That Sinking Feeling: On Anxiety and How to Handle It by Ke’bria Williams, Art by Namalas In m

That Sinking Feeling: On Anxiety and How to Handle It by Ke’bria Williams, Art by Namalas In modern times we see anxiety being romanticized and trivialized while some of us are greatly affected by it. For some people, anxiety is that uncomfortable bubble in your stomach when you have to speak in front of the class. For others, anxiety is getting nervous texting your parents. In your mind you’re like “these are my parents why am I freaking out???” and yet; you’re still putting it off because you’re nervous and you have no real reason to be but you are. Yeah, for some of us anxiety gets pretty intense. With it being fall, most of us are going back to one of the biggest causes of anxiety: school. It may be because you just started a new school, or maybe you just aren’t with people you know. Maybe you’re just a ball of nervous all the time and you don’t know what to do! Anxiety manifests itself in a lot of different ways in a lot of situations, and sometimes it feels like everything is overwhelming and there’s nothing you can do. Sometimes even the smallest things can help, so if you’re looking for possible ways to manage your anxiety, you’ve come to a nice place to find some! Breathing : A simple but effective tactic, focusing on your breathing can ease the nervous jitters you may feel and calm you down.Distractions : Distractions can be anything from clicking your pen, squiggling in the margins of your notes, or tapping your fingers. I find focusing on something repetitive and random can help clear my head. Even looking at pictures of dogs or something else you enjoy can help! Music : This one might seem a little obvious, but music can help calm you. And if you aren’t able to access your headphones, just play a song in your head, or make one up! Just try not to zone out in the process. Refocus your brain : This can be something simple like a crossword, making lists, or reading. I find that the phone game Dots can soothe me because it’s pretty simple and repetitive. Food : Eating something good or drinking something delicious can help you feel better, even if it’s just a bag of chips.Pampering : Now typically you can’t take a soothing bath in the middle of class. But in the words of Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle: treat yourself! For some people this can be as simple as taking a warm shower or putting on some nice lotion. Look the part : Sometimes your outside can help your inside. Whether you do that by dressing up or dressing down, you can make yourself more comfortable. Don’t push yourself : The most important one! Now I’m not saying never try new things or go out of your comfort zone. If you really feel like you can’t do it, or you’re just not ready, don’t risk your personal health!! Sometimes you just can bring yourself to do things, and that’s alright! Everyone has their own pace. Sometimes we find that we can’t even pinpoint the cause of our anxiety, but we definitely want a solution. Unfortunately there is no complete cure for anxiety, but maybe you found something here to help you cope. -- source link

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