3 Things I Do When Feeling Anxious
As I mentioned before in my post about being bad at socialising, I suffer from anxiety. Though it does very much affect me in my daily life, most days it is manageable and I am able to float through life without worrying about it too much.
However, life is full of ups and downs, and with that come some particularly bad episodes of anxiety and/or panic attacks. Here are just a few little things I do when I feel my anxiety has gotten the better of me.
1. Meditate.
If you were anything like I used to be, you probably never bought into the whole idea of meditating. I used to think meditating was for Buddhists and hippies, and thought the idea of just sitting in a quiet room with your eyes closed would be so boring! It wasn't until I first started seeking out counselling a few years ago for my depression that I really started reading into it and began to discover the benefits.
Nowadays, I am the biggest advocate for meditation, especially since I learnt that it isn't all about sitting cross-legged for about an hour and making weird chanting noises (unless you practice yoga, but that's a slightly different kettle of fish). There are even apps specifically dedicated to guided meditation, where someone with a soft voice talks you through breathing exercises while gentle music plays in the background. Right now I'm using Calm, which has several different programs such as '7 Days of Calm', 'Open-ended Meditation' and 'Loving Kindness'. You get to pick which sounds you would like to meditate to, then the rest is taken care of.
I don't always meditate everyday, however I do notice a change in myself whenever I take the time to practice it regularly. Lately, I've taken it up again and will strive to continue to meditate everyday for a month in order to take control of my anxiety.
2. Listen to my watch tick.
I'm not much of a watch wearer, the last time I remember wearing a watch regularly was when I was about 12 or 13. However, for my birthday, my boyfriend bought me the most gorgeous watch from Daisy Dixon - it's even called the 'Ella'! Upon wearing the watch, I was reminded of something I did when I was younger and last owned a watch.
Whenever I would feel a bit 'out of sorts' (which is what I called anxiety before I knew what anxiety was), I would hold up my watch against my ear and listen to it tick rhythmically. So that's what I've been doing lately, and it's suuuper relaxing.
3. Play Tiny Wings.
There is a game on my phone called Tiny Wings that I love playing if I'm feeling a bit anxious. The premise is that you are a small bird that has to navigate itself over various hills by sliding off them, getting as far as you can before it gets dark.
It's an easy to follow game that doesn't take too much brain power, the colours are pleasing to the eye and the music is just so damn relaxing. I've had moments where I've been on the verge of tears, but then I popped my headphones in, and ten minutes later the game restored my sense of calm. I would definitely recommend it, or any other similar games that instil some calm in you.
