How am I to manage stress as such an anxious person? I have asked this question so many times to myself, you don’t even know. For a long time, I always did badly under pressure. I always attributed it to my lack of skills, more than anything. I tend to underestimate myself and believed I was not capable of much. Little did I know, I was just a really anxious person and it got in the way of many things I wanted to accomplish. I never really found my way through my anxiety until I got to college.

I’m no doctor, so I can’t truly diagnose myself or you and I believe that anxiety is a huge spectrum and can show itself in many different ways. I also believe it’s easy to know when you are an anxious person and you can always work your way around it. I had always been terrible at dealing with my stress but, as the years went by, I figured out how to help myself so that I could function better when I’m anxious.

First, I did my best to find ways to calm myself down in situations where I am in panic or worry. There are so many different ways to calm yourself down and, trust me, I’ve tried almost every single way in the book. I would search online for “ways to calm down” and I would look everywhere. Here are some of the standard ways people try and calm themselves down.

1. Sharing your feelings with someone
2. Deep breaths
3. Listening to music
4. Meditation

There are so many ways to go about these things and sometimes the simple answers are the only things you need. For me, it wasn’t anything I found online. I think the only way I was able to calm myself down was to isolate myself for 1-2 hours. I would just lie down, watch some videos or a movie, and come back with a fresh mind. This rest was so important for me to figure out my next move.

When I’ve calmed down, I think about the important things that need to get done. This is what allowed me to become better under pressure. I never realized how much time I needed alone and left to relax. Never try and push yourself too hard because it usually leads to a harmful end, especially if you’re anxious about something. It’s always good to come back with a fresh mind.

Along with ways to help cope with anxiety, there are good ways and bad ways. Try your best to choose healthy ways to take care of yourself. I used to binge eat a lot and it led to really bad eating habits. I used to eat big meals every midnight while studying just to cope with my stress. Be on the lookout for bad habits and coping mechanisms so that you don’t dig yourself in a hole that’s deeper than where you started.

If all else fails, go to a therapist and seek help. If you feel like you need help, do your best to get it because you won’t regret it. There’s no shame in needing help. It’s always the first step that feels so hard; you feel that you don’t wanna burden anyone or have anyone “deal” with your issues. Once you take this step and open up, your feelings can be helped and analyzed with someone that will understand.

This post was written for Healthy Young Nevada by Claude, an intern at Immunize Nevada