My favourite mindfulness/anxiety reducing activities

 Hi all!

If you know me, you know I have a lot of anxiety and worry most of the time and love to be distracted pretty much all the time. Because of this, I thought I'd share with you my favourite things to do when my anxiety is high or just when I want to take some time to myself and try to relax. 

Makeup

Again, if you know me, this will not be a shock. I find applying makeup and creating a new look very therapeutic and really helps to calm me down. Usually when I'm really anxious (and I feel like I want to do a look), I tend to gravitate towards a really fun and bright colour, kind of as a pick me up. I know this will not be for everyone but if you are a person who owns some makeup and/or likes to wear it, I would suggest just applying it for fun and playing around because it can be so relaxing! (I also take photos of these looks afterwards and put them on my makeup Instagram page so its a 2 for 1 deal). 

Colouring

I have always loved to colour! Ever since I was a little kind, it has been one of my favourite things to do and from the rise of adult colouring books, I have got even more into it. I love sitting down and spending a good hour or more colouring in a nice picture or pattern and picking all the cohesive colours. I particularly like colouring in mandala's or flowers but everyone's taste is different and you gotta find what you like the most. 

Reading

I have recently become a little obsessed with reading! I love buying and reading books and find it really relaxing. I also find it's a great thing to do when you can't sleep. Being able to get into another world through words on a page is so therapeutic and relaxing and it's such a cosy activity. I read anything from true crime, to fantasy, to mystery. Reading is also a good relaxation method for a lot of people but I also find it helps me out too.

Journaling

Now, I am not the biggest diary keeper and I definitely am not consistent with this, but when I am in the middle of a panic attack or need to relax, I like to write down exactly what I'm feeling and what I am going through and this helps me to calm down. Also, when I write, I am very logical and write that I know what I am experiencing is not actually happening and I am panicking for no reason and I think that helps. I don't dismiss what I'm feeling, because that's perfectly valid, but in those moments of panic, I need to be logical to calm myself down, because my anxiety is very illogical.

Phone games

I feel like people will say that they shouldn't use their phone to help calm down during an anxiety attack but I find some of the games on my phone relaxing! My personal favourites are Grass Cut, Sort it 3D, CodyCross and Sweet Escapes. Having some fun games on your phone could be relaxing and play it for as long as you feel like. I would recommend staying off social media during these attacks but you do you and do what feels works for you personally. 

Comfort TV shows/films

So I am new to this term but it makes a lot of sense. I saw a Tweet saying that people with anxiety tend to watch the same TV shows or films on repeat as it is a comfort to them and I 100% agree because I do that all the time. My comfort shows include RuPaul's Drag Race, Bob's Burgers, The Simpsons and some Disney Channel shows I used to watch. It's predictable and we know what is going to happen but it is comforting. Honestly, I love going to bed early and watching something again when my anxiety is bad. 

Music

Music is a lot of people's coping mechanism, and it is definitely one of mine too. I love nothing more than putting in my ear phones and putting on my favourite artist or playlist. Doing nothing else but listen to music and focus on the lyrics. There's not a lot I can say about music helping because it does for so many people and that's great!

Puzzles

I feel like such a grandma, but I love doing a puzzle like a word search or criss cross puzzle and it's something for me to focus on and to stimulate the mind. I get that puzzles aren't for everyone, but I love doing them, even just to kill some time. 

Those are just some things that I do to help relax and to be more mindful. Please share some of yours, because I would love to hear those.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time. Bye!

Joanne xx