5 Things You Can Do on the Days Anxiety Is Winning

From the second you woke up, you may have been able to tell today was just going to be one of those days. The voices inside your head may be louder than normal and your anxiety is giving you a run for your money. You may want nothing more than to curl up in a ball and pretend you don’t exist.

But you can’t. You have to go to work. School. Run errands. Drive your kids to school. Make dinner. Do homework. Live your life. And so you might not be able to take the time you feel you need.

But, there are plenty of things you can do on days when your anxiety is winning.

1. Listen to your favorite music.

Lose yourself in the lyrics of your favorite songs. Let the music wash over you. Sing along if you want. Dance. Focus on the sounds to keep yourself grounded.

2. Talk to a trusted friend or family member.

Tell someone what is going on. Allow yourself to be comforted and hopefully calmed down. It always helps to have someone remind you how much they love you and care about you. And whatever you do, don’t isolate yourself. You might feel like you’re better off alone and you’ll just bother people, but lots of times it can be more harmful to keep all your feelings to yourself.

3. Take things one step at a time.

Some of the best advice I have ever received came from my best friend. I was completely overwhelmed by my own thoughts and had no idea how I was going to make it through the school day. She noticed what was going on and told me all I had to do was go one class at a time. I had to be present wherever I was and remind myself it was OK if all I could do was be present. I had to focus on exactly what is going on and do my best not to think about anything else. It can be very difficult, but if you can manage it, this will make your day so much easier.

4. Breathe.

I know it sounds silly and incredibly cliche, but it can be an amazing help. You can meditate or just spend a few minutes regulating your breathing. You can search the web for tools to help you or just let yourself focus only on breathing and nothing else.

5.  Cut yourself some slack.

You are so unbelievably strong for dealing with this and you should remind yourself of that as often as you can. Anxiety is hard and some days are harder than others. If you don’t make it to work or school today, it’s OK. And you will be OK. You might need some time, but don’t push yourself if you are just going to end up falling.

Life can be rough. And anxiety can greatly complicate it. But you don’t have to let life beat you up. Even if it’s just by doing small things on days when you can barely function, you can fight back and you can win.

We want to hear your story. Become a Mighty contributor here.

Thinkstock photo via brickrena.