Share your anxiety coping strategies.

I blog about my feelings & I daydream.

i have sandalwood bracelets that i wear. the wood is supposed to help with anxiety, plus it gives you something to do with your hands and mind by counting the beads. also, for nausea i carry a small piece of fresh ginger in a tiny jar. one whiff of that knocks the nausea right out, plus the deep breath helps to relax you. if i start to reach "panic mode" i recite a mantra over and over, counting one bead on my bracelet for each time i repeat the mantra, while taking slow, deep breaths. it helps me a lot, it's almost like a mini-meditation. sometimes it allows me to reach a profound level of calm and peace in what was previously a very stressful and fearful moment.

my favorite mantra is the Green Tara Mantra: ohm tara tuttare ture svaha.

this is the song i sing:

I suspect we all have different )though similar) things that happen to us when we encounter situations that spark anxiety and/or panic attacks.

For me, the main thing would be having a bad thought or idea running through my head over and over again, until, as the physical responses became more and more unbearable, it degenerated into pretty much just "oh f*ck oh f*ck oh f*ck".

THOSE I dealt with by throwing a spanner into the whirling machine, which was something along the lines of "OK. Enough.", or "How is this REALLY going to hurt you?"

That worked well with stuff that involved fixed situations or inanimate objects, like being under a wide-open sky, in an enclosed space, or being up high.

Doesn't work so well in social situations, where the things that cause anxiety are other people. That's a lot more complex, because the things that make me anxious are constantly changing. I'm still working on that, but pretty much blindly.

Tranquilizers. *bad influence*

Jogging works best for me, not that I actually have a routine, but that's what I did when I had to go through some social occasions.
I just get up really early and go running, after getting exhausted my body don't act as anxious, not to mention getting up early allowed me to prepare for things.

I "attempt" to psyche myself out most of the time. It usually doesn't help, but trying never hurt. I also find that removing eye contact makes it less personal for me. Which helps me communicate a little better. However, this is a sign of no confidence and is bad body language. It helps for me though.

ginger beer chills me out for some reason, maybe because when i get anxious or stressed i get bad indigestion and nausea and ginger beers helps almost instantly.

Hmmm, must remember to try that.I also get frequent indigestion.

ugh i loathe eye contact also >.>

for me its important to know what situations make me most uncomfortable, so i can prepare myself and how i can react.

it could just be avoiding those situations, but often that isnt an option, so i just tell myself that i have to do it, no matter what, so i take a deep breath, and just 'dive in.' Coz im running on so much adrenalin during the situation, i dont have time to think about what im doing, or what ill say next, i sorta go on autopilot. That is good because it doesnt give me time to work myself up, which is half the problem for me. Even if i still get anxiety symptoms during the situation, (sweaty palms, hot flushes) I just ignore them as if they arent happening, and wait until they go away.

this is easier for situations i can easily get myself out of though, like talking to someone while im walking, or small talk with a checkout person at the supermarket, or a class presentation (coz i know it will end soon)

not so easy for situations where i feel 'trapped' for a long time, like long train rides with someone, or going out for dinner, or anything that is in a formal situation.

Hair pulling, skin picking, biting, scratching, and a close encounter with a razor blade.

I know, I know, go ahead and make the emo jokes. I deserve it. I've got more scars than a manatee in Florida.

If it's a bad month or so, might be time for a new tat or piercing, though since I'm getting older I've chilled a bit on those.
Smoking too -- doesn't make me less nervous, but I like to think about all the toxins in cigarettes.

I must be a real primitive, because I can only seem to deal with anxiety physically. Not that I've actually tried anything
else, but I don't believe in quackery.

Music. Music. Tons of mind-melting music. Lots of Touhou too.

Fiddling with something like a headphone wire, a coat string, a sweater drawstring, my fingers. I also tap my foot if I'm overly anxious.

If i'm walking around and nervous i'll fiddle with my fingers and when i'm sitting i either have a pen or a knife in my hand just moving it around.

mostly weed and booze......nothin' else works and pain killerz tooo.....

Opening all the windows I can and huddling under a blanket in a corner where I can see all the openings to the room I'm in.

Smoking, because it makes my breath visible.

Sedatives.

Taking my pulse every five minutes and forcing myself to concentrate on willing my heartbeat slower.

ever since i had my first panic attack, knowing the symptoms has made it so the occurrence doesn't freak me out. that has been my coping strategy - knowing what is going on.

that first time, i thought i was having a heart attack. my chest hurt. i couldn't see straight, nor could i settle my stomach. i needed valium to calm down.

For me it's mostly escapism. I watch movies and TV shows, read books, try to relive happy memories, daydream, etc. It really helps to be somewhere else for some time.

Sometimes I write about my anxieties, just to get it all out, but it doesn't always help. I take valerian root as well. It doesn't make the anxiety go away, but it calms me down, which makes it easier to deal with the anxiety.

lucky meme.....you actually have prescribed sedatives?....sell me sum....jk......

opening windows and watching the sky while i smoke weed underneath a warm blanket is one of my morning routines......for realz.....

I thought of something else. I tend to structure everything, because it makes things more predictable. I have certain 'routines' I follow. For example, I alway take the same route in the supermarket and I buy almost the same things every week (and eat the same things every week). And I always walk through the same streets when going to my family. I feel safer doing this.

My photography helps me a lot. And music. Usually it's Malice Mizer or something as weirdly calming.


I don't know... It's like when I get behind the lense I have to focus on getting the angle just right and getting the best lighting so I stop thinking about whatever may be bothering me.

Some of what others already said: I have daydreaming and music. Anything to give me an excuse to not respond to anyone.
I feel even better not being out there at all of course.

your experience can be as good or as bad as you want it to be. i try to stick by this motto. a couple xanax can't hurt either.

Sleeping pills, antianxiety medication, booze, and Disney movies.