How I Deal With Anxiety

I am a positive person.  Most of the time.  Until I’m not.  And I hate when I’m not.  Now, probably much like you, I’m lonely and depressed and tired and worried.  But that’s not a normal state for me and I want out!  Here are some of the coping strategies I’ve used over the years to combat anxiety. I’m really relying on them now!

Get up and move

I think most counselors would add this to the list of good mental health practices, but for me I can say, without a doubt, this is the best therapy to combat the blues and the number one way I deal with anxiety.  It is easy for me to go outdoors and add a dose of sunshine to that elixir, but for bad weather blues, there are a number of online exercise programs, totally free YouTube  and private channels like this one my fitness-pro friend Cindy uses.  Several exercise celebrities like Denise Austin and Britain Joe Wicks are offering their online courses free right now so if you ever wanted to check them out, now’s the time.

Take a nap

When I’m in a deep funk, I wake up tired and I’m fatigued all day.  Sometimes it’s best to just stop fighting it and take a nap.  The risk there is that I wake up hungry and more groggy.  I resist the urge to open a bag of chips or nuts and then see #1 above, get up, move and re-energize myself.

Avoid the pantry

Food = Comfort.  Who’s with me here?  Bring on the Mac and Cheese topped with potato chips.  I admit, I got a day or two of crazy with the snacking, but I know how awful I feel when the bag is empty and I’m really trying to contain the overeating.  It turns out that endless cups of tea also comfort me and are far less damaging, so the pot is always on.

When the horrible hungries hit, I make a cup of peppermint tea, eat an Altoids “Curiously Strong Mint,” do some ab crunches or phone a friend.  All that gets my mind off my stomach.

Pet a cat

There is nothing that warms my heart more than my little Roxy snuggled up with me.  She’s the only one out of my three who cuddles and I carve out some space in the day with a book and a soft blanket knowing she’ll join me on the couch.  If a kitten or puppy isn’t available, there must be a million YouTube videos that are equally heartwarming.  Adorable animals are good medicine.

Listen to music

Sometimes a good Golden Oldies station will bring my mood up.  Sometimes it’s an 80s station, Wham!, anyone?  Sometimes I listen to a Pandora station with nature sounds.  One night we played a game and listened to the Jimmy Buffet station on Pandora.  Who can stay down when somebody is crooning that “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere”?

Listen to an inspiring message

As a person in the Christian faith, it’s easy to find online or TV sermons.  As a person who no longer attends church, I need to be careful I don’t expose myself to triggers that make me remember why I no longer attend church (another blog post, maybe?).  I find listening to Joel Osteen and his famously positive messages, and to Bishop T.D. Jakes with his over-the-top preaching style, work for me.  Sometimes I listen to New Age messages or other soul-enriching talks.

So these are the ways I’ve been taking care of my anxiety and mental health this week and hope you’re finding ways that work for you too.

What I’m Reading

On audio Breakheart Hill by Thomas H. Cook didn’t disappoint me.  As I mentioned in another post, Cook is a new author for me, but I’m hooked.  Much like the other books I’ve read, the protagonist is a Southern man who’s high school days come back to reckon with him.  This story weaves a 30-year past to the current time.  It has not one, but two twists.  Well worth the time.

A Pale Horse by Charles Todd is the tenth in the Ian Rutledge series.  The title refers to the Uffington Horse in Oxfordshire, England. 

A Little History – Uffington Horse

I knew nothing about the site; so of course, I had to do the research!  The figure of a horse is etched into a hillside and is the size of a football field and has been dated to over 3000 years ago.  It’s quite a mystery how it was made and why.  It’s also remarkable that volunteers pilgrimage annually to the site and keep the horse chalked and in shape so that it doesn’t erode or overgrow.  To have a site so old and in perfect shape is remarkable.

If you have not heard from me yet, I want to tell all my buddies, I love you!  God bless you and yours, grace and peace, and wash your hands. XO