This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tampa chapter.
So I’ve been dealing with anxiety pretty much since I was 7 years old. I still don’t get anxious from time to time. Here are some of the ways that I have dealt with and coped with my anxiety.
- Word Searches – so you’re probably thinking, how did this help my anxiety? Well, surprisingly, it helped me a lot. Whenever I am anxious or feeling down, I do word searches because it helps me distract myself by focusing on solving the puzzle, and it exercises my brain as well. I find this tactic very helpful when I am going through a bad anxiety spell.
- Journaling – so I’m sure a lot of people do this already, but yes, I journal as well. When I have a lot of things on my mind, and it comes to the point where I get a tension headache, I tell myself that it’s time to write it all down. I’ve had my journal since 2018, and I used to write in it all the time, every single day. It slowed down a bit, but now and then, I still write. This method is a good way for me to let all my feelings out and express the things I can’t make into words and write them down instead. Usually, after I journal, I feel a wave of relief, and it feels like the tension and stress have been lifted. I highly recommend this one!
- Dancing – for my fellow dancers like me or anyone who likes to dance. This is my biggest coping method. Dance is an art form and a way to express how you feel. Usually, if there is a lot on my mind and I can’t focus on anything, I go to the gym and dance it out. Personally, I play slow and sad songs that I can relate to and dance to them, and that’s my way of expressing myself and letting everything go. I would say dancing is the one I use the most.