I’ve been an anxious person my whole life. Whether it was worrying about whether anyone wanted to be on my team for field day during elementary school, or whether or not my friends actually liked me during high school, it’s always been there. It was in the background, something I ignored, but yet made life a little bit harder. Simple tasks like calling an office to set up an appointment or driving to an unfamiliar place can put me on edge, when for most people it takes up minimal thought. I get overwhelmed very easily, and overthink things to the point where I can’t sleep. It took me a while to realize and accept that I have anxiety, as I didn’t have many panic attacks or a lot of the “normal symptoms” I believed were required for the disorder. I also assumed that you had to be struggling all of the time, and thought I was simply making up the condition in the good days. But for me, I now know that my anxiety comes in waves, and just depends on the day or situation.
Accepting that I have anxiety has allowed me to start making the bad times a bit more bearable. From learning to deal with this general anxiety, I’ve figured out a few things that help me when I’m having a rough time. For one, I’ve discovered that going to UNH workout classes have made a huge difference in my life. I wouldn’t listen to people when they say going to the gym improves their overall mental health, but I believe in it now. Having a routine of going to the same Zumba class twice a week gives me something to look forward to, and forces me to get out when I’m feeling more stressed. Being on a schedule makes me feel in more control of my life, and therefore calmer. Separate from that, I feel a sense of accomplishment from doing the classes at UNH, whether it be the Zumba, cycling, or yoga.
I also have benefited from using the meditation app, Headspace. I’m not usually one to meditate, but something about this app is amazing at putting your mind at peace. I don’t focus on mindful breathing in day to day life, but this app forces you to slow down and take a break from whatever is stressful. It’s especially effective with a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones so you can drown out the world around you.
Lastly, I find that adult coloring books are a great way to escape for a little bit. Focusing on coloring in a pretty mandalas centers me, and there’s always a stunning result from whichever colors you chose. You don’t have to be artistically inclined to do something like this, but can still get amazing results.
It can feel difficult to deal with a lot of added stresses, but sometimes merely distracting yourself can do the trick to help with anxiety. This is just from my experience, and I hope some of these ideas helped!