Funnily enough, something that has helped me with my anxiety is the ability to distract myself. I've talked to lots of people with different opinions about this technique, but I remain convinced that positive distractions can help keep anxiety under control.
The first exercise I want to talk about is something I discovered whilst learning about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with a psychologist. I call it "Focus," but I've heard of other names like "Microscope" before as well. To do this activity, select an object from somewhere in the room. It can be something as mundane as a plastic cup, or something beautiful, or something bizarre. Examine the object closely. Try to notice everything about it: use as many of your senses as possible. How is it shaped? What does it smell like? What is its texture? Maybe the light reflects off it in a certain way. What colour is it? The idea is to bring your focus to the object, and away from your anxiety. As you begin to concentrate on the object, to "zoom in," it becomes harder to see the things you are anxious about.
This next exercise is very similar to the first, because again it involves changing your focus and allowing your mind to wrap itself around a small part of its surroundings, rather than being overwhelmed by the big picture. The technique is called "Snapshot," and I learned it from my wonderful physics teacher, Ms K. To do this exercise, take a look out the nearest window (I find it works better if you can find a window overlooking a garden or park). Pretend you are looking through the lens of a camera, and choose something to take a "picture" of. Don't pay attention to anything outside the frame: simply allow yourself to enjoy the picture, to be in the moment. My favourite thing to focus on during Snapshot is a tree branch waving in the wind.
If you're the kind of person who likes to do a lot of thinking and thrives on working things out, you might also like to try doing crosswords or simple math problems. Apart from developing your vocabulary and arithmetic, it can be a good distraction from whatever your mind is stuck on at the time. I often take a book of crosswords to school and do a few clues when I'm feeling really awful- I find it quite grounding and great for my focus (I think I must have the concentration span of a ten year old!).
I also find lists to be very stress-relieving. Knowing that I've accounted for everything and written it down in a list helps me get rid of the feeling that I've forgotten something important (this often accompanies my anxiety). Lists can also help quantify your fears or the things you worry about. I often write down my problems as a list and typically find them easier to consider and solve when I can look at them all together, in a logical order.
A common method of coping with anxiety/stress is to use a stress ball. The act of repeatedly squeezing the ball relieves tension and stress, and also increase blood circulation. They're often used in meditation or for alleviating arthritis and can be very beneficial. It can take a while to find one that you like: I prefer more malleable materials that I can pulverise without breaking!
Up until I became ill with depression and anxiety, I hadn't really paid much attention to people when they told me about aromatherapy: now it's an entirely different story. Certain scents can elicit different feelings in us, and some can be really effective in helping tame anxiety. My personal favourite is lavender oil, as it seems to be the most effective at calming my mind and distracting me from my worries. I sleep with it on my pillow and often use it as perfume, which is particularly handy if I have high anxiety when I'm out or at school. It lets me focus on the scent instead of trying to sort through the jumble of thoughts in my mind.
If you don't want to carry a stress ball around, or just have an fondness for pretty rocks (like me) you could try carrying around one of these beauties in your pocket. Apart from being gorgeous to look at, you can find ones with different textures and shapes. Fiddling around with a pretty stone can somehow occupy me for minutes at a time, and I find it particularly helpful if I'm stuck waiting somewhere or finding it hard to concentrate in class. My favourite one at the moment is a polished chip of gold sandstone, because it's smooth with a couple of points and glitters orange-gold. It's a great distraction, and easy to do without attracting too much attention.
Hopefully these little tricks can help you relax a bit more, especially for those who have exams coming up! They are some of the most common exercises I use to alleviate my own anxiety, and can be used in all sorts of situations.
Focus and Snapshot sound like interesting exercises...I better try them out some time. :) I agree with you...I make lists so I know what I am doing and I feel more productive as I tick each thing off the list. For me, instead of having a stressball, I carry around an elephant purse that I got from my favourite teacher..each time I have an assessment at school, I would unzip my skirt pocket and bring it out to touch it...letting my fingers run over the fabric and tell myself quietly in my head that I have studied really hard and I can do this assessment well. But your suggestions of having a rock and aromatherapy are really good too! :D
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Hi, I'm Em. I love to dance, and am really interested in psychology (hence the psych-related content). My blog is centred around topics related to mental health and wellbeing, with opinion articles based on my own experiences (as well as additional research). My aim is to provide a comfortable and positive online environment and share information that has been helpful to me, both now and in the past.