11 Ways to Handle Anxiety

Anxiety can be triggered by a multitude of reasons. In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older.” If you suffer from anxiety, know that you are not alone. Many of my friends in the blogging community were extremely generous to provide their advice on ways to handle anxiety, more in which can be found in our Facebook Discussion here. Below are just a few highlights from the post. If you see a tip that you strongly find beneficial, please visit their blog or connect with them on social media! 

Also please keep in mind that many of us are not medical professionals. These are our personal tips, but if you feel that you need more assistance, please reach out to a medical professional. I personally had to reach out to Veterans Affairs Medical Center when I had my social anxiety breakdown in 2018, and the therapy sessions truly did help me get myself together. ❤

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Kristen from Driving Mom Crazy

What has helped me a lot recently is stopping to consider if a thought I am having is a true thought coming from my intuition or if it is anxiety making me think irrationally. When I can do that, it helps calm me. 

Also, take a look at Driving Mom Crazy’s guest post by Sarah’s Sage Advice – “Anxiety is tiring. It can cause physical and emotional exhaustion. The anxious thought is constant, often harsh, and is not easily quieted. Intuition is calmer and much easier to dismiss.” 

Meagan from Purposeful Mommy

I manage stress and anxiety by making sure to do something I like every day, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. Often this is watching one of my favorite shows with my husband or reading something, or coding… Just SOMETHING that I’m doing because I like it.

Suzan from It’s My Sustainable Life

I practice yoga & meditate and practice pranayama (breathing) techniques. If I’m having a difficult moment or stressful period, mindful breathing will bring everything into clarity for me.

Karla from More On My Plate

I write. I get caught up in worry about the kids and being busy with 7 kids makes it hard to break away for self-care. ANY free moment is devoted to some kind of writing. Free thought in a journal, working on a blog post, writing notes or letters to a variety of people. I think it switches my brain function to write. 

Heather from Life at My Own Pace

I run. I originally started running to lose weight. However, when my mom was dying, it was the one thing that helped me cope. It soon became what I did each day to alleviate my stress. 

Leigh from Nan’s Daily Dose of Life

I envision the situation that is causing the stress or anxiety and see it the way I want it to turn out and it relieves the stress. 

Katie from Rolling on Blog

I work out almost every morning and take CBD oil. That usually keeps my energy up for the day. If I start feeling anxious, I will most likely watch a funny show or go on a walk! 

Jill from And Then There Was 50

My best and really most effective stress/anxiety reducer is writing and working on my blog. In a sense, it’s like journaling, which is always talked about as a way to get the inside out. 

Akiko from The Japantry 

I feel like I’m reading something every minute of the waking hours so instead of reading more things, I have to decompress with something so simple and mindless like play with my dog. He reminds me that life doesn’t need to be so complicated to be completely and utterly happy! 

Magan from Wrong Kind of Christian

We try to do Gratitudes on our morning drives. I’ve really noticed that an attitude of gratitude can really [affect] the rest of my day. 

And ways to handle anxiety from yours truly

For those who have read some of our previous blogs (or the intro), I keep it as no secret that I have social anxiety. I have gotten better with public occasions, but in 2018 I had a complete social anxiety breakdown which forced me to have to quit that job after only a few weeks and seek out medical attention. See our Facebook #storytime post for this.

After crying my tears out AGAIN to the therapist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center for God knows how long, I finally calmed down long enough for the doctor to give me a very helpful exercise and one of the best ways to handle anxiety. I still use this method now every night before I go to sleep. I still have my anxious moments, but this exercise has helped to keep it under control significantly.

Either mentally or on paper, list ten things that you are grateful for and WHY you are grateful for them.

Keep your answers short and DO NOT add negative points to the end of your grateful moment. For example, “I am grateful for the roof over my head although the rent is expensive and it rains a lot here and…” Once again, do not fall for this trap! All it will do is have the opposite effect and cause MORE anxiety (I know from experience).

As you make this list, challenge yourself to list at least one good thing that happened to you today that you’re grateful for. It could be as random as, “I’m grateful for that slow driver this morning because they kept me from getting a ticket from that hidden cop!”

As many things as there are in the world to make us anxious about the future, there are even more things that we are blessed with here in the present. This exercise is one of the easiest ways to handle anxiety by showing us how far we’ve made it.

Now let’s hear from you!

What are some ways to handle anxiety that has helped you or a friend? Has any of these tips given you inspiration? Please share your story in the comments below! If you found this post helpful, please share and also show these other amazing bloggers some love!

And as always, remember to just live your life one story at a time!

Take care,

Kyndall Bennett at Kyrabe Stories

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