I'm so much better than I used to be. But tips would still be helpful haha.

I don't, it consumes me like a dragon.

Aha but seriously, I struggle with this a lot. I find that mindfulness is a real help, as is getting enough sleep. Don't be afraid to take time out from responsibilities to take care of yourself. Know your limits, and don't overdo it. Approach everything as calmly as you can ; if you're not calm at the start, then start again. Take breaks. Take naps. Eat as well as you can. Dismiss bad thoughts straight away - don't let them dig their claws in. Plan things out, even mundane things - having a plan means that your mind is more at ease. Reward yourself for overcoming anxieties, even little ones, they add up.

I hope this helps, I think it's a matter of finding what works for you and sticking with it - with anxieties I've generally found that it gets worse before it gets better.

I have this small piece of citrine that was given to me by a woman i met in CO. She told me i could have it, as long as I promised to think of something I'm grateful for whenever I touch it. I keep it in my pocket and find myself playing with it a lot, especially since I never know what to do with my hands. after practicing thinking of things I'm grateful for, it just comes naturally whenever I touch its smooth surface. Now, when I feel anxious I can just touch my rock and think of other things and it really helps me get out of a rut and keep moving forward :)

@ sadgirl - What I've found useful is eating a healthy diet. Having the right foods allows your brain to be more balanced. Also, using an oil diffuser and putting lavender oil in it is very calming.

When you wake up, take some time to fully wake up. Read, meditate, walk... just something that helps you to be in a good mood. Waking up earlier if you have to is worth it. And, if you don't walk in the morning, walk in the evening. Having non-intense sunlight and walking outside is very beneficial. If you get bored walking, listen to music on your walk.

I also carry a stuffed animal with me. Whether it's a pocket sized one or a large one, hugging or petting it helps me when I start to feel anxious.

I find the source of my anxiety (parents, living @ home) and try to fix it. So I usually try to work a lot or get out and be with friends.

But - The anxiety has become so bad at times; it transcended into becoming worse and more prominent in my life. So I try to do my hobbies and read a lot of poetry (zen like stuff). I know owning an animal is good therapy - so I play with my cat and dog and spend a lot of time with them. Focusing on school and looking towards a better future. ❤️

Planning meticulously, and always being prepared for things I can be prepared for (class, work, etc). If I keep scheduled I can prove to myself that I have nothing to worry about on at least that front.

Maintaining a healthy weight is also important; my anxiety was much, much worse when I was even slightly overweight. Mental and physical health are closely tied. By the same token, getting an appropriate amount of sleep.

When appropriate, soothing games and objects. I have a tiny glitter jar necklace, and I make full-size ones too. I have a few games I always play on my phone on public transportation that relax me (or are distracting enough that I can't get tied up worrying).

How do I cope with my anxiety? Terribly? Hahaha!

I just try to distract myself, and keep positive thoughts in mind, even though my brain is like, 'everything is going to be horrible, and you will be horrible.' I tend to prefer watching or playing things than just listening to music due to it being a more overall stimulating thing (but that might be more of an ADHD thing).

I walk a lot for my job as well, which I find is generally really relaxing for the most part (unless my dogs decide to make me work that day, haha!) I always tend to feel a bit clearer afterwards.

I try to find something to distract me--a book, a game, etc--until I can work past whatever was making me anxious. That works best for when I'm having big anxiety spikes. For background anxiety, being around animals helps me a lot! Volunteering at my local shelter, petting and cuddling with my cat, etc. Having my cat around also helps keep my spikes less drastic (which means she's doing her job, since I did get her to be an emotional support animal!)

I vent to my boyfriend, take my sleeping pill and go to sleep , or busy myself with stuff where I don't have to think of the problem. Also taking a break on hard tasks with some relaxation. Do something you like to do. Or try to calm myself down and breathe slowly. Also I love my chameleon and baby her, that helps too because I love her.

I do all sorts of stuff; leg shaking, arm flapping, gripping something, biting and all that help me keep from freaking out. I try to focus on the sensation instead, repeat mantras in my head. I also have a go playlist of songs to help me calm down since it drowns out the rapid fire negative thinking.

I'm mostly anxious about pretty irrational things, so it helps to talk it out with someone. If I don't have anyone around, I'll try to excuse myself to the bathroom if I'm in public and talk to myself. I ask things like "why are you anxious?" "okay, but why does that bother you?" "How do you know that?". And I keep going until I've either found the root of the problem so I can try to address it, or I've shown myself that there's really nothing to be anxious about.

I don't. I do, however, look at this image.

SPOILER (click to toggle)

To help. I set it as my phone background and would look at it during work. Of course now I'm out of a job, fml. It works for me, but it doesn't exactly cure anything or make me less of a fizzling ball of anxiety.

I try my best to distract myself with anything within reach lol and when that doesn't help, I sleep, if I'm in a position to; my anxiety often includes an element of panic so it really helps to put my autonomic nervous system back in control by conking out. Worse case scenario, I accept it and let it flow through me and eventually it lessens.

Good luck OP and everyone else. <3

I would seriously love the answer to this question, lol. But no really, when I have an anxiety attack many different things happen that I can't control, as you probably know with yourself. Say if I'm at home, and having an anxiety attack there two different things I like to do. If SOMEONE is giving me anxiety attack, get away from them. Go outside, go to the bathroom, somewhere quiet and peaceful so you can get a breather, and a clear mind to figure out what to do. On the other end of the spectrum, if I'm giving myself anxiety, I like to roll up on my boyfriend or even my dog, and just close my eyes.

I think everyone has different ways of calming and coping, and this is mine. It's not very scientific, or special because it does change from time to time.

Good luck though finding your happy place!

I'm currently seeking help with a psychologist to cope. But I do have some things I do to help:

• Regular sleep schedule: it works. I used to be a total night owl but I switched my sleep schedule so I'd get 8 hours of sleep while going to sleep and waking up roughly on the same hour.
• Drink lots of water: 1-2 liters a day. Avoid too much coffee (a cup or two a day is fine!), avoid energy drinks and soda completely. Alternative to only water is tea if you like that!
• When you have a panic attack or too many negative/anxious thoughts do breathing exercises. When you notice anxiety taking over try focusing on your breathing and your breath only. Close your eyes if that helps or if you can, but try to think only of your breath while slowly but steadily breathing in and out. It really helps for me.
• Mindful meditation. If you want to learn more about it you can try it for free at a website named calm.com. I feel like I'm getting my "bad thoughts" under control much more.
• Exercise: if you don't already try going for a short walk every day. My doctor advised on 1 hour walk a day on a steady pace but I used to be such a couch potato I couldn't. Now I jog 3x a week and try to go for a short walk on the other days. Make sure you walk mindful though and do not get lost in thought. Focus on your breathing and your surroundings so anxious thoughts don't take over.

While I agree that the first remedy for social anxiety should be that you get out of the place that is causing you anxiety or away from the person that is to get a breathing place, I think that you should try to work on coping with anxiety better. Like the mindful meditation that will help you get emotions under control you need to practice your brain every day.

I read great advice online: We react "negatively" to situations because our brain only knows anxiety as the best way out since we never learned a "better" solution to deal with these emotions or situations. If we train ourselves to cope, we also teach our brain another "easy" way to deal with these things. After a while we'll be able to react better or not at all to situations that could cause us anxiety.

what would you all do for social anxiety?and anxiety :( i get it really bad where its hard to talk to people. i feel like it takes over my life i also get really bad panic attacks sometimes. this is a challenge because i'm trying to get out there and make friends but this is stopping me.

You're going to hate this response but "Fake it Til You Make It" is one of the most effective ways to go. I used to be crippled by social anxiety, to the point I couldn't talk to wait staff in restaurants and would sometimes refuse to leave the house for fear of interacting with strangers. But after getting on some meds to help manage the brain chemical parts that always put me on high alert, it just became a matter of always being willing to reach out and doing my best to carry on conversations with co-workers and strangers. It's SUPER hard at first, but over time, it gets easier and easier. Just make sure to hit a balance of always pushing yourself, but also going easy on yourself and taking a break when you know you can't take anymore. Again, it's REALLY tough sometimes, but the results are so worth it. It's nice being able to interact with the world!

Stuff that helped me otherwise manage anxiety:

-Vipassana meditation. Especially mindful breathing. When you're stressing out, close your eyes and breathe in and out. Slow and measured, each inhale held for a few seconds. Think about just that; the measurement of your breathing and the fact that you're inhaling, exhaling, inhaling, exhaling. If your mind wanders, don't worry about it, just gently nudge it back to focusing on your breathing. Keep doing it until you're feeling calmer or the bad feelings have passed.

-Letting the emotions pass. Whatever you're feeling to make you anxious, the worst thing I can do in that moment is violently try and shove the feelings away. It's a temp reprieve and just means you're going to feel it again later and it'll be even stronger. This is especially relevant for anxiety surrounding a bad memory. When this happens, let yourself feel what you're feeling; embarrassment, fear, anger, shame. And then gently let it go. Visualizing being by a stream and watching leaves drift past you helps; the leaves are your thoughts, and you're just touching each one and then letting it float away.

-Medication! It's not an instant cure and can't fix you alone without therapy or other behavioural support, but it can go a long way in taming your demons. Sometimes it takes a few tries to figure out which pill or which combo of pills works for you, and that can be a little miserable. But finding that perfect fit is liberating; it can get you to a place where you can finally get things done and continue healing on your own.

-I know this isn't going to sound serious but: Weed. My anxiety levels have plummeted since I started smoking again on the reg. Even several days after one sesh, I always feel calmer, able to deal with problems better and just a tiny bit detached so that it doesn't let me freak out in the moment when things are going wrong. Granted, this isn't an option for everyone, either because of allergies, legality, or personal tolerance. But looking into even drops, mild edibles (the place I buy from sells 'em ranging from the usual cookies and brownies to sublingual rubs, tasty little chocolate stars, cashew chews, caramels, even just plain ol' pills, all with differing ranges of potency and THC levels) might be worthwhile.

-Being mindful of what makes you anxious. This one sounds like a no-brainer, but I can say from personal experience how easy it is to get lost in your anxiety and not realize how you even got there. If you find there's a specific situation, memory, place or even person that sets you off without fail, it's time to sit down and figure out why that is. And then from there, determine what you can do to lessen it, even if that means cutting out that particular thing entirely, either for good or until you can learn to manage better.

Hope this was helpful. I'd be happy to go into detail on any of these if needed!