I feel like now is a good time to write another post about managing anxiety, especially since so many of us are struggling with anxiety during this difficult time. As an extreme introvert, I still don’t know if I am enjoying these social distancing orders. Ever since my university switched over to a remote learning plan, I have experienced a bunch of different emotions such as relief, happiness, sadness, anger, distress, depression, and anxiety. I didn’t think it was possible to experience so many emotions at once! With that being said, the focus of this blog post will be aimed at managing anxiety.

Anxiety Management Practices

1. Develop awareness of anxiety by asking yourself these important questions: 
   ✧ What are the physical signs that are making me feel anxious?
   ✧ What are the behavioural signs that are making me feel anxious? How am I behaving towards myself and others around me?
   ✧ What am I focusing on that might be adding to my anxiety?
2. Build Anti-Anxiety “Grounding” or “Distancing” practices. Establish a minimum-time of practice during a given event such as a 15-minute time frame.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Make your own practices/resources visible and available so that these resources are available to you when you need them the most. I have compiled a list of ideas to help get you started!

♥ Here are some ideas ♥

1. Talking to someone who “gets” you or finding support groups online.

2. Trying the 5-4-3-2-1 Technique from I Attended an Anxiety Workshop

3. Practicing breathing exercises from I Attended an Anxiety Workshop

4. Meditation and mindfulness practices from I Attended An Anxiety Workshop | Part 2

5. Practicing yoga from the comfort of your living room. I recommend FREE workout videos from YouTube. My favourite fitness channel on YouTube is BeFIT🧘‍♀️🌱

 6. Journaling such as gratitude journaling or bullet journaling.

7. Physical activity such as long walks outdoors. Just remember to keep your distance from everyone if you decide to leave the house.

8. Chores which include cleaning and tidying. You could Marie Kondo your home while listening to the audiobook. Yes, it is FREE on YouTube!

9. Cooking or baking. Give your unused cookbooks some love by trying a new recipe.

10. Tap into your creative, authentic self. You could revisit creative projects that you have been neglecting such as adult colouring, blogging, knitting, jigsaw puzzles etc.

11. Appreciating nature by spending time outdoors or indoors, depending on your preference. Again, remember to keep your distance from people to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. My favourite place to escape from reality happens to be this therapeutic sanctuary on campus.

12. Aromatherapy works wonders too. I wrote a blog post about the essential oils and diffuser that I use everyday.

13. Listen to music on YouTube, Spotify etc. Surprisingly, I am enjoying the Spotify subscription a lot more than I thought I would. I use Spotify to listen to music playlists on my iPhone or Google Home(s).

14. Spending time with your beloved pets ♥️

15. Tracking water intake using a cute app like Plant Nanny. Do you often have a shit mood? You might be dehydrated and not even be aware of it. Want to track your water intake? Try growing a virtual garden! Before I switched over to a new phone a couple years ago, I had a virtual garden which was awesome! 😊🌺

16. Practicing self compassion like self-care, positive affirmations etc.

17. Playing video games or watching Netflix. It’s easy to get addicted to these things so try and put a limit on how much time you spend engaging in these activities. Even though we don’t use Netflix, we happen to have over 3TB of downloaded movies, documentaries, and TV shows.

18. Reading a self-help book to help lift your spirits. I recommend reading “You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life” by Jen Sincero.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Remember to continue practicing your preferred strategies in moments when you are feeling calm, which will help reinforce these stress relief practices. You need to actively practice these techniques especially when you are having a better day, or you will struggle to gravitate towards good habits when you are knee deep in anxiety and/or depression.

You might be surprised to learn that many bloggers struggle to find the motivation to write sometimes. Honestly, I haven’t been motivated to write blog posts since being confined to my house . I also faced a ton of resistance prior to writing this blog post. Now that I have written this blog post, I actually feel a sense of accomplishment! If you enjoyed reading this blog post, feel free to leave a comment below↓

Thanks for stopping by!