Saturday 20 February 2016

10 Quick Tips on Dealing with Anxiety

Hey everyone!

So, as most of you will know if you've read my previous posts (especially Living with Social Anxiety and Anxiety and Me) you will know that I, clearly, have anxiety. I know that many of you reading this might also have it and I'm hoping that these 10 quick tips will help you to deal with your anxiety.vEven if you don't have it, this post will help you also to understand what it's like having anxiety and how we deal with it.

So, here are my 10 quick tips on dealing with anxiety:

1. Don't fight it
Okay, so let's imagine the situation. You're out in public and something happens that makes you feel uncomfortable which may lead to an anxiety attack. It could be in school or work or anywhere really.  If you try and fight it it can only make matters worse. But at the same time you can't ignore it. My advice would be to take deep breaths until you've calmed down.

2. Excuse yourself
If you feel like your situation is getting worse then excuse yourself from the room. You have the right to leave somewhere if you really need to. Your teachers or your boss can't not let you out of somewhere if you feel really uncomfortable in that situation. Remember, you and your health come first, you can deal with the rest later.

3. Tell someone
You might not want to tell anyone that you have anxiety because you might feel embarrassed or ashamed of yourself. But the amount of people who have some kind of mental health disorder is increasing so chances are the person you tell might also have anxiety or something else. You could tell a friend or co-worker so if you need to leave the room they know why and can go with you. It's also best to tell your boss or teacher(s) so that they can understand your situation better and give you the support you need.

4. Visualise
You're in a scary situation. Instead of staying in that place, try and imagine somewhere that you feel most comfortable. This could be your house, room, beach or you could even try thinking about your favourite memory. This will make you feel much better and happier and will make the situation seem a lot less scary.

5. Forcing yourself
Living with anxiety means that a lot of situations that others won't find scary wil be a lot more scarier for you. It could even be something as simple as getting in a lift or a car. By gradually forcing yourself to be in these situations, such as going up one floor in the lift or travelling a mile in a car, you will eventually be able to travel everywhere in a car or go up several floors in a lift. But don't force yourself into something straight away because this will only make matters worse.

6. Rewarding yourself
After you've forced yourself into the scary situation, going up one floor in a lift, be sure to reward yourself after. You could say to yourself, 'if I go up one floor in this lift I'll treat myself to a new bag' or you could get your partner or a friend to reward you such as if you travel that mile in a car they'll take you to your favourite restaurant. But make the rewards gradual as well so the better in the situation you do means the better the reward.

7. Be comfortable
Even though you may be forcing yourself into these situations, don't force yourself into something that is too scary and you know that you might not be able to deal with it. This could be going out with friends. If you know this is a step too far then don't do it. Remember that you and your mental health come first.

8. Exercise
Exercise is a way to reduce your anxiety levels. Even if you did something as simple as going for a run every day you will notice a gradual decrease in your anxiety levels. But don't push yourself too much. Exercising alone won't get rid of your anxiety completely. 

9. Music
A lot of us will often listen to music to relieve stress or maybe to distance ourselves from others. Some might even use it to help them concentrate. Just by listening to your favourite songs it can make you feel much happier. Or you could listen to something calming, such as the sound of waves, and imagine that you're at the beach.

10. Negative into positive
If something has happened to you that had a negative impact then you will probably have anxiety about it happening again. This could be work, school, or another situation. You will over think that situation, even if it hasn't happened yet, a lot. But why look on it negatively if you could turn it into something positive. By turning the negative into positive you will feel so much better about yourself and by having a positive attitude you become a much happier and healthier person.

So,there are my 10 tips on dealing with anxiety. If you have any other tips that you use or you know have helped someone else then please comment them below. And please let me know if these tips have helped you in any way. 

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Thank you for reading and I hope that these tips help you and your anxiety

Love Beth xx

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