How do we manage baseline anxiety? We've talked about anxiety before, but what about that constant anxiousness following us across all situations and events?
Baseline anxiety refers to a sort of trend in your anxiety levels that are relatively stable over time. Often times, these are integrated into your personality, and people may describe you as being a "particularly anxious person".
As with all anxiety, there are a variety of different ways to deal baseline anxiety, but today, I'm going to share with you the tricks that have best worked for me!
#1. Find small things that help soothe you; Whether this is a tea (chamomile works great for me!) or a favorite calming scent (candle, aroma therapy, bath melts, bath bombs, etc). I personally have tea with me everywhere I go, just in the case that I need to rely on it slightly more heavily than normal. It helps soothe and comfort me when my baseline is heightened.
***It is important to note, however, that caffeine can agitate and increase anxiousness, so try to lower consumption if you can, and stick to low caffeinated teas if you're a tea-drinker, too!
#2. Wear something comfy and comforting! I realize this may sound a tad odd, but when I am anxious, there's nothing I want much more than to snuggle into a big cozy sweater, scarf or blanket. For those of you thinking I'm half nuts, they've actually done research on this, indicating that it is in our nature to seek out comfort when we are anxious, frightened or upset. You can read about it in Harlow's monkey experiment on childhood attachment theories!
#3. Ensure that your anxiety is not being aggravated by lack of nutrition and/or sugars. I've often found that when I'm anxious, I either forget, or have no interest in eating, which will aggravate your anxiety and make you much more susceptible and vulnerable to a higher baseline. Even if it's something small like an orange juice or piece of fruit- It will help, if only to increase your cognition and blood sugars.
#4. Visualization and meditation can be big, scary words for some- And no wonder! It can be difficult to do either when your anxiety is on the fritz! The least effort? Taking a bath and listening to some relaxing music/sounds/ I try to aim for instrumentals as I don't want to be influenced by the words of lyrical content of a song- I don't want to accidentally fuel the fire. Also, closing your eyes and imagining something calming for you can help- But only if you commit yourself!Q
#5. Ar Therapy. It can be as easy as painting calming colors onto a canvas or as intricate as you dare! It does not take an artist to benefit from art therapy!
However you experience your anxiety, there's no arguing that it isn't pleasant, or easy, so if you have some tips and tricks on managing anxiety that we haven't talked about today, make sure you comment them below and share your experiences with the rest of the FYL community!
Leave a little kindness wherever you go,
Alycia
