4 Coping Techniques For When You Feel Anxious

One thing in life is certain, we will all feel anxious or stress at some point in our lives. According to www.mentalhealth.org, 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. That 74% represents a lot of people. It’s always humbling to know that you aren’t the only one that goes through these feelings.

You may have clicked on this post because you are anxious, you suffer from anxiety or you want to learn how to worry less. Please know there is no quick fix for this.Some of these things might work for me and not for you and thats okay because we are all different. It’s about finding what’s right for you.

I am not a doctor, I have never studied anything to do with Mental Health illnesses. These are just my tips that work for me and I want to share them with you. Remember there are always people out there to talk to and who are willing to listen.

1. Find Something to Look Forward to

This tip helps me a lot. The something doesn’t even have to be big, it could be your favourite meal at the end of the week or a walk around the park with your friend, or even just a hot drink sat down watching your favourite film. It just needs to be something you can set your eyes upon. If you are in the habit of writing things down, write it down on a calendar or a piece of paper. That way you have a regular visual reminder of it. It will help you to set your eyes on a goal.

Task: Set one ‘something to look forward to’ this week. Even if its something small. Do it, and see how it makes you feel when you get there.

2. Talk to Somebody you Trust

Sometimes it can be hard to open up about how you are feeling especially when you’re having alot of anxious thoughts. I know there is a lot of stigma about men especially showing their emotions and talking to people about their feelings. But I want you to know that there is always somebody to talk to. I talk to my friends regularly about how I feel, I’m quite open with them when I feel like things aren’t going well. I wasn’t always like this though, it took a long time to feel comfortable enough to speak about what I was feeling.

If you don’t feel like you have anybody to talk to, write it down. Write a letter to a person you wont ever send it to. Getting your thoughts and emotions out is such a good thing to do. Its a release. A lot of the times we bottle things up and that doesn’t help.

3. Read, Pray, Exercise

I pray a lot. All throughout the day I say little prayers to help calm my mind and body. If you don’t have a faith or you don’t wish to pray then exercise or reading can help so much. It’s just the act of switching your brain to something positive that we need sometimes. Even if its painting, walking your dog or sitting and watching tv. Turning your actions to doing something positive that you enjoy can help to give time for the anxious or stressed feeling to pass. Do the thing.

4. Take Time for Yourself

It sounds like an easy thing to do, but for some its not. Especially when you have other responsibilities. Now I’m not saying take 3 hours out of everyday to go to the spa (although I’m sure that would help greatly haha). It could even be 10 minutes watching your favourite YouTuber’s new video or taking a long bath. I try to do this on the days I wash my hair. I use my favourite hair products, have a bath and sit with my favourite drink in bed with a face mask. It helps me so much to relax and unwind for the day. And this links into the first point of having something to look forward to. I can’t wait for hair wash days now!

I hope these tips help, but if you are past these things helping there are resources out there. Speak to somebody. In the UK we have The Samaritans who are available 24/7, 365 days a year and are open ears to speak with. Look into what organisations are out there in your country too. There is always hope. And remember your anxiety doesn’t define you, your anxiety isn’t you. You can overcome it 🙂

Always happy to speak with anybody who is struggling or feels like they don’t have anybody to speak with.

See you in the next one, Olivia x