Ways to deal with anxiety

I have struggled with anxiety since I was very little. When I was a child my anxiety manifested itself as stomach aches and shortness of breath. I went to doctor after doctor trying to figure out what was making me sick, but they couldn't find anything. It was just nerves. The stomach aches continued as I became a preteen and teenager, and my anxiety just made me more anxious. When I trouble with friends, or with my parents, my stomach would get upset. And it was annoying and embarrassing. It didn't occur to anyone that I was just really anxious and responding to difficult things that were happening in my life. I know now that when I get a stomach ache it is probably because I'm anxious. I also have panic attacks where I feel I can't breathe and I'm going to faint or get sick. I've had these attacks every since I can remember. And it's not fun.

So ways to beat anxiety. These are things that I use when I'm feeling anxious.

Breathing. Breathing is really, really important. When I get anxious I try to normalize my breathing and count my breaths. I inhale and count to 4, and then exhale and count to 7. Inhale count to 4, exhale count to 7. Sometimes I do "4 by 4" breathing, where I count inhale 4, hold the breath 4, exhale the breath 4, hold 4. Breathing is a great skill because you can do it anywhere and don't need anything other than your body. You can do it in a room of people, or by yourself. Pay attention to your breathing.

Holding onto something cold. I like to use an ice pack. I grab onto the ice pack, sometimes bring it up to my face to feel the shock of the coldness. It helps to ground me and bring me back into reality. When I hold ice it is a reminder that I am alive and I am ok. It's the shock of the change of temperature that really helps.


Drinking tea. Drinking a hot cup of tea is really soothing to me. The smell and the sweet taste are very grounding for me. It helps lower my anxiety significantly.

Wrapping myself in a blanket. It's kind of like swaddling a baby and sounds silly, but it really helps. I have a blanket that I made a few years ago that I sit and wrap myself in, and it really calms me down. It makes me feel warm and safe, like I am protected.

Hugging stuffed animals. I have DID, and I have parts inside me that are really young... as young as 2 years old. When my younger parts are anxious and afraid it really helps to hug a stuffed animal. Again, it sounds silly, but it reminds me that I am safe and reminds my younger parts that they are safe.

Counting and naming things in the room around me. I look around the room and literally name off everything that I see. Chair, fan, table, cup, phone, computer... it grounds me and puts me back in the room that I'm in, and it's really helpful. It distracts me from my negative, scary thoughts.

Playing games on my phone. I play Scrabble with a few people, I play Yahtzee, and I play tetris occasionally, and it is a good distraction. I can sit for just a little while and play a silly game and it takes my mind off whatever is making me panic.

Listening to music. Sometimes I listen to calming music, sometimes I listen to kid's music, sometimes I listen to pop... my music choices are really random. But having my ear phones in is really calming and can take me to another world in a way. I can close my eyes and just get absorbed into the music. Music is an amazing thing. I also play the guitar, and singing and playing the guitar is also really calming. I sing calming music and it calms me down. I love music.

How do you deal with anxiety? Any tips? I'm always looking for new ways to beat anxiety.