Dealing with anxiety

[Celestefey]

Recently I've been coping with a lot of anxiety. Over several things in my life. It's making me really stressed out, upset, angry, honestly just a mixed bag of emotions. I've started getting headaches, I'm experiencing a loss of appetite, I feel sick, and my teeth have started aching, which I've heard are sometimes symptoms of anxiety and stress. I don't really want to go into too much detail as to why I'm feeling this way because I don't want to pull out a whole sob story and beg for advice on a forum, BUT rather, I'd like to see how other people cope with anxiety, and offer tips to other members, so we can all learn from one another.

One way I cope with anxiety is usually venting out my anger and releasing my emotions, so I don't allow them to build up overtime and gradually make me feel worse. I also like taking showers too when I feel anxious so I feel "cleansed" physically and mentally.

 

[Xara]

for me, it all depends on the amount of anxiety I'm feeling. If it's not too too bad, I guess I'm able to distract myself. It has to be something really distracting, otherwise it doesn't work. watching something or listening to music, stuff like that doesn't help me. If anything, it makes me feel worse.

but if it's a large amount of anxiety, like close to anxiety attack amount...then the only thing that helps is sleep. when I'm asleep, I don't feel it...so I guess in the end, the only thing that helps me is sleeping.

 

[Celestefey]

for me, it all depends on the amount of anxiety I'm feeling. If it's not too too bad, I guess I'm able to distract myself. It has to be something really distracting, otherwise it doesn't work. watching something or listening to music, stuff like that doesn't help me. If anything, it makes me feel worse.

but if it's a large amount of anxiety, like close to anxiety attack amount...then the only thing that helps is sleep. when I'm asleep, I don't feel it...so I guess in the end, the only thing that helps me is sleeping.

How do you manage to sleep though when you feel so anxious? For me when I feel like I'm about to have an anxiety attack I can't sleep, I feel really restless and I just can't seem to calm. So sleeping is out of the question for me! Lmao. But you have some good ways of coping here.

 

[Xara]

How do you manage to sleep though when you feel so anxious? For me when I feel like I'm about to have an anxiety attack I can't sleep, I feel really restless and I just can't seem to calm. So sleeping is out of the question for me! Lmao. But you have some good ways of coping here.

I'm not even sure how I fall asleep tbh...I think partially it's because the anxiety kind of wears me out, like it's not hard for me to become exhausted once the anxiety kicks in, but there are times when I can't sleep because of it. Like right now my anxietys all focused on school and stuff, and I don't have trouble sleeping now, but probably for the entire week leading up to school, I won't be able to sleep at all.

In order for me to fall asleep when I fall anxious, what I do is I'll set up a YouTube video (usually a video of Markiplier's because idk, I find him to be rather soothing to watch), and with him freaking out about whatever game he's playing, I guess my mind gets focused on that which makes it easier for me to fall asleep. Idk if any of that made sense lmao

 

[Kitsuragi]

honestly, whenever i'm anxious, i talk to my friends for a long while (usually about what im anxious about) until i somewhat calm and go along my normal business.
im horrified of severe weather (specifically storms/tornadoes) so whenever i hear about severe storms i feel nauseated, my heart rate goes up, and i feel like basically crawling out of my skin. unfortunately, summer here (usually all throughout july) brings this kind of weather. whenever this happens i talk to a close friend about why im anxious about storms, and it usually ends up talking about past experiences in severe weather. if it gets too bad i force myself to sleep, which takes like an hour or so compared to the 5 or so minutes it would for me to sleep at night.
these probably wont work for everyone or anything at all depending on what it is, but just thought i'd share

 

[littletwinclouds]

as silly as it seems, often finding a way to distract yourself really is the best way of coping. finding a way to remove yourself from the situation (be it physically or mentally) and taking your attention away from it can really help minimise the impact of your anxiety.
if you can't do that and you're already feeling anxious, it's always good to keep in mind a couple of forms of self-soothing that work for you. maybe having a bath, eating / drinking something delicious, playing with your pet... something that helps calm you and makes you feel a little better. (this is a technique they use in DBT for people with borderline, but i think it can be applied for anxiety as well! here's a website with a few ideas!)

if your anxiety is so bad to the point that it's really affecting your ability to do things like normal, i'd definitely suggest seeing a doctor. sometimes even just being able to talk things through with someone who is impartial is really helpful, and they can give you even more great resources and tools for managing your anxiety. a lot of the time things can be managed without medication, but depending on your situation that can also be an option.

sorry for the super long essay, hopefully it helps a little! and i'm always willing to chat - sometimes it's nice to talk to a stranger.

 

[bikes345]

I've had a ton of experience with anxiety. I guess my main recommendation to you (if you haven't already done this) is to see a doctor/therapist/psychiatrist if you can. That has been the main thing that's helped me. But as for things that you can do some things I do are:
-Watch videos/tv
-Take a shower/bath
-Talk to a close friend about it

But honestly when the anxiety gets really bad there's pretty much nothing I can do to get my mind off of it.

I hope whatever's going on in your life it gets better soon. I know how frustrating anxiety can be and how debilitating it can be as well. Good Luck!

 

[Misty15]

When I get anxious I just listen to music while drawing. Things like that take a lot of concentration, while giving you something to listen to that will relax you. It helps to do anything that requires focusing because it will help you keep your mind off of the things that you don't want to think about, forcing you to become absorbed in what you're doing.

 

[Lyraa]

Unfortunately, I go through stages where I'm sometimes not as bad and sometimes I can have a lot of anxiety and it literally lowers my mood, and currently for the past few days I haven't been 100%, but usually to help calm me down I try to distract myself by listening to music, learning lyrics to songs I don't know, Animal Crossing helps quite a lot too, talking to people (whether they know or not), doing various other hobbies. I'm also another person who'd much rather keep everything to themself and not bother others and that tends to just build my anxiety up even more, so really, you should talk to someone instead of bottling everything up, it's honestly not healthy at all. :c

I hope that you are okay and good luck. :]

 

[Corrie]

I like to self pamper. I adore baths with bubbles and I make aure to shave, trim my nails, do my hair,etc. Even if it isn't true, it makes me feel better.

I also like to listen and watch ASMR videos. Tapping, ear cleaning and crinkles help and even watch mundane tasks like cutting paper or baking help calm me down. I also find that writing helps me. Even if it is something super edgy. Xp It helps me get my emotions out without the feeling of bothering someone. But definitely talking to someone is the number one method.

 

[tae]

something i've found that helps with my anxiety is this app my friend told me to try out. it's called calm. and it's got some guided walk throughs to help out and lots of different things to help combat the anxiety.

 

[Watchingthetreetops]

To be honest, I come to this site a lot. This particular community has been so beneficial for me. I don't really know anyone personally, but I really love this site. Other than that, I write a lot. I don't have a lot of people to talk to, but I know I can always trust myself. I also talk to my sister a lot, but she doesn't...understand me too well. xD I often have anxiety about making friends, because I've had a lot of bad experiences. Honestly, the most important thing is the most difficult: have confidence in yourself. You will more than likely make a mistake, but that's okay. It happens to everyone. All of us. And you are no worse off than anyone else if you happen to make a mistake. Take a deep breath, and know that life is worth living. You are amazing, and you can do whatever you want with your life. Just keep moving forward.

 

[Saylor]

Talking about it with someone is what helps me the most. I feel much better afterwards when I'm able to put my feelings into words and kind of get it out of my system by venting to someone, and even if I'm not talking about what's making me anxious, just talking to someone about anything is the easiest way for me to take my mind off of things. Most of the time I feel anxious it's because of an issue with a person, like maybe I feel like I've bothered someone or angered someone or have done something wrong, so if I'm able to talk to one of my friends it also helps remind me that there's at least one person out there who's willing to listen to me and help me, and that in itself helps calm me down. If I can't do that, just writing down my feelings helps too, even if I'm the only one who will see them. Sometimes I open up a text or email to myself to get my thoughts down and then delete everything once I'm finished.

I also clean! It keeps me distracted and by the time I'm done I feel like I've been doing something productive, and it's also nice to hang out in my room while it's clean rather than messy since it's one less thing I feel I have to worry about.

Spending time with my dogs or doing something outside always helps as well. I like to draw, paint, read, and play games, but sometimes it's just too hard for me to focus on those things when I'm very anxious so I take a walk or ride my bike around outside instead. I like to explore the area around my neighborhood and sometimes I run into animals or cool things that I didn't know existed!

 

[pottingston]

I like to self pamper. I adore baths with bubbles and I make aure to shave, trim my nails, do my hair,etc. Even if it isn't true, it makes me feel better.

I also like to listen and watch ASMR videos. Tapping, ear cleaning and crinkles help and even watch mundane tasks like cutting paper or baking help calm me down. I also find that writing helps me. Even if it is something super edgy. Xp It helps me get my emotions out without the feeling of bothering someone. But definitely talking to someone is the number one method.

i do this too!
outdoor exercise is also really good for that, especially with a friend. when you work out regularly and spend time with the people you love, you feel a lot better and distracted from your anxiety. sorry if i kinda sound like a mom lol

 

[Rizies]

Anxiety is the worst.

I have a lot of it during work. It comes from like situations with my boss and the overall work environment. Unfortunately I know it's not going to go away until I terminate my employment there. I can't leave my job until I have another one... Sigh.

I mostly cope with it talking to my fiance, brother and/or Mom. If I can't talk to anyone I write my anxieties down, which helps. I also rely on lorazepam.

 

[Aquari]

i use perfumes and scented candles to help with stress and anxiety

 

[namiieco]

maybe you could get a small pet if you dont have one already. i find that my dog really helps.
also a shower and going to bed in clean bed sheets is very realxing
you can go to places you like, go out with friends more and take more time to care for yourself

 

[SolaireOfAstora]

I love to write. Usually I vent my feelings in poetry, so when people read it they're like "that's depressing". But hey, it works I love to share my poetry too.

 

[Psydye]

There's benzos, like lorazepam, and clonazepam, that may work! Other than that, the many coping skills which others have mentioned, may also work!

 

[Dim]

Don't worry, you're not alone. I mean, I even made a thread myself on MY anxiety because I couldn't freaking take it anymore. I've been dealing with anxiety my whole life, but last autumn/winter, after I got let go of my first job, has been the absolute worst. Anxiety over finding a job, starting new medication, and just fear of anxiety. I have woken up with random ass panic attacks and it didn't seem to go away. It would even last for weeks and come again. Everything was so unappealing to me and I felt like I was disconnected with the world. I also had what you are dealing with, loss of appetite and sometimes I even got stomaches.

Overtime, I learned that medication isn't the answer for me. Idk if you tried it yet or not, it may work for you, idk. Everyone is different. I tend to obsess over the side effects and whether it would make me a totally different person or not. One thing was for sure though, it just gave me another reason to worry (Not to mention most of them made me a zombie.) So stopping it all was best for me. I am doing much better off of it anyways.

Another thing I have learned: The more I try to fight it, the greater it got. Anxiety ****ing sucks. But it's not like we can just beat it with a stick and it will go away, right? I tried my absolute best to distract myself as much as possible, but it made things a lot worse. If you are feeling anxious, accept it. Everyone gets anxious sometimes and it's normal. I told myself that before going into my job interview, and finally became employed again.

I agree that bottling it all up is not good and to talk to people about it. I have a lot of brothers plus a very caring sister who will listen to me in my time of need. I also finally went back to theraly and hope to feel connected to my therapist, that way I have someone to talk to and ask for help when I need it.

I hope I helped you a little. I know how hard anxiety can be, and I'd hate to see others go through it.