5 Tips for Anxiety Management

Anxiety management can come in a variety of ways. The following five management strategies are things that have personally helped me when I’m feeling anxious. While you might not get your anxiety to disappear completely, you can certainly work on reducing it.

Check out my podcast episode below where I further discuss my anxiety management techniques. Things that have worked for me and how I cope with it as a mother.

Brain Dump

Brain dumping can be extremely therapeutic as an anxiety management strategy. Simply put, brain dumping is the act of writing everything in your mind out on paper. I like to keep a notebook just for this purpose.

When you brain dump everything out on to paper, it naturally helps you release some of the anxiety you’re holding onto. That “mental load of motherhood” is no joke and by writing everything down you can see it more clearly. Journaling as a whole is very helpful in dealing with anxiety and I can’t recommend it enough.

Just the act of brain dumping can help reduce anxiety. You don’t even have to do anything with the stuff you wrote out but the fact that you wrote it out and have it to reference if you need to can be extremely cathartic.

Things I Brain Dump:

• Appointments I need to make or reschedule
• Things I need to buy for the kids
• Shopping List
• People I Need to Call or Text Back
• Ideas
• Books I want to read

Cut Back on Caffeine

Caffeine is the my life blood but it’s also my Achilles heel. I love having a few cups of coffee in the morning and there’s nothing wrong with that. Where I get into trouble is having more late morning and then even more in the early afternoon. It’s simply too much.

You’ don’t have to eliminate caffeine altogether but reducing it can help a ton. I love drinking coffee at certain points of the day and I’m not suggesting you give that up altogether. Here are some ideas that my friends and I have come up with:

• Make your morning coffee with half regular grounds and half decaf grounds.
• Get a decaf coffee in the afternoon.
• Drink decaf tea at night.
• Try some new beverages such as Spindrift Sparkling Water or botanical waters.

Unplug From Social Media

Social media is our favorite way to decompress but it’s also a fine balance between that and falling into a comparison trap. After scrolling through the 6th beautifully holiday decorated house on Instagram, I usually hit my threshold.

Find a fun game to play while you watch t.v. instead of scrolling social media. I started playing Solitaire when I veg out and watch t.v. and that has helped a lot. Unfollowing people who trigger you is also a great idea if you haven’t done that recently.

Take a break and do something else on your phone. If you still want to be on your phone, you can always do a meal plan on your Notes app, put your groceries into Instacart or make a new Pinterest board for something fun.

Watch Feel Good T.V.

I’m prone to logging off of Instagram just to watch an episode of Law & Order SVU and that does not help my anxiety. Feel good t.v. shows are imperative when I’m feeling anxious.

Around the holidays I love to watch Hallmark Christmas movies, which I find on Hulu. But any comedies will do. An episode of The Office never hurt anyone.

Another great option- funny YouTube videos. Gimme a news reporter blooper reel any day of the week and my anxiety will melt away.

Meds

Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. Please speak to your doctor for medical advice. These are solely my opinion and what has worked for me.

Anxiety medication has definitely become a tool in my regime when it comes to keeping my anxiety at bay. Sometimes all the deep breaths and feel good t.v. in the world can’t fix it.

My menstrual cycle and life stressors can effect my anxiety at a moments notice and having medication available if needed has helped me a lot. I spoke with my general practitioner, therapist and psychiatrist before coming to that conclusion and I suggest you do the same.

I want to speak freely about using medication to cope with anxiety because I think it is an important thing to normalize. I want to destigmatize mental health medication. If used correctly while under a licensed doctor, it can be quite beneficial.

Anxiety Management is a Process

Always remember that learning to manage your anxiety takes time and learning what works best for you. Try things out and keep what works and leave what doesn’t.

While cutting back on caffeine, unplugging and taking medication can help, it often takes a combination of these coping strategies to see the best results. But destigmatizing anxiety and its effect on us is the first step.