Tips For Managing Anxiety: What’s in My Mental Health Toolbox

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Managing anxiety is different for everyone and not always easy. I hope that my tips for managing anxiety can give you some guidance and a good starting point to help you achieve optimum mental health.

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Tips For Managing Anxiety: What’s in My Mental Health Toolbox

I don’t think I’ve really talked about mental health, especially my mental health and I’ve realized that now more than ever, it’s a conversation that needs to be had. I probably never brought it up for the same reason that so many people don’t talk about it: because it’s not really the easiest thing to discuss. People are quick to judge, back away and even though so many people are quick to say “come to me anytime and talk if you’re going through a rough time,” they aren’t always willing and able to follow through. It just is what it is.

I would be lying if I said that life wasn’t rough right now, because it totally is. We’re dealing with a lot behind the scenes as we navigate moving out of the city and the highs and lows of dealing with moving and really struggling to find a place we love, as well as the competition that goes with it, has me feeling pretty bad about myself and worried about our future. I know, I know “everything will work out,” at least that’s what everyone keeps telling me – but we are on a tricky timetable and it’s not looking so good right now. Needless to say, my anxiety has been through the roof.

And taking things one step further, there is probably a bit of depression that is springing from the situation, too. It’s been really hard for me to wake up and perform my best and smile my way through it whenever I’m so unsure of where my family and I will be in the next few weeks. Layered on top of that, while I love what I do for a living, but the blogging and influencer world is highly competitive. I pitch to brands, apply for campaigns, curate and create on a daily basis in a world where I’m quite literally competing with my friends – and in many cases have to fight for my paycheck in the end. There’s more that goes into the scope of our work than meets the eye, and it sometimes takes a toll on your mental health as a whole.

Backtracking a little bit, to share my whole story, I was diagnosed with depression in high school. I went on medication and then slowly went off of it into adulthood. I never suffered from postpartum depression, but after I had Branden, is when anxiety became more prevalent in my life. I never went on medication for it, as I’ve been able to manage it on my own, but if it ever gets out of control, I will be right at the doctors discussing other options. With everything going on behind the scenes in our life right now, my “mental health toolbox” as I’m calling it, has been playing a huge role in keeping me grounded so that I’m able to take care of my kids, keep a smile on my face and actually get some work done.

It’s not always easy though. Some days are harder than others. And sometimes I think that people expect moms to always be smiling and cheery – because we’re moms, but this isn’t always the case. We push through and smile as much as we can for our children, but we also can’t let that stop us from taking time to focus on our mental health, because it’s incredibly important, too.

My tips for managing anxiety

First things first: everyone has their own ways to manage anxiety and that’s totally okay. I’m not perfect, nor am I a doctor, but I know what works for me and wanted to take a second to share those things with you all, in hopes that it might benefit someone. My tips for managing anxiety come from a place of love and I hope that they help you get through a tough time you might be having.

Identifying my anxiety….as best it can be done

Whenever I feel anxiety build from within me, I first immediately start to run through my mind as it races and try to figure out what’s causing me to feel anxious. Sometimes, that’s a lost cause because anxiety can creep up upon us without having a specific reason, it just happens, but if I’m able to first realize where it’s coming from them I’m able to take steps towards resolving it.

Use essential oils.

I am obsessed with diffusing essential oils. I’ve never really gotten into using them directly on my skin, but I love having them diffusing throughout my home. (If you have little ones, here’s my guide for using them around babies) Specific oils like lavender have an extremely calming effect on you and they seriously work wonders during an anxiety-filled moment. This is my current favorite that I have on hand.

Write and plan.

I write and I plan during my most anxiety-filled moments not only because it helps me get my mind off of the anxiety, but it helps me put things into perspective and look at a concrete plan for the future – even if it’s just a simple to-do list for the afternoon. I used to be really big on journaling, but of course, now I blog, which is pretty much the same thing, except that I share my intimate thoughts with you all! I love it though, writing down your feelings is truly an important tool in getting through tough moments. I also recently got into planning in an actual planner and as silly as it sounds, I love putting stickers that say things like “Great Day!” on my current day because it’s a healthy reminder to just make the best of the moments we have. These are such important tools in managing anxiety! Here’s the planner I’m currently using and love.

Starting my day with a purpose.

This sort of piggybacks on my last of the ways to manage anxiety tips, but equally important. Sometimes whenever my anxiety and depression get the best of me, I stop writing down what I need to do each day, I stop caring about working or and meal prep and all these things that help me lead a healthy life and just feel even worse. Starting my day with a purpose allows me to wake up and feel motivated because I know that these little tasks are pieces of a big picture and important.

Go for a run.

Running or working out, in general, calm me. Remember that phrase from Legally Blonde about endorphins making up happy – it’s so true and it really works wonders! Both of my go-to workouts, running and HIIT workouts, are so mental that I have to take my mind off of whatever is bothering me or my anxiousness in order to focus and get through them. Because of this, going for a run has been my saving grace when it comes to managing anxiety. If you watched my Instagram stories last week, you saw that I used this method to get through a rough morning and used our favorite BOB jogging stroller to take Blake along with me!

Find a therapist, support group or friend.

I know that reaching out and asking for help can be the most difficult thing if you really just feel like laying in bed with the covers over your head. Have that tried and true friend on speed dial, or find a support group or even a chat therapist if you’re home with kids and unable to make regular appointments. Sometimes the best way to get through an anxious moment really is talking about how you’re feeling so that you can let go of it.

Take a timeout.

These aren’t just for kids! Sometimes stepping away is not only beneficial but necessary – and leave your phone behind!

Listen to music.

If your house is like mine during the day, Sofia the First is pretty much on repeat, but I realized that I needed to tune that out and play my own jams these days! I’ve been loving the Vanessa Carlton, White Houses station on Pandora because it brings me back to high school. Put on some music that makes you happy along with your essential oils and watch your mood elevate.

Looking for more healthy living tips? I’ve got what you’re looking for!

I know that managing anxiety is no easy task – gosh it can seem so incredibly overwhelming, scary and lonely all at the same time. I’ve been there and I’m there right now. It’s hard waking up everyday feeling nervousness, but just remember that it will pass, even if it feels like it never will.

XOXO,

Allison