Hi lovely,
I have been working on my anxiety naturally since I found out about it and I am always trying out new things to help. Through lots of reading and trial and error I collected some staples that work for my body as well as some others that might work for yours! Whether you are taking medication or not these are some effective ways to chill out that anxious energy.
Get creative
When I am buzzing with nervous energy I find that giving myself a task works well. It changes depending on the situation but some of my favorites include writing in a journal, doodling, colouring, and painting. This works because I have a healthy outlet for the energy and my thoughts can focus on the task at hand and at the same time it isn't restricting and allows for tons of freedom. Whip out that Pinterest and get crafting!
Yoga specifically directed towards anxiety
I love going on YouTube and finding sequences made with anxiety in mind. They boost my mood, take away that fight or flight feeling and remind me to breathe. 99.9% of the time when I do yoga at home I am following one of the videos made by Yoga With Adriene whose channel you can check out here. I am a huge fan of Adriene's videos because there is a healing sequence for a number of things including anxiety and stress. Some of the sequences are only 7 minutes long which is perfect when you are at school or work and need a quick mood shift.
Chilled music
Music is one of the most important fibers in the fabric of my being. Nothing moves me quite like it does and so it's not a surprise that it would be on this list. When I get anxious sometimes I'll go onto 8tracks and search how I feel or what I want ex: calm, anxiety, happy etc. Usually a pretty good amount of playlists will come up and you can click on whichever one suits your needs. I really like acoustic guitar and piano when I feel stressed. It's definitely worth a try to see if it makes things feel any better.
Distraction!
Look, I don't know about you but sometimes Tumblr has the answers I'm looking for. This can be really good for finding mental health masterposts like the ones I mention here in a post on quick stress relief. My advice if you are going to go down this rabbit hole is that you go in the healthy direction. Simply searching "anxiety" can lead you to some triggering posts that could potentially freak you out more and that is the opposite of what we're looking for here. Try to stick to looking for "anxiety masterposts" and find some good distractions on there. I have a post dedicated to this as well that you can look at if you want some fun games and things to take the stress off.
Involving the senses
For a screen free way to relax the best tool can be your own body! Try one or all of these:
Belly breathing- gently lay down on your back or sit in a comfortable position. Let your hands rest on top of your tummy. I like to put one on my lower stomach and one just above my belly button. Take a deep breath in and exhale through your mouth. See if you can be mindful and make every breath smooth and calming, imagining that every exhale is letting go of your anxiety and every inhale is nourishing your body on an internal level. That mindfulness is the key to relaxing the nervous system.
What do eye see?- I had to with that one. List five things that you see and describe them in detail or observe them closely. Get curious about your surroundings. How long has it been there? Where is it from? If this doesn't help try combining it with four things you smell, three things you hear and two things you feel or as many as you can. This redirects thinking and brings back some feeling of reality.
Warm and fuzzy- This is kind of my solution for most things. I love warm tea, soft blankets, cute pets and sometimes I'll put on a pair of fuzzy socks too. I'm pretty sure it's been neurologically proven that touching something soft creates "feel-good" responses in the brain. I'm not a scientist though, I'm just a cuddle bug.
Give these suggestions a whirl and let me know what works for you and your body!
Love and Light,
Sahara