How do you deal with anxiety and stress? Just asking for a friend!
This post may include affiliate links.
I tell it to stfu when it makes me freak out about things that aren't there, I like remind myself that its not real and my mind is being a b***h. So yeah that's my answer.
Focused breathing, distracting myself (reading, going for a walk, video games), redirecting my thoughts, talking things through with my husband, my therapist, or my deceased mother. If none of that works, medication as a last resort.
I have a lot of different things, and none of them work all the time, but all together I can usually calm down.
Grounding: very useful to get out of panic attacks or doom spirals. My favorites are the 5-4-3-2-1 method: 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste, and the 1, 1-2, 1-2-3 method: pick a color, and then find one thing, then one-two new things, then one-two-three new things that are that color.
Therapy: seriously there’s a stigma around therapy but it’s great, if you find a therapist that’s good for you, they can help set goals, offer methods, or just vent to. Also, don’t be ashamed to shop around a bit, my first therapist suuuucked (ex. told me I couldn’t be autistic bc I wanted friends), but the one I have now is great!
Meds. Seriously. LIFE. CHANGING. I’m on Zoloft now for anxiety and depression and it’s AMAZING. You’re not weak for getting medicine, your brain is chemically missing something that you can get again!
OH YEAH and exercise! Walking, biking, even just doing some stretches, it releases endorphins and helps cheer you up. I need to do it more often.
