8 Things to do on an Anxious Day
Anxiety is not an easy thing to deal with on a daily basis. And sometimes, anxiety hits harder and you don’t know how to get yourself back up. The tips I have mentioned in this blog post have been used many times by myself & the friends that recommended them to me. If you are curious about what you can do to make your anxious day better, scroll down to read the 8 tips!
#1: Try to find out where the anxiety is coming from
This may be easier said than done, but typically those with anxiety prefer not to confront it. It may seem daunting to dwell deep inside and ask yourself “why am I feeling anxious?” but it may give you some insight into if the anxiety stemmed from a certain situation, or if it’s just a looming sense of anxiety over your body.
Realizing when you started to feel anxious can help you feel like you have more control over your day and your thoughts. You might not be in total control, but remember - you give power to your thoughts. If you start to overthink about overthinking (like I do), it can just cause you more un-needed anxiety. So just try to find out where the anxiety is coming from, and realize that it is there. But it is not going to take over you.
#2: Get some fresh air
I always feel better after I get some fresh air & play with my puppy. There is something about just feeling fresh air around you & greenery in front of your eyes that calms the mind. Do your best to breath in your nose & out your mouth to fully circulate that fresh oxygen your body needs.
This tip goes along great with my third tip…
#3: Try some calming breath work
Breath work may sound complicated, but it is actually the easiest thing you can do to calm yourself down. Breath work is basically working on your breathing & focusing on only your breathing. Sounds easy, right?
Focusing on how you are breathing is sort of difficult on an anxious day, since your thoughts are circulating in your head and your stress is on level 100. But by focusing on the air you are breathing in, feeling how it travels through your body, and the release of the CO2 when you exhale, it just feels like a rejuvenating experience.
An easy breath work exercise is to make your exhale longer than your inhale. For example, if you take a breath in for 5 seconds, make your exhale 8 seconds long. Making your exhale longer than your inhale will slow your heart rate down.
#4: Write out/journal the thoughts going through your head
Journaling does not have to be this extremely personal experience where you are crying and pouring your heart out into your diary. How you write out your thoughts is completely up to you. Personally, I believe that writing out or journaling the thoughts that are going through your head is the best way to get those repetitive phrases and thoughts out of your head & onto the piece of paper.
You could write down bullet points of how you are feeling in that moment. You can doodle and scribble stuff out to show that you aren’t happy. Whatever helps you process the emotions & thoughts you are going through your head - do it. Safely, of course.
#5: Tell yourself this mantra: Everything is going to be okay, and nothing bad is going to happen
When I was experiencing a heavy dose of anxiety back in 2017, a friend told me a mantra that I have been repeating a lot when I have anxiety episodes. The mantra is: everything is going to be okay, and nothing bad is going to happen.
Sounds like a simple mantra, right?
This mantra makes me feel at ease & I don’t feel like the world is out to attack me. Because the fact is, everything is going to be okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. This bad feeling will pass, and you will have a new day tomorrow.
Write this mantra on your mirror with the shower steam. Keep a sticky note on your fridge with this mantra written on it. Anything you can do to keep this mantra at the forefront of your brain - do it.
#6: Listen to 528 Hz music
This may seem like a weird thing to do on an anxious day, but it is actually really relaxing. 528 Hz music has a stress-reducing effect on the endocrine system & the autonomic nervous system, according to this paper called “Effect of 528 Hz Music on the Endocrine System and Autonomic Nervous System” (Akimoto et al.)
This study looked at the salivary bio-markers of stress (cortisol, chromogranin A, and oxytocin), and how their levels increased/decreased while listening to 528 Hz music vs. 440 Hz music, before and afterwards.
Essentially, after listening to 528 Hz music, cortisol levels significantly decreased, chromogranin A tended to decrease, and oxytocin significantly increased after music exposure. Whereas no significant change happened with the 440 Hz music.
LONG STORY SHORT - listening to 528 Hz music can make you less stressed (lowered cortisol levels) and feel happier (increased oxytocin levels).
Here is a list of 528 Hz Spotify playlists that I enjoy listening to on anxious days
#7: Talk to someone
Whether it is your best friend, your dad, your dog or your therapist - talking to someone will get your mind off of your circulating thoughts & on to someone else. When I feel like I am having a more anxious day than usual, I talk to my husband and tell him that I am feeling more anxiety than normal.
If my husband is not around, sometimes I talk to my dog (Zoey), or reach out to one of my cross-country friends. When I experience anxiety, I feel alone and like the only one who can fix my problems are me. But in reality, we are never alone. Many people have experienced what we have (in relation to anxiety), so it is more than likely that someone has experienced your same anxiety symptoms.
If you feel like you have no one to talk to, reach out to me. I don’t care what country you live in or what your age is - I will always be here to help. My Instagram DM’s are always open, and you can always contact me on my website.
#8: Listen to your needs
This may sound like one of the easiest things to do on an anxious day, but sometimes we avoid listening to our needs because we are more worried about other things. But not listening to your needs can affect your overall well-being, and sometimes you need to take a self-care day and listen to your needs.
If you need to take a nap, take a nap! Need an afternoon snack, since you are still hungry after lunch? Eat that snack!
You will feel better after listening to your needs instead of ignoring them - trust me.
Did you find any of these examples helpful? If so, comment on this blog post below, or share this post on social media!
Sources:
Akimoto, Kaho, et al. “Effect of 528 Hz Music on the Endocrine System and Autonomic Nervous System.” Health, vol. 10, no. 09, 2018, pp. 1159–1170, 10.4236/health.2018.109088.
