4 Tips For Anxiety

Lindsay Anderson

Mental Health & Wellness Associate

​So, about a three years ago my therapist suggested that I carry a bag that consist of things that bring me happiness and relax my mind. These things can be snacks, books, pictures, and anything that is personal. 

I take my bag with me every day and everywhere. Some days I do not pack everything and some days I over pack depending on how I feel when I start moving around in the morning. So, I wanted to keep this blog short and sweet and leave 4 tips that help me with year-round and end of the year anxiety.
 
Backpack
 Gum
A poem from a friend
Stress Ball
Lotion
Sudoku Book
Journal
Coloring book
Picture of my son 
Fidget Cube
A list of people I can call if I am having a panic attack
 
I switch it up a lot based on my morning, if it is something that I do not use I will put something else in its place. 
 
Grounding Techniques
 Grounding Techniques are used when you are having an anxiety or panic attack. This is an effective tool that works. Using your 5 senses Sight, Touch, Taste, Sound and Smell you try to focus on one object that is around you. It can be anything from a couch, the floor, a shirt, or anything that is an object. So here is an example:
 
You are having a panic attack at work if you have access to privacy you can look at a picture or grab the nearest thing closest to you, maybe a notebook. So, what you want to do is describe the object in depth. Let us try the notebook; you can say this to yourself or he can say it out loud whichever works best.

The cover is yellow. 
It is cardboard.
The paper is soft.
The lines are straight.
The binder is hard.
The paper smells like trees.
I am touching the paper.
 
And so on until you reached a sense of calm. The purpose of ground techniques is to get you back from the out of body experience and back to reality. It will help you focus on something else other than the attack. I love grounding techniques and I use this technique often even during uncomfortable conversations.
 
Hand over Heart
 Now this is not anything that I was taught by a professional this is just something that helps me. Whenever I feel an attack, have an attack, or just feel uneasy I put my hand over my chest too feel my breathing. I do it so I can get in tune with my body. I feel the pace of my heart and the fastness of my breathe. This helps me relax and focus on slowing my breathing.
 
Other Small Things
 Chewing Gum - helps relieve tension and anxiety
A Pencil Between Your Teeth - placing a pencil or a pen between your teeth tricks your mind into thinking that you are smiling, which increase serotonin in your brain.  
Rubbing your fingers - rubbing your fingers together is equivalent to a stress relief ball or massaging your hands
Diffusers - create calmness
Chamomile Oil or Lavender - you can use lotion or oil in the morning, and it will help keep you relaxed throughout the day. 
 
Last, but not least a mantra. When I am having an active panic attack I say, “You have been through this before and you are still alive”. And I keep repeating it over and over again. Eventually I begin to relax. The whole point of all of this is to slow your breathing and allow oxygen back to your brain. It is still a process for me, and it has taken a while for me to believe that it works.
 
I want to remind you that these are tips and are considered a practice. I hope this helps and finds you some peace and stillness!

Lindsay Anderson

​Lindsay Anderson is the founder of Consciously Coping, a mental illness advocate, and the creator of #transparencytuesday. As an African American woman who is clinically diagnosed with bipolar disorder, PTSD, and generalized anxiety disorder, sharing her success and struggles within the mental health community is an honest passion. She is also a non-traditional second-year collegiate scholar, studying Biology and minoring in Applied Mathematics. Her future goal is to become a research scientist in the field of computational neuroscience to understand behavior dynamics. She has been featured on ForHarriet, No More Martyrs, and Neilsen Holdings, LLC. Instagram: @ConsciouslyCoping