I tried different ways to ease my anxiety

Anxiety affects a lot of people everyday and with the stresses of work, relationships, and society in general, it may become hard to manage anxious feelings.

I’ve dealt with anxiety for years. I worry constantly over little things and most times, I feel anxious for absolutely no reason. I can never exactly figure out why I feel this way. It often causes a lack of motivation to do daily tasks or work.

My usual go-to solution for easing my anxiety is often to wait and hope for the feelings to pass. I just get under the covers and ride them out, which is unhealthy. So, I decided to look up some ways to easy my anxiety and I tried them out.

Playing video games

I absolutely love video games and I can see why it’d be a great way for one to ease their nervous feelings. They allow players to escape into a virtual world where they may feel more in control. However, choose your games wisely – some may work better than others to help anxiety.

I tried playing three different games: Grand Theft Auto V, Fallout 4, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. While I love all three games and enjoyed playing them, I felt that Dragon Age made my feelings of anxiety easier to deal with.

All three games, of course, have incredibly different atmospheres. Due to the rather violent nature of GTA V and Fallout 4, I found my anxious feelings to be surfacing while playing, whereas in Dragon Age the beautiful imagery and exploration of different maps within the game helped to ease my nervousness.

When in doubt, write your heart out

Writing out your feelings is a great way to help you work out what you’re feeling. However, I found it rather difficult to figure out exactly what to write because I didn’t really know how to describe my feelings. So, I decided to take a different route.

I wrote a letter to myself saying positive things. My goal was to remind myself that whatever I was feeling or worrying about would eventually pass and wouldn’t matter in the future.

Setting is also important when writing. Always write in a place you’re comfortable with. I chose the sanctuary of my own bed and I used music to help set the mood. Plus, I shut off the lights in my room and only used light from my window.

Drink chamomile tea

I was a bit reluctant to try this remedy because I’m not a fan of tea. However, chamomile tea is a must-try remedy, especially right before bed.

My anxiety tends to surface right before I’m about to sleep and it’s sometimes kept me up all night. Drinking chamomile tea really helped with this. Not too long after finishing my cup of tea, I felt relaxed and kind of sleepy. Unfortunately, upon resting my head on my pillow, I couldn’t sleep right away – it took me about an hour to fall asleep. However, it’s an improvement because it usually takes me longer.

Listening to calming sounds

Any streaming website will be your best friend for this. I chose to listen to a variety of sounds and music.

Slow-paced orchestral pieces seemed to work really well for me and allowed me to really take my mind to a different place and just relax until my nervousness subsided.

Nature sounds also helped ease my anxiety. I’d recommend listening to the sound of rain, streams, and leaves rustling.

I also tried listening to ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), a pleasant sensation one feels when listening to unique triggering sounds. There are plenty of ASMR videos online that you can listen to. YouTube is nice enough to categorize different ASMR videos to help you find something you like easier.

I enjoyed noises such as tapping or people running their fingers against different surfaces. I suggest listening to ASMR right before bed due to its calming nature.

Spend time with an animal

Animals are a great way to take your mind off things and they’re great listeners. So, if you feel like you don’t want to talk to anyone because you’re worried you’ll be judged, spill your heart out to an animal.

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Anxiety can be a real hassle but the key is to never wallow in those fits of nervousness. Always look to things that keep you calm and if one remedy doesn’t work, look for another; you’re bound to find something that calms you.

Even more, it affects many people on a daily basis. If you suffer from anxiety, chances are someone else you know suffers from it too. You’re not alone in this and there’s always someone to help you.

Note: Not everyone deals with anxiety in a similar manner and not all remedies that some suggest work. Most of the remedies I tried are not long-term or able to fully cure anxious feelings. Rather, these are quick remedies that may help to ease your feelings for that moment. To really see results, continue doing these on a daily schedule. Commitment is key.