Anxiety Relief - Tumblr Posts

By @theofficialsadghostclub

Even if you don't normally use these sorts of things, this is a great resource to have anyway. Hang in there, everyone.

Calming masterpost:

crisis/urgent support lines and sites

hotlines/crisis lines for depression, domestic abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, teens, pregnancy, lgbt and more

mental support community - a forum where you can post that you are in a crisis right now and need peer support as soon as possible

imalive crisis chat - online one-on-one chat for if you’re in at risk of hurting yourself etc

self harm alternatives

si urges alternatives

relaxation/anxiety relief

do nothing for two minutes

interactive silk art

guided relaxation

watch a dream

100,000 stars

thisissand - create sandscapes on your screen with your mouse

calming gif

the quiet place project

the quiet place - find some quiet

the thoughts room - a super calm page to unburden yourself from bad thoughts

the comfort spot - a place for anonymous venting with out anybody judging you for who you are

the dawn room - my personal favourite, especially good for when you feel alone

know that it will be okay - when a moment is too hard for you - come here.

music and sounds

my anxiety relief playlist - on 8tracks

my positivity/recovery playlist - on 8tracks

‘stay strong’ playlists - on 8tracks

coffee shop sounds

rain sounds

calmsound - nature sounds

rainycafe

comfort food

one minute cookie in a mug

brownie in a mug

several cookie recipes

25 hot chocolate recipes

loads and loads of snacks - 533 quick and easy recipes for a range of snacks on studentrecipe

lots of different in-a-mug recipes

chocolate pudding in a mug - my personal fave (lil tip: add mini marshmallows for extra gooey yumminess)

advice and tips

how to be okay with yourself

25 resolutions

life hacks

more life hacks

a hella ton more life hacks - so many life hacks dude soon ur gonna never have a day-to-day stress again

school masterpost - school sucks so bad but hopefully this can help ease the stress

how to love yourself

how to bypass restricted wifi omg

alleviate menstrual cramps

boost your confidence

love yourself!

self help after anxiety

stop biting your nails

stop procrastinating

stop skipping breakfast

videos and movies

cure to sadness (video)

the movie blog - a blog dedicated to movie masterposts you will never be without a movie to watch again

cute roulette - THE BEST PLACE ON THE INTERNET ITS LITERALLY JUST A HUGE ROULETTE OF VIDEOS OF CUTE ANIMALS WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT FROM LIFE

random acts of kindness caught on film

disney movies

movies for angsty teens

distractions etc

rice questions - answer simple questions and donate free rice to people in poverty!!

click to give - just click a button to donate (it costs nothing) food to animals shelters, people in poverty and homeless veterans; mammograms to fight breast cancer; therapy for people on the autism spectrum; alzheimer’s and diabetes research; a book to a child; protect wildlife habitat

break something - good for anger

loads of cute games

how to make a blanket nest

learn something new - a masterpost of hobbies

exercise like a superhero

nice words

things to do when your sad

slap a bald guy with an eel - this is ridiculously entertaining

watch a dog lick your screen - it loops, so you could literally watch for hours if you want

calmingmanatee

daily puppy

how to make a comfort box

download free books

extras

emergency compliment!

lots of compliments - they even include ur name aw

huge list of bloggers who have put themselves forward as willing to listen/chat without judgement

getting anon hate?

:) tag - all the posts that i’ve tagged for making me happy

7cupsoftea - free, anonymous, confidential talks with trained listeners

get a hug

Calming songs, playlists and instrumentals:

Sing Me to Sleep

The Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Boost your Mood (peppier and happy songs)

The Driving Mixtape

Study

Summer Nights

It’s Going to be Fine

Calm & Collected

Once Upon a December - Piano (song)

Clair de Lune (song)

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (song)

Calming/distracting Websites

The Quiet Place

Rainymood.com

Calm.com

Soundrown.com - calming sounds to mix and match

A website to distract yourself

A recovery masterpost

A post of interesting things

Ungruntle yourself

Press a magic button and fix everything

Play cute games

Almost every movie your little heart desires (i suggest you use with adblocker)

How to love yourself

A website that compliments you

Crafts and activities, easy and fun DYI projects

Glitter calm jars

A list of things to do to curb anxiety

Make a blanket nest

Silky summer legs

Lots of food recipes; mostly desserts  

For bad days masterpost

Make some microwave snacks

Five minute fudge

Make a phone case

A bunch of hobbies!

Self care list!

Pretty gold-dipped feathers (for decorating or anything)

What to do when:

You’ve been triggered

You’re having an anxiety attack

You’re having a panic attack

Your face is red and puffy after crying

You just had a fight

You hate yourself

You want to avoid being stressed

You want to get over your ex

Meditation and breathing

Guided Meditations

Do Nothing for 2 Minutes

Calm Down

Meditation Tips

90 second relaxation exercise

Simple things

Pretty Tree

When You Feel You Have Lost Everything

See Some BLOOD

Press a Button to Make Everything OK

Calming Manatee

Calming Gif

Make Something!

Jump into a Sofa Fort!

Make a Comfort Box

Glitter Jar Or This One

Other Nice Things

A Page To Help You Recover!!!

Coping Skills & Distractions

The Quiet Place. Shhhhh

For When You’re Upset

The Nicest Place on the Internet

Player 2

10 Most Relaxing Online Games

Talk To Someone That Will Listen

Not Having a Good Day?

How-to Love Yourself

Ground Yourself X X  X

Mood Chart

Do Nothing For Two Minutes

Rainymood

The Comfort Spot

Weave Silk

Seed Plant Breeder

This Is Sand

C.A.L.M

Calming/Relaxing Music:

Soft Piano: x, x, x, x, x

The Sound of Waves: x

The Sound of a Storm + Waves: x

Why "doing something relaxing” does not help your anxiety

A lot of the time when people give advice intended to relieve anxiety, they suggest doing “relaxing” things like drawing, painting, knitting, taking a bubble bath, coloring in one of those zen coloring books, or watching glitter settle to the bottom of a jar.

This advice is always well-intentioned, and I’m not here to diss people who either give it or who benefit from it. But it has never, ever done shit for me, and this is because it goes about resolving anxiety in the completely wrong way.  

THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO when suffering from anxiety is to do a “relaxing” thing that just enables your mind to dwell and obsess more on the thing that’s bothering you. You need to ESCAPE from the dwelling and the obsession in order to experience relief.

You can drive to a quiet farm, drive to the beach, drive to a park, or anywhere else, but as someone who has tried it all many, many times, trust me–it’s a waste of gas. You will just end up still sad and stressed, only with sand on your butt. You can’t physically escape your sadness. Your sadness is inside of you. To escape, you need to give your brain something to play with for a while until you can approach the issue with a healthier frame of mind. 

People who have anxiety do not need more time to contemplate, because we will use it to contemplate how much we suck.

In fact, you could say that’s what anxiety is–hyper-contemplating. When we let our minds run free, they run straight into the thorn bushes. Our minds are already running, and they need to be controlled. They need to be given something to do, or they’ll destroy everything, just like an overactive husky dog ripping up all the furniture. 

Therefore, I present to you: 

THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO WHEN ANXIOUS

–Go on a walk

–Watch a sunset, watch fish in an aquarium, watch glitter, etc.

–Go anywhere where the main activity is sitting and watching

–Draw, color, do anything that occupies the hands and not the mind

–Do yoga, jog, go fishing, or anything that lets you mentally drift 

–Do literally ANYTHING that gives you great amounts of mental space to obsess and dwell on things.

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WHEN ANXIOUS:

–Do a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, or any other mind teaser game. Crosswords are the best.

–Write something. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. Write the Top 10 Best Restaurants in My City. Rank celebrities according to Best Smile. Write some dumb Legolas fanfiction and rip it up when you’re done. It’s not for publication, it’s a relief exercise that only you will see. 

–Read something, watch TV, or watch a movie–as long as it’s engrossing. Don’t watch anything which you can run as background noise (like, off the top of my head, Say Yes to The Dress.) As weird as it seems, American Horror Story actually helps me a lot, because it sucks me in. 

–Masturbate. Yes, I’m serious. Your mind has to concentrate on the mini-movie it’s running. It can’t run Sexy Titillating Things and All The Things That are Bothering Me at the same time. (…I hope. If it can, then…ignore this one.) 

–Do math problems—literally, google “algebra problems worksheet” and solve them. If you haven’t done math since 7th grade this will really help you. I don’t mean with math, I mean with the anxiety. 

–Play a game or a sport with someone that requires great mental concentration. Working with 5 people to get a ball over a net is a challenge which will require your brain to turn off the Sadness Channel. 

–Play a video game, as long as it’s not something like candy crush or Tetris that’s mindless. 

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO DURING PANIC ATTACKS ESPECIALLY:

–List the capitals of all the U.S. states

–List the capitals of all the European countries

–List all the shapes you can see. Or all the colors. 

–List all the blonde celebrities you can think of.

–Pull up a random block of text and count all the As in it, or Es or whatever.  

Now obviously, I am not a doctor. I am just an anxious person who has tried almost everything to help myself.  I’ve finally realized that the stuff people recommend never works because this is a disorder that thrives on free time and free mental space. When I do the stuff I listed above, I can breathe again. And I hope it helps someone here too. 

(Now this shouldn’t have to be said but if the “do nots” work for you then by all means do them. They’ve just never worked for me.)

For all anxious beans out there

A few reminders

- breath deeply and slowly, do not let anxiety to overcome your body, you can do this

- your mistakes do not define you, you doing enough, everything is fixable

- Don't compare yourself to others, we all have our own way

And also

I will greatly appreciate any advice to help with anxiety from yall, and I hope this little post will help you maybe a little

Reduce Anxiety in 10 Seconds: Engage Your Senses for Instant Calm

Shaina Tranquilino

January 16, 2024

We all experience moments of anxiety and stress in our lives. Whether it's due to work pressures, personal challenges, or the constant barrage of information we receive daily, finding quick and effective ways to reduce anxiety is essential for our overall well-being. In this blog post, we will explore a simple yet powerful technique that can help you find instant calm within just 10 seconds - engaging your senses. By focusing on what you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste around you, you can quickly shift your attention away from anxious thoughts and ground yourself in the present moment.

To practice this exercise effectively, find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably or stand if you prefer. Take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth. Now let's begin:

1. Five Things You See: Look around your surroundings deliberately and identify five things that catch your attention visually. It could be anything from objects in the room to nature outside your window. Focus on these visual elements with curiosity and interest, allowing them to distract you momentarily from any anxious thoughts. Example: A painting hanging on the wall, a potted plant on the windowsill, a family photo on your desk, sunlight streaming through the curtains, and a cozy blanket draped over the couch.

2. Four Things You Hear: Shift your focus now to what you can hear around you. Tune into various sounds present in your environment with an open mind. Pay attention to both external noises and internal sounds like your own breathing or heartbeat. Example: Birds chirping outside, distant traffic noise, the hum of electronics running nearby, gentle background music playing softly, and the sound of your own steady breaths.

3. Three Things You Feel: Next, direct your attention towards physical sensations within your body. These could include feelings of warmth or coolness, pressure, tingling, or the texture of objects you are touching. Notice these sensations and let them anchor you in the present moment. Example: The softness of the cushion beneath you, the warmth of sunlight on your skin, and the gentle breeze brushing against your face.

4. Two Things You Smell: Engaging our sense of smell can be a powerful tool to shift our focus and reduce anxiety. Take a deep breath in through your nose and try to identify two distinct smells around you. It could be the scent of flowers, freshly brewed coffee, or even the aroma of scented candles. Example: The subtle fragrance of lavender essential oil and the rich aroma of freshly baked cookies from the kitchen.

5. One Thing You Taste: Finally, bring your attention to your sense of taste by identifying one thing you can taste at that moment. This might require a bit more creativity depending on where you are but try focusing on any residual flavors in your mouth or imagine something delicious like mint or citrus. Example: The lingering sweetness of a piece of chocolate you enjoyed earlier or the refreshing burst of flavor from chewing gum.

By engaging your senses for just 10 seconds using this simple exercise, you can effectively redirect your attention away from anxious thoughts and ground yourself in the present moment. Remember that practice makes perfect! Regularly incorporating this technique into your daily routine will help it become an automatic response whenever anxiety arises.

Remember, reducing anxiety is a journey that requires patience and self-compassion. While this exercise may not eliminate all sources of stress from your life, it can serve as a valuable tool in managing anxiety when used consistently over time. So take a deep breath, engage your senses, and find solace in knowing that calm is always within reach - even if just for 10 seconds at a time.

A method for relaxing when riddled with constant but low grade anxiety

So I don’t really have much of a reference for what it’s like with other people, but I have essentially constant anxiety. It rarely ever devolves into a full on attack but it does leave me with lots of stress and a sort of autopilot mode, I guess you could call it, which lets me still function and get things done without just silently Blue-screening every other half hour over which thing I need or should do first and how much of a failure I am for not getting things done sooner.

But that’s not the point of this post, the point is that I discovered a new little coping mechanism for myself that makes it sooo much easier to fall asleep at night and be able to unwind.

The basic idea of what helps me, is that I treat myself as if I’m an omega in heat. NOW, before you assume, no—this is not anything sexual. I dislike most A/B/O things, but what I do like is how omega heats are treated in the non-smutty fics that are just fluff and comfort. If you’re a regular peruser of the archive or other fanfic sites, then you likely know where I’m going with this.

Soft blankets, a clean bed, and a secure room. I’ve pieced together for myself that each of these things does wonders for my state of mind at night. Cleaning the dirt and little specks of stuff off and out of my sheets let’s me feel like I’ve done something at least a little productive, and reels my subconscious back from its panic over not having done enough for the day and wasting time.

Having soft blankets, a nest of sorts if you will, is not only comfortable and relaxing in of itself, but also makes me feel secure and a bit cut off from the world. A comfort item to hold, clutch like a lifeline, or to just have near during sleep eases my anxiety too, so if you haven’t tried it then it wouldn’t hurt anything to pick one out.

Bedding down for the night in a locked room, or at least a room with a fully closing door is also immensely important for that sense of security and safety. It settles something in the back of my brain that tries to keep me alert and unconsciously ready to defend myself. I assume at least that bit would apply to most people, as I know that it’s makes sleeping easier for everyone if they feel safe. So, all this boils down to really is that if you’re like me and have lots of anxiety keeping you up, start with what makes you feel safe. I know it sounds obvious and like duh, of course feeling safe would lessen anxiety, but just. Take an inventory of sorts. Is your bed comfortable? Is the place you’re sleeping at night defendable? If you have them, are all your windows and doors locked? Common sense stuff that you might have grown used to, but are actually giving your hindbrain little alertness flags.

LATE NIGHT POST

Been feeling this way since high school. During elementary, I was in my own world and only felt sad that some classmates misunderstood or laugh (or smirk) on my cluelessness about films, shows, and trends. But in high school, there was a pull between reading books or hanging out and talking with friends or classmates about people in showbiz, or shows, films, or just be with them doing fun shizz. FOMO is strong mostly during DMs which friends chose to ignore constantly if they're busy (esp if they're with other "more fun" people).

When birthday wishes are reduced to "happy birthday" from those short yet well meaning personal messages I adore. When you finall6 able to go with people but you got so much to catch on from exes, drunken stories, and jokes which makes it awkward for both you and the people you are with.

So over the years, I gradually rewired my brain to forgo any expectations I used to have. Still, I feel all the emotions from heaviness, the emptiness, and the feeling of being forgotten. I expect people to misjudge, misunderstood, overlook, ignore, and be disappointed in me.

It is so ingrained within me that I have a hard time considering calling people as friends or to even think about the idea of being committed in a romantic relationship with someone. This is not all that bad tho coz it introduced me to be more loving on myself by myself. To not expect anything from people. To learn things I could learn so when they refuse or ignore my plea for assistance (or they abandon me) I can do it on my own. Coz you will come to a point of getting tired of making excuses for people who did not even bother to offer you one for themselves.

I miss people and moments even if they don't miss me (or remember me) at all. It's okay coz this is life and I could be forgetting others as well. We will all die one day and when it is time we should reflect if we are proud of the life we've lived up to the very last breath.