How do you cope with anxiety in a healthy way?
 

I'm just curious, because when I get anxious, it's often hard to put away the anxiety. I often write to try to allay my anxiety, or talk with other people about my problems just to vent. How about you?

There is little that will put away my anxiety, if I ever get such crap happening to me. It will stay on my mind until I go to sleep. I can usually wake up refreshed with a clear and forget about my worries. And alcohol does nothing to soothe anxiety. It has the completely reverse effect. :/

If I were to pick a healthy way that I cope with anxiety, it would be that sometimes I go to the gym and run until I'm too tired to think. But most of the time, I just eat 3,000 calories and sleep 18 hours a day.

I wish I had a healthy way of dealing with anxiety. It is a major problem for me, far more devastating, in its way than the actual problems that give rise to anxiety. I usually just try to spend more time with my friends, if possible. If that is not possible, I tend to just try to get an early night.

I doubt eating is an healthy way, so I usually resort to singing in my room, dancing, drawing, some exercises or mugging as a distraction. (all in my room)

I'm naturally a very laid back person. I do have my anxious moments, but I can usually tell myself to put my anxiety in the back of my mind if there's nothing I can do about what I'm worrying about at that moment. That anxiety usually stays tucked in a corner of my mind until I have to deal with what I'm worried about. Exercising myself to where I'm so tired that I can barely think is another option if I can't manage to set aside my worries, but I don't have to resort to this very often.

When I'm anxious, my body responds via itching. Since I have eczema, itching is not the best way to respond at all. So, I play piano. The piano and how I play the songs for the day end up reflecting my anxiety. Afterwards, I feel that I've expressed my anxiety to the world and I feel refreshed because of it.

From my experience, I'm not entirely sure that there is a truely healthy way to deal with anxiety.

I've tried lots of different methods. The two most sucessful for me were journaling, and indulging oneself in one's true passion. Putting my thoughts into words that actually make sense (because God knows I don't think comprehesively), or turning up the bass (and pumping up the volume) and just playing whatever riff comes to mind are my escapes.

If I can find someone I can truely confide in, then I find that venting is my coping mechanism. But, because this is a rare occurance for me, it is often not sucessful...

Anti-depressants and sleep. Zoloft is my everyday solution. When things get bad, Xanax usually makes me numb and sleepy, which is all I can ask for. When things are at their worst and I'm also depressed, I try to do a lot of physical activity, be around people (go figure), pretty much anything to get those endorphins released.

I drink. Vodka is fairly cheap and does wonders. You can get wine for even cheaper, but it gives you terrible hangovers. It's pretty much the only solution right now as it's summer and I live alone, meaning I interact with other human beings roughly once a week, and by that I mean that I say "Hi" to the cashier when doing groceries. Fortunately the only times I seem to have trouble with anxiety is when I go to sleep.

I see many people suggest ways to distract oneself. That did not work for me as I found my focus to return to triggers of anxiety once the distracting activity was over.

The most effective method I have found is to remove those thoughts which cause anxiety by placing them in their proper context. Not every moment in life is pivotal. Not every action will resonate through the rest of your life. Don't change what you do; change how you think.

sleeping...
or sewing. that really helps me a WHOLE lot. either that or doodling while listening to music, that tends to get the stress out.

Physical activity, cooking, and writing poetry help me cope with anxiety. However, nothing I have written so far when I was depressed ever appealed to me after my mood gets better.

I find that binge drinking, meaningless sex and the occasional line or three put away my anxiety pretty well.

I wouldn't worry too much about the snowball effect.

haha and thats healthy?

I don't know that it's really any less healthy than the average american diet combined with the stress/anxiety that other americans deal with in their daily lives.

just saying :P title of thread was healthy way to deal with anxiety. xP

and nowadays, i don't see why people stress out so much D= they just gotta learn to lean back, sit down, and forget about things ;3

and coke, booze and sex help achieve that relaxation.

i think i'm in love with you. :tpg:

A good trick I've heard but don't do is to write down whatever's bothering you on a slip of paper (not a LJ entry, just the general idea) and toss it into a drawer. A few weeks/months later go back through the drawer and see how many of the things you were stressing out so much over were actually worth the mental strain you put yourself through. Odds are, very few of them. It helps you realize most of the things you're freaking out over really aren't that huge of a concern and you're much better off just making a decision instead of fretting.

(Also, I've never gotten how drugs/alcohol can ease stress since they cost money, and generally money is the cause of most peoples' worries.)

I've never paid any money for drugs, then again, I don't do them as like a regular habit.

Well, I can't do them, now, anyways. But, when I did, I never had to pay.

Alcohol, on the other hand, really isn't that expensive. And, again, it's not like I get drunk everyday.

I simply masturbate.

Masturbation is a cure for stress/anxiety plus it also helps your immune system. So guess how often I get sick?

Honestly, having a bad day at work, go into the boss' office and jerk it right on their papers. They'll be pissed off and you can laugh.

Explain how masturdation helps your immune system, this is a new one on me.

I masturbate all the time, I still get sick, seems like every season.

I've heard of this masturbation-immune system link too. It's just speculation but I bet it has to do something with the hormones that are released during an orgasm and how it synergies with your immune system.