How do you guys pro-actively manage anxiety?

[ODogg]

I have generalized anxiety disorder and have been in therapy for it for a while. I have made massive strides in managing my anxiety but I still find that I get a bit more anxious about simple things such as just going to a small get together with friends, or having to call off work if I'm ill, things that can cause most folks a minor amount of anxiety can cause me a good bit more than is normal.

So as part of my therapy "homework" this week my therapist told me to find a pro-active way to manage my stress and try to do it two days a week at minimum.

She recommended breathing techniques and of course meditation.

Right now I'm doing meditation but as anything, I am wondering if there are maybe other techniques for anxiety management that some of you might recommend?

[Caulfield]

for years I carried a baseball around in my jacket pocket, sorta used it like one of those rubber squeeze balls you see.
obviously I couldn't really squeeze it but it sure took my mind off stressful times when I was trying to squeeze the hell out of it.

I don't stress out like I used to so I no longer feel the need to carry it around.
I was drawn to carrying a baseball around being as its my favorite sport.
guess I was lucky basketball wasn't my favorite lol

[Bullit]

I am interested in this as well.

I wont go into the whole story unless others want to hear it. But I just recently had a complete mental breakdown. I have actually been in a Psychiatric Hospital for the better part of a month. I am home now and doing well. I have a new Therapist and starting some groups as well, but I am trying to adjust to my new "normal" and get back to some semblance of life.

So anyway, advice on ways to deal with anxiety and depression are certainly something I am interested in.

[Gramps91]

Well, after having lived through a natural disaster a few months ago my anxiety has been at an all time high. I don't deal with anxiety well to be honest.

[Hassan Darkside]

I haven't been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or anything, but since anxiety is part of the human experience regardless, here's some ways I've been learning to manage it. I find that essentially I have to have a number of activities that involve "practicing stillness" in order to proactively manage my anxiety before I end up feeling overwhelmed/depressed.

Prayer: I heard someone say once that the same muscle that worries is the muscle that prays (metaphorically speaking of course). Belief in a higher power aside, the practice of verbalizing what's emotionally burdening me and transferring it away from me is helpful, as well as intentionally reflecting on other things that may be happening around me as a result of prior prayers.

Journaling: Similar to above. I often lack the EQ to recognize how I'm feeling in the given moment, so sometimes taking the time to write down what happened forces me to sit with those feelings for a while until I can make sense of them and hopefully know what to do next.

Emotional recognition: Probably because of how I grew up and also unhealthy thoughts of masculinity, I spent many years denying my feelings or just pushing through everything. Recently I've had to learn to feel where in my body those emotions were coming from and take mental inventory of the things that were causing them.

Keeping a task list or calendar: I'm still terrible at this but knowing what's coming and when helps me not feel overwhelmed or overburdened.

Saying "no." I've had to learn it's okay to say no or reschedule things because I don't feel like it in the moment. It's an intentional practice I have to do because I know that sometimes my self-image can be based too much around what other people think of me and the best way to keep it positive is to do what they all want me to do.

Routine: I have to have the same routine pretty much every morning, which includes working out.

Working out/exercise: Major thing for me and allows me to separate socially from everyone and give myself mental space to process whatever is going on in my life. Doing it early in the morning allows for me to get in the right headspace for the day. I work out alone for this reason.

Close community. I have a couple of friends that I basically "walk through" life with who are wise enough and intelligent enough to take whatever I throw at them and either just listen or offer thoughtful responses back. This has been a life changer, especially because much of my anxiety revolved around the toxic belief that "I'm the only one that deals with this. I'm the only one that thinks this way. Nobody would want to be around me if they found out about this."

[baumy300]

It really is this simple bro

[SmashMan]

...not sure every topic needs the dumb frog thing...

[baumy300]

Quote: Originally Posted by SmashMan

...not sure every topic needs the dumb frog thing...

Don't be mad bro. You should really listen to the frog...


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