7 'In-The-Moment' Tips To Help Yourself Cope With Anxiety

Let me just start by saying that I'm not an expert. I'm no therapist or doctor and I will never pretend to me. Most of the tim...

Let me just start by saying that I'm not an expert. I'm no therapist or doctor and I will never pretend to me. Most of the time, I don't have the answers to anything in my life much less for yours. I know that by being a blogger and writing about giving advice means that I am somehow more knowledgable than you are, this is not true. I don't know what I'm doing 88% of the time. What I am going to talk you about is stuff that has worked for me, being a sufferer of anxiety and depression these are tips that I use and that more often than not they've worked.

If you have more tips that have worked for you, don't be afraid to share them in the comments below. It's important that if you have not had anxiety or depression, please don't give advice because it comes off as condescending maybe? Am I the only one bothered by this? I just want this comment section to be a safe one.

So, on to the tips:

  • Coloring Books - I know it's the newest craze and everyone has been all over them, but the thing is? they really work. I got my first one a few days and just recently did a page when I was feeling especially anxious and it really helped me. I was surprised by how relaxed and accomplished I felt. Even inexpensive ones help tbh, so don't feel the need to buy a $20 one unless you really want to~
  • Journaling - Another thing everyone's been doing. I don't have the motivation, and maybe you don't either, to do this everyday or every night but just write down your thoughts when you're feeling overwhelmed by them. Twitter and Tumblr are always sites I go to vent about my emotions, but there's something about putting my intagible thoughts into physical writings that is rather soothing. 
  • Aromatherapy - I have weird thing with scents. It's the one thing that I always count on to sooth me. I can't exactly explain it, it just happens. What I did in uni, because I can't carry around candles and lighting them, is find places that I find have a particular calming smell. This is gonna sound weird but the bus and the train are two of my places, these are only sometimes though, when there aren't a lot of people. Same thing with the library. I'm looking into trying some calming oils. What's also really helped me is body washes, specifically this one from bath & body works. Speaking of, they have this whole line especially for relaxing and aromatherapy which is really fucking cool and I want to try more things for their line. 
  • Music - Such a cliché answer, I know. But music has the power to take you away when things are looking shitty at a moment's notice. I especially love Carly Rae Jepsen's EMOTION album, trust me, just listen to it. I also enjoy just listening to spotify or 8tracks playlists.
  • Makeup + Fashion - If there's one thing that always makes me feel better is doing my makeup and dressing up in a cute, nice way. It's true when they say that how you present yourself influences your emotional and mental state. I like taking care of myself in that way, even if you don't have the energy to do so, painting your nails may seem like dauting task but when you're done, you'll feel a lot better... at least, I do. Experimenting with makeup is also always fun. I used to be one of those people that didn't see the point of makeup because it'd be the same thing, but really I just didn't feel worthy enough to use it. But, I'm gonna tell you something... you are worthy. Makeup is genderless and you deserve to play around with it and feel beautiful. 
  • Guided Relaxation - If you're like me and search up 'ways to deal with anxiety' on google then you that the first thing that people talk about is breathing. You also know that you suck at it and no matter what all it does is make you feel even more worthless and anxious. I have a solution for you: Guided Relaxation. Apps like Calm and What's Up? do exactly that, they help you calm down through guided breathing and meditation. Let me tell you something, it actually works. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself and come back to me. 
  • Talking - If there's one thing that always works for me is talking to someone. Sometimes it can be okay after talking to a friend or two but other times it's not enough. Thankfully, there's people who get paid to do exactly that and give you feedback. Therapists, Psychologists & Psychiatrists are a great resource if you can afford them but if you go to school or university there's councelears and personnel that can help you too. If all else fails, there's a wonderful community in Tumblr for mental illnesses and there's more than a few apps designed exactly for this like TalkSpace.
 And here's a few small things you can do too:
  • Have some coffee or water.
  • Walk around, surrounded by nature.
  • Pet some dogs. 
  • Cuddle your pet.
  • Read a book.
  • Watch your favorite mindless tv show or movie. (Mine is Man From UNCLE and Ouran High School Host Club)
  • Read some cutesy fanfiction featuring your OTP
  • Watch some Dan & Phil (Or your other favorite youtubers)
  • Have a shower with some music on.
  • Take a nap. 
  • Eat pizza.
There's one last thing I want to show you guys is some websites or series that you might like! The first is #SpeakUp, it's a hashtag on twitter and an on-going series where bloggers guestpost articles talking about different mental health topics in Thrifty Vintage Fashion's blog. I'm not part of it but I love the idea and I'm sure one of you would find it useful. The second is Femsplain which is a website where all kinds of women from all background, races, genders and more talk about different topics in a detailed, honest and talented way. They give a voice to the voiceless which is a very nice message and one they stick to.
I know these are mostly things that you've already seen through your search for ways to cope, trust me so have I and I'm still looking for more. Hopefully we'll both find the answers we're looking for. Maybe I'll do a part 2 someday when I've tried other things? Who knows? Let me know if this helped you at all and your suggestions on things that have helped you before. I'll see you soon then, babes~

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6 comments

  1. Great post! Definitely some I haven't heard before! It's so important to be well-equipped with a toolbox of coping strategies when stress and anxiety is through the roof.

    Xx Danielle | Pineapple & Prosecco

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    Replies
    1. Aw! Thanks so much! I couldn't agree more tbh <3 xoxo

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  2. I am really glad you like the series! Thanks for sharing! Great tips! Xx

    Thrifty vintage fashion

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  3. Great tips! I used to suffer with anxiety, I did find doing something that I enjoyed helped, also just taking it easy too.

    Lima
    Fashionicide
    Xx

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