Coping with Anxiety: Practical Tips and Strategies

[Lalith]

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to start a thread dedicated to sharing practical tips and strategies for coping with anxiety. Whether you're dealing with occasional anxiety or a chronic condition, finding effective ways to manage it can make a significant difference in your daily life.

Let's use this space to discuss:

Personal experiences with anxiety

Techniques that have helped you cope

Resources and tools that have been beneficial

Advice for those who are newly experiencing anxiety

Your insights and experiences could be incredibly valuable to others facing similar challenges. Remember, you are not alone in this journey, and together we can create a supportive and understanding community.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Take care.

[Busy Bee]

This thread should be placed in General Discussions.

[vetteking]

Find a good team of therapist and psychiatrist. That along with medication management has worked for me. I also will message you some tips to help you cope with anxiety later on. I hope things work out for you Lalith God bless you!

[muppet]

1. Remember anxiety is a modern plague, and almost everyone has it now as a norm to some extent (it's the first sentence on the NHS site even, to paraphrase the national resource). It's a sign of our sensitivity, intelligence, and also you're no psycho. How to deal with it is everyone's personal puzzle.



2. Make lists in your head -fun stuff. Eg cuisines of the world you've tried, restaurants of the world in your district, best buildings, best cities, what you'd do as mayor, how your billion dollar villa will look etc. You can fall back on this when the noise gets too much. Manifest your destiny.



3. Make a list of your worries too when needed, in as much detail as you want with as many permutations and clauses. Once listed you don't have to repeat.




4. Some old adages that really do make sense : "don't sweat the small stuff." "Pick your battles."



5. Be aware when you catastrophise, or needlessly remember an intrusive memory. Say it out loud, even a keyword. Then it's gone -GONE.



6. Meditation -physically resets the brain connections. So useful a tool in life they're thinking of introducing it to the school curriculum. If you're up for it, exercise too.



7. Emotion affects everyone in a room, be aware of your own or how other's can affect yours. Good rule of thumb eg with a family or office, if the 'parent' is happy, the kids will be -likewise the opposite.



8. Cut out toxic people in your life. If anything they're doing you a favour by being an arsehole, fully signposting you should get TF away. Run for the hills, don't look back.


9. Look out for free counselling schemes -the ones where you both take it in turns to counsel each other and listen, to a timed clock. You can of course do this with a trusted friend.

[muppet]

Some practical tips:

1. Don't wait for everything to be right to be happy, or to be able to appreciate the moment. In life it likely won't come for ages, so might as well enjoy it if given the chance, even if it is a pretty mark on the wall. "Life is one giant, steaming disaster, just try and enjoy the view while swimming to the lifeboat." Get TF out there, really do treasure the happy opportunities.

"The other day I was sick, I cuddled up to my partner who has severe depression and out of work, who was mindlessly playing a tablet game (day and night) that's been staving off the Bad Thoughts. Just that resting my arm on them, feeling so warm and cosy. Not outside in the wind, not homeless, yet. Just wonderful - love and softness. Slept like a log."




2. Physical: if ever the anxiety or stress is too much when you have to present as being normal (eg job interview, in conversation, walking on the street), do the unseen finger pinch (I do thumbnail pressed hard against my finger). All your stress and worries are in that nail, in that feeling. This leaves the rest of the body to relax, or pretend it is, convincingly. Which in turn btw, actually does make you relax -body remembers the score.



3. The Reading Brain. Basically reading something convinces your brain more than hearing it or thinking it. So if ever in a quandary, write to yourself what you'd advise your own best friend. Something that will be to yourself and yourself alone (burn the paper after, ceremonially). A fast track to closure or an attack plan.

* Sometimes you may have to write a letter to someone (and actually send it), but ensure you mention they don't have to reply. Be classy, be gentle.



4. ^On the back of above, journalling your thoughts (Dear Diary) can help you get through each day, and resolve many deep-seated issues over time. Remember to write to yourself alone and not worry about another reading it.



5. Many of our worries stem from interaction with others. Passive-aggression is something that people often do but is frowned upon, though you can see why people resort to it. They're trying to be 'nice' or at least signalling as such, while trying to make their case. The effect is of course the opposite to what they intend.

HOWEVER, combine passive-aggression with humour and things change dramatically. As long as your main priority is the humour/ fun and not being a twat about things, you do get your message / signal across. Eg.

"my boyfriend didn't text me once or check in with me when he went to visit his family abroad (I'm sure he was busy sorting shit out, but still). When he came home I did a big display of pretending I didn't know who he was and how delighted I was in having a stalker. He was confused at first, getting the message slowly, then started playing along. Was a good day, I honestly didn't care about his non-texting after.'


"I was sick and had to make by own lunch while my partner was busy. Went into the kitchen and did so. Near the end started pretending to be a saint, crowing loudly about how I didn't mind AT ALL about lifting things, no REALLY it was good for the exercise. No, no YOU sit there and watch, I LOVE entertaining. -She cocked her head, clocking what was happening with a frown, then asked if I could make her a lasagne. Since I was up."