The Anxiety Toolkit
15 ways to find comfort when you feeling off
To some degree, we all battle with stress and anxiety. Whether we talk about it or not, anxiety shows up in many people in many different forms.
What one person describes as generalized anxiety may show up in someone else as social anxiety or OCD. It may manifest itself as drug and alcohol addiction, or become body image obsession and excessive exercising.
All of these examples boil down to some sort of anxiety. There is distress happening in the mind causing us to feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
So what do we do about it? Sit in silence with our discomfort until it passes?
While one of the most important things to remember about anxiety is that it is temporary and it will pass, the wait for that time can be torture. So while you wait to come out on the other side of the tunnel, here are a few tools that may bring you comfort when you’re feeling funky.
Connect With Your Body
- Exercise or stretch
It’s no surprise that movement is one of the first recommendations for alleviating stress. Exercising will help to release serotonin in the brain and give your neurons a much-needed surge of happy energy. Incorporating exercise into a regular routine will help to prevent sudden panic attacks as well.
Don’t worry if you can’t get to the gym or simply do not have the energy to go for a walk. Doing some light stretching can also help to ground you into your body and help you relax. Relaxation yoga helps you to reconnect with your body and slows recurring thoughts that feel as though they’re spiraling out of control.
2. Pressure points
Find that certain place where you hold a lot of tension and applying pressure. A few go-to pressure points to focus on when you’re all wound up are: between your thumb and forefinger (the hegu point), along your brow bone at the inside ends of your eyebrows (the zan zhu point) and the base of your skull on either side of your spine above your neck (tian zhu point).
3. Massage work
If you’re having a hard time calming your mind, start by calming your body. Once your body is relaxed this will help to have the same effect on your mind.
Massage work will release any built-up tension you may have in your back or neck. If you’re at home, try applying some lotion and pressure to the bottoms of your feet.
4. Take a hot shower or bath
One of the fastest and easiest ways to relax the body is with a hot shower or a warm bath. Many people find it easier to practice mindfulness in the shower or tub because you can’t really multi-task. It’s easier to focus on the body with the sensation of hot water surrounding you.
If you’re a bath kind of person try soaking in scented Epsom salts for a dual approach of aromatherapy and muscle relaxation.
5. Breathwork
You don’t have to meditate to focus on your breath. I once told a reflexologist that I wished there was a switch to turn off my brain. She said, “There is, it’s your breath.”
Bringing awareness to your breath, lengthening and deepening both your inhale and exhale will, in turn, quiet your mind. The key is to draw out your exhale longer than your inhale.
For some really deep cleansing breaths, inhale slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale every last ounce of air in your lungs through your mouth.
6. Consider your diet
Take a moment to pause and ask yourself what you’ve eaten recently. Was the food you ate healthy and nourishing? Or did it cause a spike in blood sugar levels? Have you had too much caffeine or alcohol?
Taking inventory of what we’ve given our body to work with can sometimes help us understand why things feel like they’re going haywire. There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for your feeling of freak out.
Try grabbing a handful of nuts or some fruit, something packed with vitamins and nutrients that will give your body the support it needs to be healthy. While any mix of fruits and vegetables will be a good start, kiwis, berries, and walnuts are all said to be great brain food.
Connect With Your Surroundings
7. Ground into the present moment
While you may feel impending doom when you’re experiencing anxiety, that most likely is not the reality of your situation.
Take a look around you. Where are you? Ground into the present moment by observing your surroundings and reminding yourself that you’re perfectly safe. Being present and in the ‘now’ can help you get out of your head and stop worrying about yesterday’s regrets and tomorrow’s possible problems.
This takes practice, but the more you’re able to focus only on the present moment, the easier it is to continually return to a peaceful state of mind.
8. Get outside
Simply stepping outside to get some fresh air can do wonders for our mental health. Being outdoors helps to clear and calm the mind. Give yourself a few moments to breathe in fresh air, feel the sun on your face and observe others outside going about their day.
And if you’re really open-minded, try taking your shoes off and walking barefoot in the grass or along the beach. Experts on Earthing say that we absorb free electrons by standing barefoot in connection directly with the Earth.
Earthing can help you feel more connected to nature. At the very least, standing firmly on the ground and focusing on what’s directly beneath you will help you feel grounded and secure.
9. Clean up your environment
Connecting with your environment doesn’t have to be a woo woo practice. Take a look at your home or whatever personal space you have. Is it a disaster and full of clutter? Is the sink overflowing with dishes? Have you been putting off taking out the trash?
Physically cleaning out your space can have the same impact on your mind. It is difficult for anybody to feel calm and peaceful if their immediate surroundings are in shambles.
10. Intentionally create a calm environment
Once things are cleaned up, take it a step further and get intentional about the environment you’ve created for yourself.
There is a reason spas use aromatherapy, it helps you to relax.
Light scented candles or turn on a diffuser and use essential oils to help create a calm space. A few drops of lavender or another favorite oil can help soothe you both physically and mentally.
Put on some quiet music or a nostalgic movie and cuddle up with your favorite blanket.
Connect With Others
11. Call a close friend or relative
Anxiety usually stems from something about ourselves that we’re focused on. We’re feeling inadequate in some way, beating ourselves up about a decision we made, worried about something we did or something we need to achieve. Redirect this energy by focusing on someone other than yourself.
Reach out to someone else to check-in. Talking to someone else about their day and actively listening to what’s going on in their life can help us to stop being so caught up in what’s going on in our own.
12. Vent it out
If you have a close confidant that you are comfortable talking to when you’re feeling anxious reach out to them. Sometimes all it takes is for someone else to tell you that your feelings are completely normal to make you feel better.
If you’re not comfortable talking to anyone, write a letter, address it to whoever you want. You don’t have to send it or share it with anyone, but getting the feelings off your chest is important.
13. Do something nice for someone else
Generate positive vibes and shift the focus off your crappy feelings by doing something nice for someone else. This doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. It could be as small as smiling at someone at the grocery store, buying the next person in line a coffee, or calling your grandma.
14. Spend time with your pet
Connecting with someone else does not have to be about connecting with another human. Try spending some intentional time with a pet. Take your dog to their favorite dog park or give your cat some undivided attention.
15. Lean into a spiritual practice
Finding connections can also come in the form of a spiritual practice. Whether it’s prayer, meditation, working with crystals or gratitude journaling, putting yourself into a mindset of trust and faith can help ease unnecessary worry.
Remember, you’re not the only one that has anxiety and you don’t have to resist it. It’s okay to allow yourself to feel anxiety. It will not hurt you and you don’t have to let it hold you back. Focus on the feeling of compassion for yourself and others.
Sometimes when we’re so afraid of the feeling or afraid of it coming back, it can make the experience worse. Try just acknowledging the anxiety and allowing it to be. You would be astonished by how much people can accomplish even while dealing with anxiety.
