what are some good and healthy distractions from my anxiety when it gets really bad?

I keep a special basket filled with some knitting, hand sewing, writing and drawing tools, tablet with an assortment of pens, pencils and fancy ink, some small poetry books and magazines, several scented candles, box of wooden matches, a flashlight, a few hand lotions, a couple jar of candies and one of nuts, dark glasses, headphones and listen to some music, or my favorite radio with low volume. I only bring out the basket when I am having a panic attack or anxiety. I first light a candle and will take a few things out and organize the rest and usually with 15-20 minutes with my basket I begin feel the anxiety fade.

practice breathing can help anxiety. finding a hobby can help anxiety. reading books about anxiety and coping with anxiety can calm anxiety. recognize what causes anxiety and try to stay away. reduce coffee consumption, at first i didnt think this was so serious but as soon as i stop, in a couple weeks i been calmer. listening to music, talking to people about anxiety, meditation. I found that my beliefs have help me so much control my anxiety and even held some part of it. there are so many things one can do for anxiety and the solution start with wanting to heal and doing everything it take even though it can give you sometimes anxiety about the future.

Distracting yourself from anxiety is not an easy task, but it definitely can be done. Personally I love to draw and paint while listening to music. It helps me get out of my mind and let’s me think clearly for a bit. Another great resource to use is reading a book. When you feel like your life is stressful, then get lost in someone else’s. Books are especially great for anxiety because you have to be focusing on the words, and not on being anxious. I would also say that excersize is a great way to let go of some of your nerves while simultaneously staying in shape!

Well, having anxiety can be very tiring for the mind but here are some good and healthy distractions you can do if it gets really bad: try to work on what you like, your passion for example or you can do some meditation too to calm yourself. Meditation will not only calm your mind but it will help you organize better everything that is going on. If it gets really bad, you can listen to some calming music or do some exercise too. Or, try to connect with some of your friends, talk together, laugh together. It will just make you feel better and worry less.

I hold my breath for seven seconds. For me anxiety comes in quick breaths that I can't control. Holding my breath for seven seconds helps me regain control of my body. Start by holding you breath for seven seconds. Then exhale for six seconds. Inhale for five. Hold for seven. Exhale for six. This slows your heart rate and can be very grounding. When you count your breaths its harder to focus on the things making you anxious. After grounding myself I like to write letters. They don't have to be to a person. They can be to anything you want really. But I've found the most helpful letters I write are to myself. It helps me validate my feelings and deal with my anxiety.

Take time to breathe Take breaks from what's giving you anxiety Tell your teachers and parents how you feel. Make sure you are comfortable with where you are and the situation your in. If not tell someone how your feeling and ask if you can take a break and go to another room. There are many other ways to help with anxiety and you can find some on Google as well. I hope this helped you in some way. Maybe keeping a journal and writing down how you feel can also help. Different things work for different people. Find what works best for you

I have found many good and healthy distractions to help with anxiety. 1.talking to a trusted loved one 2.watching a movie or tv show that makes you feel relaxed and comfortable 3. Reading a good book or a magazine that brings you joy 4.meditating or practicing yoga is a good way to ease anxiety 5.writing in a journal or notebook 6.taking your dog on a walk or going on a walk on your own or with a friend 7.lighting a candle and taking a relaxing bath 8.leaving your house to get some fresh air 9.taking a nice long hot shower 10.i find cooking to a be a peaceful activity to help with anxiety

Whenever I feel really anxious I always get the urge to go outside, sometimes I like going on walks but other times even sitting outside calms my mind a bit, just getting some fresh air. Other distractions that might work are listening to (calming!!) music, writing, drawing, painting, reading, watching tv or youtube, talking with friends or playing a game on your phone or computer. Working out is also very good for your mental health, it doesn't necessarily work for me but I've heard really good experiences from other people. I'd recommend trying different things out and see what works best for you.

Try taking care of yourself! This is something that I love doing when my anxiety seems extreme. Take a shower or bath (use a bath bomb!), shave, put on a face or hair mask, put on some lotion, paint your nails, (for if you're a girl) and have some good music on the whole time. Then maybe read a book, go for a run, or meet a friend for coffee. And know that you can always message me or request me as a listener. Our community is open to anymore questions you may have, and we'd love to chat with you!

I am writing this based on what has worked the best for me. When we are suffering with anxiety at the same time we are trying so hard to run from it at the same time if this makes any sense? It's a horrible feeling and we want so bad for it to leave us. Someone once said to me once to sit with it acknowledge the feeling in the solar plexus, pay proper attention to it, feel the anxiety without judging it, just concentrate on that feeling and keep doing this untill you feel it has gone down slightly and then sit with it some more, observe the feeling try to point to where exactly you feel the anxiety is it just on your solar plexus where else can you feel it ? give these feelings your full attention but dont judge them just feel. I don't know how this works but it worked for me. I'm not saying it will work for everyone but it's worth a try.

Hello there! First, I would like to say that I think that it's really great that you are seeking out some resources for positive coping mechanisms for your anxiety! There are many different methods that may help with your anxiety so you can choose which ever strategy is most suitable for you. A commonly used method is deep breathing. For deep breathing exercises they can be as long or as short of you would like (ex. for immediate anxiety coping 1-5 min. or for general anxiety 15-30 min.). Basically, you would inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth slowly and try to be aware of your breathing. There are videos online which could help guide you through the exercise. Exercise is also a great way to manage anxiety. For instance, going outside for a short walk or doing activities in the gym can be very helpful for your anxiety/stress levels as well as your overall health! It may also be helpful to watch something funny! Of course, if things are getting very overwhelming it might be beneficial to speak with a professional as they can help you better understand the triggers behind your anxiety and help you develop and individualized coping plan. I hope you find this helpful!

Some things that I have found over the years as useful have been ... 1. Ice in the hands or on your face :) cooling ourselves down quickly can really help ! 2. Listening to my favorite song really really loud and probably on repeat haha 3. Go for a walk always a great idea ! And can bring music as well to help block people out . 4. Chatting ! When I needed it I aways reach out never be afraid to reach and talk to someone :) Your feelings are always valid and theres always someone willing to listen ! Always !

Try meditating or doing something you enjoy. Also talking to people really helps. If you enjoy reading maybe you could read a feel good kind of story to take your mind of things. Try taking some slow, deep breathes as well. Think about something that make you feel really good, maybe it's your family or your dogs, maybe it's being outdoors, exploring nature. Exercise can also help take your mind off of the things causing you stress and it's good for your health! But whatever you do just remember that what works for someone else might not always work for you so try out different things. Explore yourself and you'll find something that helps, I'm sure!

Washing your hands. Playing a videogame. Calling friends that you like talking to. Thinking of your hopes. Thinking of things that you are grateful for. Drinking some water. Listening to music that you like and dancing it out or doing Zumba. Playing repetitive music in your mind, tapping with a foot as you do. Playing yo-yo. Holding a stress ball. Breathing deeply focusing on your breathing. Doing deep muscle relaxation. Watching and engaging movie. Going out for a run. Cooking. Taking a bath, giving yourself a self-massage. Writing a story. Reading jokes. Thinking of past successes. Seeing yourself as a child friend that you love very much and that is suffering and that you want to make feel better, and treating yourself like it. Laughing. Sleeping (if you can), so long as it is not more than 10 hours a day. Stretching for a few minutes. Playing with your children, if they are well behaved. Asking your children, spouse, or trusted friend for a massage. Letting water run over your body. Getting yourself into a nice, comfortable position. Putting your hands behind your head while laying down or leaning back, looking to one side without turning your head, until you swallow or yawn, then looking to the other side until the same happens. Playing music. Going out, looking at the sky, feeling the wind, the sun, the smells, the tastes, what you can touch, and thinking about what you like about those sensations. Petting a tame animal. Getting or giving a moderately long hug with someone that you trust. Writing down all your emotions, negative and positive.

I have struggled with anxiety for a number of years and I feel it is important to first understand your current coping mechanisms. For me mine was avoidance. Something came up that made me anxious so I wouldn't attend. Running from something can be detrimental and it is much more helpful to push through this and use positive coping strategies. This could be breathing exercises, mindfulness etc. I have also found a weighted blanket to be of use as this is a grounding technique. Each time I feel anxious I take time out wrapped in my blanket and i focus on my breathing. Heat pads/ weighted pads can also be useful.

Anxiety can be a real mess. There are different ways to deal with anxiety. I do that by writing about how I'm feeling and if there's a reason behind what I'm feeling and if there's a reason, I try improving my situation. It usually helps and if it doesn't, I try to distract myself by watching funny videos or a drama serial that I like, reading a good book or if everything else fails, I try to sleep or daydream. Anxiety is usually a sign that we fear that something will not go our way. If there's a test coming up, we might feel anxious that we might not perform well and if that's the case, we can deal with our anxiety by studying for the test. There are different methods of going about it, the ones mentioned here are mine.

Anxiety can really feel like it's taking over your life. It can feel like a brutal storm or a calm breeze - every person experiences it differently. In some instances, it can completely control a person and how they react in certain situations. Having experienced anxiety myself (to a certain degree), I've discovered several techniques that seem to work for me. 1) I look around me at everything I can see, and name every object and the colour. For example, if I were to name everything around me now, I'd say, "black laptop", "blue bottle", "white can" etc. 2) I tell myself silently, "I am in control. I judge what happens, not you," repeatedly. 3) I lie flat on my bed, shut my eyes, and intensely imagine a beautiful scene... like staring up at the night sky with a million stars littering it, or lying on the golden sand and listening to the calming breeze and gentle waves. I hope at least one of these could work for you.

Listening to music, watching videos, listening to suggestions in YouTube to listen anxiety, talk to people or friends regarding feeling of anxiety, exercise or any physical activity to distract focus of anxiety. Guided meditation can help ease the feeling of anxiety by calming yourself. Find help available by identifying the root cause of the problem, it might be a trigger from previous experiences or traumatic experiences in life that triggers current experience of anxiety. A professional support could help. A family support system is a great factor in reducing feelings anxiety. Deep breathing exercises or yoga exercises are also factors that can help reduce the feeling of anxiety

I believe a “good” distraction is one that doesn’t become a bad habit in itself, but also is easy enough to engage and disengage in order to allow us to keep going on with our daily tasks once the anxiety peak has passed. So, with that in mind, I keep mildly boring/repetitive casual games, that are short in duration and don’t keep dragging me in for longer than 10 min, like patience or sudoku, in my phone or Ipad, and I play them when I feel overwhelmed and need to think. I have also experimented with mindfulness games and short meditation, but they are not as effective. Talking to someone on 7cups helps a lot, be it as a member or listener, but I feel I also need to be careful with other people’s feelings, and therefore I use this tool only when I have more time in my hands.

Music is a great distraction. I like to put my head phones in, plug in my iPad and listen when I get stressed out or anxious. Anxiety can make my thoughts go at a million miles a minute and make it hard to focus but for some reason I can focus on music and it slows my mind down. Reading can help too. I found manga a good escape from the anxiety as well. Another thing is writing. I write off and on and I have noticed it's a good hobby to have. I do a story off and on and it's helped me as it gave me something to do instead if being alone with my thoughts. Hope this helps.

Try things you like, like drawing or playing music or something else you really like. Look for distraction, keep breathing, nose in, mouth out. Put on some music you like, talk to people you like. Try to look why you get anxiety and in which moments, so you can look at what causes your anxiety.

Personally I find it helpful to do breathing exercises or meditation. It helps your body to slow down and allows your mind to process things more comfortably. Aside from talking to someone for support doing activities I find fun such as reading,playing with my dog or listening to music helps me stabilise myself. It all depends on where I am when I feel anxious and what's around me that will help me to stay calm. If it's stress over my school sometimes I just need help to stay realistic. I have a planner which I've written reminders and "note to self" quotes on which I read when anxious. It reminds me of my more calm and realistic self.

Do something that relaxes you, that gets you down. Maybe some breathing exercises. And concentrate on the good things, things you look forward too. I like to sometimes just listen to relaxing music while I lay on my couch and think. I wouldn't think about what upsets me, but about other things like life or just concentrate on the music. I also love taking a bath or take a nap, because it takes my mind off of things. If I'm motivated I will do sports, but that rarely happens. If you're not motivated enough a walk should do too. I just love walking around the streets with calming music. You just have to do things that relax you, not upset you even more.

Here are distractions I use for my anxiety: cooking, baking, reading, exercise, calling a friend, going on a walk, meditation with the Headspace app, and cuddling my dog. They are essentially activities that can keep you something else to focus on, but are productive hobbies or could help improve relationships! But sometimes it is best to feel the anxiety, acknowledge it, let it pass, and then move on to something different. Sometimes, if I try to ignore my anxiety, it gets bigger and makes me feel worse. Everyone is going to have different strategies that work best for them!

touch all of your fingers but one to your thumb. i find it distracts me from my anxiety. also, deep breathing. make sure to practice your strategies when you aren’t anxious, because it’s harder to do them when you are. if your anxiety gets too bad, make sure to see a therapist and a psychiatrist. they can help more than anyone. and therapy provides great strategies. i get most of mine from there. just know you aren’t alone, your parents are great for this stuff. and, you can talk to a counselor too, especially on here would work. hope this helps a bit.

The music, try to leave the environment where the anxiety attack began, or try to count different objects around you. Breathing deeply may be helpful, but it all depends on the person; Similarly, practicing breathing exercises has been very helpful for my anxiety. The important thing is to distract the mind from what causes that anxiety so much, and as difficult as it may be, to be aware that you have the power to handle it, you are strong and valuable. If you have pets, it is the perfect opportunity to play with them, or just give them affections that will surely be returned, they are excellent therapy.

I also suffer from anxiety, so I can understand how you can easily fall into bad habits of dealing with it. I personally go for a walk! I know, exercising can put you off. But listening to a good playlist full of songs you love and going for a small walk to get your mind of things helps so much. If that isn't your thing, you can listen to music and really focus on the lyrics, or watch a movie or show. Maybe talk to a friend of figure out a puzzle. The best thing you can do is get your mind of things. I thing i often do is a thing called "3-3-3". First, start by looking around, name 3 things you see and really pay attention to them, take your time. Then, list 3 things you hear. Lastly, name 3 things you physically feel. Try to choose things that aren't the source of your anxiety (for example, if you are anxious about being in a crowd, try and not focus on the crowd, instead focus on the objects near by, or the sounds of birds, etc). If you can't find any solution, i strongly suggest going to a professional.

I think there are many good and healthy distractions from your anxiety when it gets really bad such as exercising, doing yoga, or doing something that you love, such as reading or maybe writing. Any type of exercise is great! Some people like long distance run to help distract themselves from anxiety. Running is very great cardio and is known to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep, and improve self-esteem. There have been studies that found that even five minutes of aerobic exercise can begin to stimulate anti-anxiety effects. Some people also turn to yoga to help with anxiety and this is a great distraction because a lot of types of yoga focus on breathing exercises that can be super helpful! There are also loads of youtube videos out there just in case you don't want to spend loads of money on classes. On top of that, you can do yoga anywhere! Doing things that you love can also help distract from anxiety, whether that be listening to music, singing, painting, writing, etc. :) Not everything will work for you, you should try to see what works and what doesn't :)

Meditation can really help. There are apps like headspace and calm that can help you learn how to be mindful and notice your thoughts without judging them. It will take some time and practice, but even doing it 3 or 4 minutes a day at first is a good first step to going along the path. Also taking a walk or listening to a song or watching a television show to redirect your mind to something that you enjoy. Anxiety can be difficult but you don't need to let it control your life! In time and with practice you can learn the steps necessary to have a healthier relationship with it.

Jigsaw puzzles! I could stand on the rooftops and yell about how much I love jigsaw puzzles for my anxiety. They're mindless enough that I can just kind of drift and work on it without thinking too much about life, and then at the end I have a pretty picture so I don't get anxious about being completely unproductive. For similar reasons, I really enjoy adult coloring books for my anxiety. Set me up with one of those and a box of markers any day and I'm a happy camper. There are many techniques to help distract, but these have been the two most effective for me.