Read on Twitter
lots of stories out there about a rise in anxiety. as someone who has been dealing with severe (now ‘healthy’) anxiety for the last wee while, thought it might be useful to share some of the things I do. please feel free to add your own.
1/ silence. do something every day that you might normally do with noise/music/podcast but in silence. maybe cooking, cleaning, walking, running, whatever. give you brain a break
2/ nature. try to get outside in nature for a bit every day. I’m not asking you to hug a tree (although I love a tree hug) but take a stroll in some air with grass and flowers - the air is fresher now than it has been for ages! bonus!
3/ regulate news. listen to news at your ‘best time’ of day. by that I mean, when you know you can take it. I don’t like it in the morning as it sets me off on a bad note, my partner can’t have it before bed. we’ve settled for the FM questions at 12.30. other than that-switch off
4/ less Netflix/TV. this one is quite personal but I can’t do a lot of TV. most drama’s main goal is to make the audience anxious, wanting to know what happens next. I try not to watch anything for an hour before bed. or read books
5/ read books! books are great. I can’t handle anything contemporary at the moment (why are they touching?! is she wearing a mask?) so the classics are useful. also stuff you’ve read before. reading instead of watching is better for your brain. science says so!
6/ medication. my GP was terrific when I was in trouble last year. there is lots of help, and although you might feel embarrassed (at first), it’s brilliant to have some help. I’m on pills & check in regularly with the doc
7/ friends. call friends, Zoom friends, text friends stupid pictures of your beard. friends are good.
8/ take a break. it’s okay to be anxious. anxiety is a natural thing & a global pandemic is scary shit. so don’t beat yourself up if you miss a deadline or haven’t cleaned the bathroom in a month. chill out, enjoy the sun.
