23 free + simple ideas for dealing with anxiety
How to get help for your mental health.
Whether you suffer from panic attacks or feel a general buzz of worry coursing though your body daily, here are some of my go-to medicines to self-treat anxiety and calm its symptoms the moment it arises.
1. Journaling for anxiety
When I’m in the grip of anxiety the first thing I do is open my trusty journal and start emptying the whirling thoughts from my brain onto the page.
If you do this, make sure to begin by allowing yourself to pour all of your anxiety out onto the page. The purpose of journalling when you’re in the grip of anxiety is the wear the anxious feeling out, not to try to overlay them with positive thinking.
After that, try this journalling process to dive deeper into the origins of your anxiety and the beliefs that drive it.
2. Walking in nature
There is nothing more healing than an aimless walk – the longer the better, preferably through the trees or along the beach.
Tips: Focus on taking in what you see, what you hear, what you smell and what you sense. Feel your feet connecting with the earth, and your air on your face. Notice the animals that surround you.
3. Self-massage with oil
Ayurvedic doctors recommend self-massage with coconut, almond or sesame oil as medicine for a number of ailments - including anxiety
Pour some oil on your hands and begin to massage it into your feet, working all the way up your body to your face and head (or the other way around). Self-massage is a beautiful way to return to a nourished and grounded state.
4. List all the stuff that’s going well in your life
I’ve become familiar with the thoughts and beliefs that contribute to my particular brand of anxiety, including ‘I’m not doing enough, I’ll never get there, I’m running out of time and I’m a loser.’
The antidote to this negative shit-storm can balancing it out with all the things that are going right.
5. Information detox
As a self-confessed information junkie, I spend a lot of time filling my head with other people’s ideas through podcasts, blogs, books and scrolling. This is great, until I lose the balance between creating and consuming and feel suddenly overwhelmed and paralysed.
The remedy? A good old information detox until creating outweighs consuming!
6. Eat Vata-pacifying foods
In Ayuveda, anxiety is often (but not always) caused by an excess of the vata dosha. Consuming the foods that pacify vata can have a huge impact on anxiety levels.
Vata pacifying foods that help with anxiety include warming, grounding fruits and vegetables, soups, casseroles and smoothies. My go-to when I’m anxious is a big bowl of roasted or steamed root veggies sprinkled with chopped garden herbs.
7. Drinking lots of water with herbs from the garden
The best things in life are free. And simple. And readily available if you have a garden (if you don’t, start by planting a few herbs in pots).
Drinking more water is my first port of call when I feel anxious as it nourishes me and adding herbs like rosemary or mint give a humble glass of water some sparkle!
8. Massage with a pressure ball
If you don’t have a pressure ball you can use a golf ball or tennis ball to smooth out those knots of anxiety in your neck and shoulders.
Stand against a wall and allow to ball to roll into tights spots. Breathe into the discomfort and imagine the tight muscles melting and releasing.
9. Tree-hugging
Sprinkle some tree hugging into your daily walk! You’ll immediately get the benefits of the energy of trees - the most natural, free and accessible medicine for a frazzled nervous system.
10. Play with the kids
When I feeling anxious, I rarely feel like playing – I’d rather stay curled up in my ball of worry and overthink the crap out of everything.
But truthfully, playing with the kids is always what I need. The process of wrestling, Lego building or making art with them often gets me out of my own head and into a more productive, joyful space.
11. Moon or star-gazing
Have you ever noticed the affect staring at the moon on a clear night has on your body and mind? It’s kind of like a hush falls around you and it’s hard not to feel a sense of awe when dwarfed by the twinkling stars carpeting an endless universe.
There’s nothing like feeling small and insignificant to settle anxiety.
12. Have a shower
Hydrotherapy is free, warming, soothing and one of the fastest ways to reset your mood.
13. Read fiction
Balance out the noise and comparison trap of social media by settling into a great fictional book. Books slow you down and allow you to get lost in another world, where you can experience life from someone else’s perspective.
Try replacing your nightly scroll with a few minutes of reading.
14. Take a break from the internet
The internet…we all need it but we also need regular breaks from it. Try a day off the internet every once in a while to focus on nourishing, grounding activities that balance out your nervous system.
15. Light a candle and saying a prayer
Whether you’re religious or not (I’m not) there’s no denying the power of trusting in a force bigger than yourself.
I love leaning into the mystery and surrendering to universal forces by lighting a candle and saying a prayer. It shifts me out of anxiety and into trust and reverence.
16. Walking and chatting with a friend
Small talk makes me anxious. So do large groups. But a walk with a close friend and a deep chat about what matters? Infinitely nourishing.
There’s nothing better than getting outside and having a deep talk with a trusted friend. You might find your anxieties can be reframed just by talking about them with someone who has a different perspective.
17. Gardening
This really should be top of the list. The simple act of putting your hands in the soil can be the ultimate medicine for switch out of anxiety and get grounded – literally.
Plus, there are the gardening metaphors! As you weed the garden, imagine you’re pulling up the weeds of outdated beliefs. And as you plants seeds or seedlings, imagine you’re planting new, uplifting and renewing thoughts.
18. Pat your dog
Pets are the opposite of anxious.
A few minutes of soaking up their natural alignment is incredibly soothing. My dogs make me feel loved when I’ve forgotten how to love myself.
19. Being nice to people on social media
If you’re spending time on social media, try switching your intention from unconscious scrolling or posting to encouraging and uplifting others.
See how many posts you can like and engage with, adding to the practice by imagining positive, encouraging energy pouring from you to the other person. This immediately delivers you out of that grasping, ‘please like me’ state or mindlessness and into generosity and contribution - squeezing anxiety out of the picture.
20. Say kind things to yourself
When you’re anxious, it can be your body’s way of telling you that you need to mother yourself. Here are some things to practice saying to yourself with you’re in the grip of it: ‘You are doing your best’, ‘I love you’, ‘You’re doing so well’, ‘I’m proud of you’.
While it may seem fake or forced at first, this kind of self-compassion (when practiced consistency) has a powerful impact of your nervous system.
21. Practice yin yoga
Yin yoga is a deeply nourishing and restorative practice that takes you out of fight or flight and into your parasympathetic nervous system.
Grab a few pillows or a bolster and do an online class, find a teacher near you or simply get into child’s pose or another simple posture and rest there for five minutes, intentionally letting go of tension.
22. Dance around the house to loud music
Fun can a powerful remedy for anxiety - especially when you can laugh at yourself.
Turn the music up and commit to getting out out of your head - your body will rejoice in the movement.
23. Swim in the ocean (or lake, river or creek)
Swimming in the ocean offers a chance to reset and often, it’s all it takes to snap out of the cycle of worry. For extra benefits, try screaming underwater!
There are so many simple +free remedies for anxiety. Experiment with these or, even better, start noticing the practices that work for you and apply them like medicine whenever you’re feeling anxious.
Want to learn how to do more advanced inner work practices to help you dissolve anxiety + overwhelm? I offer 1:1 personalised coaching to help with anxiety and self-regulation. Contact me with questions here.
