We’ve all heard that we should breathe deeply, go to therapy, and use medication when we’re feeling anxious, but there are other, less obvious ways to deal with anxiety. In this post, I'll share some anxiety solutions you may have never considered.
As a person who struggles with anxiety on a daily basis, I enjoy learning about new possibilities of how to get rid of it.
I enjoy distractions like reading, or playing a game on my phone. Focusing my attention completely on something else helps me feel more in control of my mind.
While yes, some of these you may have heard before, they are all proven ways to reduce anxiety.
8 Less Obvious Ways To Deal With Anxiety
I also have a post “10 Things to Stop Doing if You Have Anxiety“, and I just want to remind anyone reading my blog that YOU are unique. What works for you might not work for someone else.
Same thing for you. If you see something in my posts that you think would give you anxiety, that's OK! Move past it and find something that does work for you.
The last thing I want to do is make you think the answers below are the only things that will resolve your anxiety. I want to give you as many ideas and options as possible, so that you can choose which ones work best for you.
Also, if you have found something that really works for you feel free to leave a comment below and let other people know about it!
Try these ideas to deal with anxiety in a way that works for you:
1. Kickboxing
You know when you're anxious and you feel all jittery, like you've just had two cups of coffee? If you have a lot of nervous energy building up inside, try out some kickboxing.
You can even do this at home, just look up a video on Youtube. But, if you want to take a class even better!
Allowing yourself to get all that pent up energy (and maybe even anger) out onto a punching bag can relieve a lot of anxiety. Sometimes your mind and body just need something to do, and this is a quick way to get in a good workout while de-cluttering your thoughts.
2. Drink Some Warm Water
I know, this is oddly simple and maybe even obvious. But, hear me out.
I try to be religious about drinking water throughout the day, but when I'm anxious I tend to not care as much about being hydrated.
A couple of days ago I decided to heat up some water and sit outside, and it really helped to calm me down. The warmth felt like a cozy blanket and added a lot of comfort to my anxious mind.
3. Pretend you’re someone that handles stress and anxiety with ease.
Even if this is just for the next 5 minutes.
Use this as a mental exercise, where you act like a totally different person. Someone who feels anxiety, but doesn't allow it to completely control them.
Do something that may even scare you a little bit, like talking to a stranger at the grocery store. Step out of your comfort zone for just a few minutes and get a different perspective on your anxiety.
4. Take a nap
You might be thinking “how can I take a nap when I have anxiety??”
The truth is: having anxiety exhausts your mind. Constantly worrying and stressing about things that may or may not even be real begins to take a toll on your brain.
Some people have different views on naps – either it means you're lazy or it's a refreshing part of your day.
Allow yourself to rest for 30 minutes, and you can even do this every day. Sometimes we don't realize how tired we are until we lay down and break away from all those worrying thoughts.
5. Do something that takes your full attention.
Whether it’s doing a crossword puzzle, playing chess, or climbing monkey bars at a nearby playground. You can really think of anything that will help take your mind off of… well, your mind.
Maybe that's even hanging out with younger children like a niece or cousin of yours. Children have a way of distracting us from the serious stuff, and they allow us to break free from our own thoughts for a while.
6. Schedule worry time.
Instead of worrying throughout the day, why not schedule some worry time?
You can worry all you want for 30 minutes, but you can’t worry the other 23.5 hours of the day. Just knowing that you can worry later will ease your mind and allow you to accomplish more.
How much time do you need to worry? Do you think that worrying for an hour would accomplish more than 30 minutes? Maybe 15 minutes is enough.
7. Go to bed earlier and get up earlier.
Going to bed earlier will allow you to get more sleep. Getting up earlier will allow you to start your day with less rushing around.
Try going to bed an hour earlier and get up 15 minutes earlier.
The extra 45 minutes of sleep will do your mind and body some good. The extra 15 minutes of the morning will make your morning more relaxing.
8. Go camping.
Or just get out of town. Sleeping on the ground or in a different bed in new surroundings can do a lot to change your perspective and alter your mood.
If you need a change of pace, give yourself one. A weekend can do wonders.
Where could you spend a weekend that would be a drastic change from your normal environment?
Learn a new skill today
8 Less Obvious Ways To Deal With Anxiety – Conclusion
Anxiety can take all the joy out of life. When you’re worrying all of the time, it’s challenging to find any enjoyment.
Just as creating a feeling of anxiety is a skill, you can also develop the skill of calming yourself. Consider anxiety-reducing ideas that might seem a little unusual.
There’s no telling what will work for you until you try.
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