39 pmI take a bath when I get anxious! It is such a nice way to calm down and relax!
Jennifer g says
May 3, 2017 at 1:49 pmI have anxiety badly. Sometimes the only way to calm it down is to jump into a hot bath with my tablet and watch netflix. It can be overwhelming.
Jennifer says
May 3, 2017 at 11:36 amThese are all such great ideas. I know that I find myself mindlessly scrolling when really I should be doing something else positive.
Jenni says
May 3, 2017 at 10:20 amThese tips would be really helpful. I sometimes have anxiety and it’s really not fun! Glad you shared these tips!
Jennifer Davis says
May 3, 2017 at 8:12 amWonderful article. Seasonal depression gets me every time no matter how hard I fight it & my sons anniversary date is in February so every year between going through normal grief & the seasonal depression it gets hard at times. These are some wonderful tips. I use to keep a gratitude journal I need to get back to that thanks for a wonderful reminder!
Brianne says
May 3, 2017 at 8:06 amThese are such great tips! I so need to start a regular workout routine to relieve stress!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
May 3, 2017 at 4:01 amThese are really great tips! I could really use these tips and share it with my friends too!
Alicia Gonzalez says
May 3, 2017 at 3:36 amIt’s great that you are feeling well! It’s especially wonderful of you to share this post. I know several people dealing with anxiety and it can be hard to manage. It’s also so misunderstood. I hope this post helps people who are living with it, and those who need to be more supportive of the ones who are.
janis @mommyblogexpert says
May 3, 2017 at 2:07 amWho doesn’t suffer from anxiety attacks in one form or another? Your post has some great ideas for finding the calm and peace when things are super stressful. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us.
Dawn Lopez says
May 3, 2017 at 1:08 amYay that you are feeling better! I like a lot of your ideas. I think a gratitude journal might be in my future too.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
May 3, 2017 at 12:54 amI love that you said woowoo crap. I hate dealing with depression, it can be such a challenge. Sometimes if circumstances permit I like to get in the car and turn up the music and just drive.
Chanelle says
May 3, 2017 at 11:57 amI love doing that too! Car karaoke therapy! 🙂
Natasha says
May 3, 2017 at 12:16 amSo this totally stepped all over my toes this evening, and now I want to cry because someone is totally writing about the way that I’ve been feeling for the last week or so. Thank you for being so open, and so raw. I appreciate it.
Fariha says
May 2, 2017 at 11:18 pmThese are really great suggestions. Turning off your devices is especially important. It’s so easy to ramp up the anxiety by everything you read online.
Anita Anderson says
May 2, 2017 at 10:16 pmI agree with you on all points that you should seek help. I’m also curious as to what app do you use for positive affirmations. Do you have any that you recommend?
Chanelle says
May 3, 2017 at 11:58 amHi Anita, the app I’m using is called “Unique Daily Affirmations”. It’s really simple with no frills and I like it!
Tami says
May 2, 2017 at 9:15 pmThis couldn’t have shown up on my laptop at a better time. Soaking in the tub with lavender Epsom salts does help but I need to try the other ideas too.
Olivia Douglass says
May 2, 2017 at 9:03 pmAnxiet is a challenging thing. I don’t suffer daily but when I do, I know how tough it is. These are great tips!
Amy Desrosiers says
May 2, 2017 at 9:03 pmOh, trust me..I know all about anxiety. I have suffered from numbness all down my body, imaginary lumps in my throat and more. Anxiety is a bitch, and I am glad you got your’s under control.
Pam says
May 2, 2017 at 8:25 pmThese are real tips for taking care of yourself when you have anxiety and depression. Social media is great but it can be a real downer.
gingermommy says
May 2, 2017 at 8:16 pmThese are great! Exercise and positivity help me with my anxiety
Sarah says
May 2, 2017 at 5:12 pmSuch a great post! As someone who suffers from Bipolar Disorder, I have to make a conscious choice every single day of whether I am going to be happy or I am going to let depression get the best of me. There are so many ways that you can turn a depressing time into a great time, but the most important of all is to surround yourself with an amazing support system of loved ones and friends who can be your shoulder to cry on and your rock to lean on when you feel like you cannot get through the day. Thanks for bringing the conversation of depression up and getting people talking about it!
Maureen says
May 2, 2017 at 5:10 pmAnxiety can really dehabilitate people glad you are sharing some tips on how to work through it. We need more people to know that there is help, there are ways to manage and to not be ashamed for sure!
christine says
May 2, 2017 at 4:58 pmI am lucky enough to not suffer with anxiety ((yet)) but a lot of my friends/family do. I actually just started yoga and I never thought I would actually get my head into it and I’m amazed at how clear and fresh I feel afterwards.
Melissa says
May 2, 2017 at 3:08 pmI have anxiety/depression and those tips you gave are worth trying. I exercise almost daily so that helps. I never tried baths or keeping a journal but they may be things to consider when things flare up.
Deborah Pucci says
May 2, 2017 at 12:51 pmGreat post, thank you.
Colleen Lanin says
May 2, 2017 at 12:44 pmThis is totally worth a bookmark. I find that if I have a nice workout, it can help regulate my mood.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
May 2, 2017 at 12:41 pmThis is a great post. I think a gratitude journal is a fantastic idea! When we remember what we have to be thankful for, it brings things into perspective.
Jeanette says
May 2, 2017 at 12:02 pmI am learning that exercise and relaxation are the best ways for me to get rid of my anxiety. I have been exercising pretty regularly and after certain hour I turn off the computer and just look at the fun stuff on the Internet on my phone.
maria closeothome says
May 2, 2017 at 11:56 amI truly believe the phone and all the social media is causing more depression in younger kids. They value their self worth on number of likes it is pretty heart breaking
Heather says
May 2, 2017 at 11:42 amI love my Netflix baths. I have a lot of anxiety that results in heart palpitations. It’s the worst.