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I tend to be an anxious person. I worry about a lot of different things. Most of the time I worry about things that are out of my control or minuscule things. It’s difficult to just turn the anxiety off, so I try to find some self care activities to help.
I’ve dealt with anxiety my whole life. I fixate on things and it’s hard to change. I go through scenarios in my head for every variation of a situation so I’m prepared but that just makes me worry more.
If I’m going through an extremely anxious time, I’ve found some activities that help ease my mind and distract me from those anxious thoughts. Here are 12 of my favorite self-care activities for when I’m feeling anxious.
Self Care Activities
Puzzles
My favorite thing to do is to work on puzzles. It really helps distract me because it gives me something else to focus on.
I also love board games, but puzzles are easier because it’s something you can do alone.
Listen to Music
I love to turn up some upbeat music and dance around and sing while I clean or something around the house. I love to sing and don’t have a lot of opportunities to do so anymore. It’s an activity I enjoy and a way to get some emotion out.
Take a Warm Bath or Shower
A warm bath or shower is just extremely relaxing. It’s an easy way for me to calm down and just chill for a little while.
Curl Up with a Blanket and Read
I personally use a weighted blanket which is like being hugged. It helps make me feel at peace. Reading just takes my mind away from whatever is bothering and I’m transported to another place. I get free books using my amazon prime account so I can always find something good.
Drink Some Tea or Water
One flaw I have is that I don’t drink enough water. If I’m feeling extra anxiety, I try to drink more water. It actually does help quite a bit. Tea also helps. I generally drink the tea that’s literally called calming tea and it does help calm me!
Cuddle my Husband or Cat
This is another one of my favorite things. There is absolutely nothing like a good cuddle session with your significant other. I can always talk things out and he always makes me feel better.
My cat is a good alternative for when my husband is not around (although I can’t talk things out with her!) And when I’m lucky enough to have both my husband and my cat at the same time, well that’s just the peak anxiety calming situation!
Color
I really enjoy coloring and being creative so coloring in a coloring book is very relaxing for me. Over the years, my husband has gotten me various coloring books and markers so I have a lot of options.
Go for a Walk or Go for a Bike Ride
Walking or biking is also a good way to reduce my anxiety. I think the combination of fresh air and exercise is what helps in this situation.
Pamper Myself
My husband and I are on a journey to save money, so I don’t always pamper myself. Anxious days are a good excuse for me to pamper myself. I’m not talking manicures and pedicures (although I would love that if I weren’t trying to save money right now). More like a facemask and paint my own nails.
Bake Something
The best part about baking to relax and calm anxiety is that you have something sweet to eat at the end!
All of these self-care activities are the self-care things that I like to do when I feel anxious. These are the things that I’ve learned have helped calm me and reduce the anxiety I feel at that time. They may not work for everyone because everyone is so different.
When it comes to my anxiety issues, I’m willing to try anything to help with it. What are some self-care things you do help with anxiety?
These are all great suggestions! Taking a hot bath is so relaxing to me and definitely helps my anxiety!
Great list here. It’s such a good way to spend the day on a snowy day in Alaska. But I cannot walk or ride a bike today 🙂
I love all of these ideas! Baking is one of my favourite things to do when I have some “me time”. Great post!
Thank you for sharing. I’m an anxious person also. I end to be most anxious when I’m in bed at night because I go over everything. I’ll try some of these.
I like journaling, writing affirmations and gratitude. You have some great ideas. Coloring can help a lot.
Great ideas. Everyone has different stressors and different ways of overcome anxiety. I love that you have such a wide range of suggestions.
Great suggestions! I don’t have a weighted blanket, but I noticed that the heavier it is, the better I feel.
I call a friend to decrease anxiety. It helps to talk it through. Thank you for this post. These are great tips. I like the puzzle idea! Thank you!
Great article full of useful strategies! And a topic that is important to me right now as I have been experiencing intense, stress-induced anxiety for several months now. The good news: I usually employ ALL of these strategies when stressed or anxious. The bad news: The circumstances of my life since breaking my leg a couple of years ago (SHATTERED my leg, surgery required, wheelchair bound for two months) has set me into a too-tightly-scheduled life of continuous work and proverbial fire-fighting. My big take away from your article was this: I need to ditch some things and reclaim some personal time so I can do these things that I know work! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
These are great! I also have started meditating when I’m super anxious and that helps!
These tips for self-care activities are all great. I struggle with anxiety and can say that all these things are helpful. Baking is nice because it gives me something to do with my hands and there are good feelings associated with tasty eats. I am a huge bath person, when I really want to relax I bring in the salts, candles, and music and really get my zen on. For me the thing that helps most with anxiety is walking in nature, as it helps with the restless shakes while providing a calm atmosphere. I can always use a little nature therapy. I have several coloring books made with adults in mind. I am artistic and enjoy the intricate coloring work with finer details, so much fun. If I drink tea it has to be decaf for me, herbal teas are awesome and soothing. I’m a huge puzzler and love feel good music, both great! Sometimes though, you just need a little support. I rely on cuddles with my husband a lot. Grab a blanket, get comfortable, and watch some feel good comedy to take my mind off things. Awesome post!
I also find puzzles calming when I’m anxious! I think it’s something about knowing that each piece has its exact place that I can eventually find. 🙂 Enjoyed the article, thanks for sharing!
I agree with the tea! Tea is a great way to ease your tension and anxiety. Thanks for sharing!
Great list of ideas! Saving for future reference 😁
Very helpful article. I enjoyed it since it is on the same topic as many of my blogs. However, I have never seen baking in the list. Good to know, since that is one of my personal go-tos.