By Claire Golden
Admittedly, this title is an exaggeration, because I know of no way to banish anxiety completely. However, in my last post about anxiety disorders I promised to share one of my favorite techniques for coping with anxiety. So here it is!
Since anxiety tends to focus on either fretting over the past or worrying about the future, one of the best ways to cope is by grounding yourself in the present moment. To do this, it’s useful to engage your five senses. I put together a box with tools for each sense. When I’m anxious, I reach for this box and play with the things inside until I feel a little less on edge. It’s important to put these resources together ahead of time because it’s difficult to function in the moment. In the same way that you don’t wait to pack until five minutes before you leave for the airport, you shouldn’t wait unil the moment of an anxiety attack to put together your kit. It’s a great way to care for your future self and take a little bit of control back from anxiety.
My anxiety box is actually a drawer in my desk. It used to be a physical box that sat next to my computer. When I commuted daily to college, I had a small zippered pouch that I used instead of a large box and contained a miniature version of this kit. Below is a picture of a small box I use as well as some of my crochet, which helps me a lot with anxiety.
Sight
- Pictures of cute animals and loved ones
- Memes
- “Satisfying” videos of slime or kinetic sand
- Watch videos of relaxing things like ocean waves
- Read a book
- Make a wall of your favorite quotes that you find encouraging, so you can look at it when the world feels especially scary
Sound
- Meditation or relaxation videos (YouTube has lots of relaxing ASMR videos)
- Listen to music — and maybe dance to it
- Listen to nature sounds (I love falling rain)
- Draw or color something, paying attention to the sound of your writing
Smell
- Lotion
- Candles
- Go seek out your favorite smell. For me, it’s cracking open a book — I love the papery smell.
- Take a bath with some fancy bubbles or soap
Touch
- Fidget toys (I love Tangles)
- Craft such as crochet, knitting, embroidery, origami
- Play-Doh or Silly Putty — my favorite is Dave’s Thinking Putty which is so fun to play with and comes in all sorts of awesome colors
- Stress ball
- Use a peel-off face mask or something else for self-care
- Hug a family member, friend, pet, or stuffed animal (pictured is my dog, Maisie, who is always happy to oblige)
- Give yourself a hand, foot, or shoulder massage complete with lotion – put a massage tool or small container of lotion in your box
Taste
- Lollipops
- Gum
- Sour candy
- Include a favorite recipe to bake your favorite treat —- this works for smell, too!
- A warm cup of tea (peppermint helps calm me down)
I hope this list can be of some use to you like it has been for me. What is your go-to trick for stress relief? What would you add to this list?