Daily Habits to Prevent Anxiety

If you have anxiety, then you may have noticed that some habits seem to make your anxiety worse while some prevent anxiety. Here are some daily habits I have that help to prevent anxiety.

Over the last few weeks, I have noticed feelings of anxiety coming up. My heart has been racing, I have been having stressful thoughts about the future, and I have felt like there is a ball of pressure in my chest. For me, it seems that my anxiety comes in seasons. I have noticed that when I start skipping certain daily habits, I will feel anxious until I incorporate them back in. Here are a few habits that have helped me prevent anxiety. 

The Daily Habits I Use to Prevent Anxiety

Movement

Any kind of movement helps me prevent anxiety from taking me over. For a while, I was doing weight lifting and then I switched to cardio. The past few weeks I have been getting into yoga. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you are moving your body regularly. It has helped me to stay away from fitness challenges or anything strict and simply do what feels good for my body each day. Sometimes I go for a walk, sometimes I do yoga, and sometimes I put music on and dance. It all depends on what my mood is.

Meditation

I used to really struggle with meditation, but once I let go of having a "perfect" meditation I really started enjoying it. It helps to allow your thoughts to come in without trying so hard to silence your mind. Personally, I prefer short, guided meditations. When I make it a point to meditate regularly, I have noticed that I am more relaxed and in the moment rather than obsessing about everything on my to-do list. 

Writing

Sometimes I will follow journal prompts, and sometimes I just do a "brain dump" to get all of my thoughts on paper. I have noticed that writing every day keeps me more level-headed than waiting for the anxiety to hit. There are parts of every day where I have anxious thoughts, and that is normal. Writing regularly helps me to prevent those anxious thoughts from consuming me. 

If I skip on any of these things for a few weeks or even a few days, I notice that my anxiety slowly starts taking over. These activities help me stay present, resulting in less anxious thoughts. While this works for me, I encourage you to find a routine that will prevent anxiety for you.