Series: What are your tried-and-proven tricks for relaxing/relieving anxiety

**Preferably non-substance/drug

I'll share a couple:

4 7 8 breathing

ears underwater

music/audio at slower speed (0.6-0.9)

Let's hear em. I might want to do a series for various conditions or states so stay tuned and lets crowd-source this shit, enough of the "read my new/old 400pg tome for an introduction". 🤮 Distill

treefrog , (edited )

Beta blockers - they don't cross the blood brain barrier and help calm the adrenaline response. If you're prone to panic, anxiety, trauma triggers, etc. They're very helpful for my CPTSD triggers.

Qi Gong

Listening to a Plum Village dharma talk.

Walking meditation is good when very restless or anxious. Body scans when trying to build deep states of physical relaxation. Sitting meditation for deep mental calm.

Pendulation works well when working on an overwhelming task. Permission to take small bites/small steps out of something difficult essentially.

Reminding myself that the stressor and the sensations of stress are all temporary is good for acute stress, but chronic stress can require radical acceptance instead and changes in lifestyle/habits/thinking patterns.

Oh I almost forgot, switching from coffee to tea. Although I don't do that most mornings. When I skip the coffee my anxiety is much less.

cheese_greater OP ,

Second walking(-meditation)

Walking is inherently calming and gets you out of your head and into your body even if your mind fights it

Also tea

treefrog ,

Walking meditation is just walking while bringing your attention intentionally to your body and your breathing as it's moving through space.

It's like walking while really enjoying walking. Minimizing distractions like thinking or a radio or conversation or whatever.

But seconding just walking all the same. As a teenager I used to put on my walkman and go for walks when I was pissed off at my parents.

shalafi ,

Walk. Just get up off your ass and walk. It's easy and accessible to nearly everyone. Walk. Move your ass through time and space.

March like an automaton if you have to, just walk. You can refine techniques later. Just walk. MOVE. Our minds and brains are not wired to sit on a couch.

Funny how many people say this is how they started to manage their mental health.

Muscar ,

It isn't easy for many though, either or both because of mental or physical reasons. Your comment is a very classic case of "this thing is easy for me and works for me therefore it must be the same for everyone else".

My anxiety, which has kept me on long-term sick leave for 10+ years, basically shuts down my body and ability to act. The vast majority of the time I'm completely unable to leave my apartment and often even leave the exact spot I'm in. "Just do it" just isn't possible most of the time, and that isn't an excuse, laziness or unwillingness. And this is just my specific case, there are as many different and just as real cases as there are people that also find it hard to do whatever thing is hard for them. There is never a "just X" that's valid for everyone, and it's idiotic and offensive to think and say so.

jpreston2005 ,

Dang I thought you were going to say something about people who are in wheelchairs.

Walking, in general, is a healthy activity that the majority of people would benefit from. I'm sorry your anxiety stops you from this activity, but to call someone idiotic, and their comments offensive, because they suggested someone with anxiety take a walk; is pretty silly.

amphetaminisiert ,

Drinking wine and beer. In 2 days im going to rehab, this has gotten on for too long 🥲

Blumpkinhead ,

Good luck!

TachyonTele ,

Stick with it and don't try to leave just because you want to. Stay until you're actually good to go.

Best of luck! You got this.

stoy ,

I see that this is the day, I wish you all the best and know that realizing the issue and doing something about it is a huge step on the way!

You are doing good!

Gimpydude ,

I sit out with my chickens. I'm raising chicks now too, and they like to climb on me. Both are very relaxing.

howler ,
@howler@lemmy.zip avatar

Yoga.

It helps me put my mind in blank, focuses me on the task at hand and helps me with cramped muscles due to tension.

Journaling.

I don't write daily, but like twice a week or when shit hits the fan. By writing down the situation, it kinda leaves my mind and I can assess it better, if that makes sense??

Adudethatis ,

Progressive meditation.
1 minute a day for a week
5 minutes a day for a week
I personally used openmindapp.org- got to the point where I was doing the much longer choices as the weeks progressed.

TachyonTele ,

My ex used to massage the anxiety out of my arms from shoulders to fingers like toothpaste. It was great. If you have someone close, try it.

Playing an instrument works wonders too.

cheese_greater OP ,

Cat does that

Drunemeton ,
@Drunemeton@lemmy.world avatar

What instrument does your cat play!?

OpenStars ,
@OpenStars@discuss.online avatar

Long-term: facing them and dealing with the source. e.g. I would get nervous about job interviews, but like... as I should, right!? Bc it means that I care about the outcome. Nothing will ever reduce that, except experience doing it over and over, but in the meantime that fight or flight response "helps" to go over everything, e.g. to practice and prepare in all the various ways needed.

Short-term: reading a new/old 400pg tome for an introduction to some random topic... 😜

berryjam ,

Ujjayi breathing

Working out (intensely enough to get your heart rate up)

Wrestling/play fighting/cuddling/snuggling

Petting dogs

Journaling

Modva ,

How is it possible you're the only one talking about snuggling and cuddling?

Everyone else doing it wrong or something.

I'll add star gazing. For me that's an insane relaxant.

berryjam ,

Maybe I'm just an expert snuggler 😎

Modva ,

Maybe. Someday in the distant future someone will invent a technology which can validate bold theories like that. Whoever gets that right will be insanely rich.

You'd be able to post on a forum and have a validated rank 5 snuggler badge or something, and everyone would know you're pro. Go on talk shows, maybe start a product line of high performance pillows.

I could go on, but there's an insane sandwich here that's staring me down

Kolanaki ,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

Weed.

shinigamiookamiryuu ,

I don't know, ears underwater sound like torture. Anything with water does if I'm not drinking it.

I often hear questions worded as "how to deal with anxiety" a lot, and it feels like someone asking how to survive a fall when it's the sudden stop that kills you. More on point, my last anxiety attack was after my mum's funeral where it was discovered my siblings planned on ghosting me. It is unclear if this was repressed emotion or something new inspired this sentiment. I went home, and, after thinking about it, just cried. No bandage can do more than keep the wound closed.

If it means anything, I am a thinker at heart. Let me think my worries over and maybe I'll find peace.

Crackhappy ,
@Crackhappy@lemmy.world avatar

Worry and worry. Let me hug you.

shinigamiookamiryuu ,

Thanks hugs you too

Gerudo ,

My dogs are probably the best at it.
Then weed does a great job dealing with my migraines, so that also helps with anxiety.
Music helps on occasion.

BorgDrone ,

5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise

Identify:

  • 5 things you can see
  • 4 things you can feel
  • 3 things you can hear
  • 2 things you can smell
  • 1 thing you can taste
ellabee ,

if one of these just ramps up the anxiety, skip that sense and do the others.
trying to pick 5 things i can see is. ..not useful. ..in a panic attack. but closing my eyes and doing the others does help. it took a very long time before someone suggested skipping sight to me, so i share the insight whenever this method is suggested.

Persen ,

Stimming (I'm autististic, so it probably doesn't apply to the general population)

5wim ,

autististic

Repeating patterns, checks out

Persen ,

Well shit. I should proofread my posts. How did I even write this wrong?

Thorny_Insight ,

Daily meditation reliably makes me feel about 10% better

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