You already know the common ways to deal with anxiety, depression, and stress… things like deep breathing, meditation, relaxation, taking a shower or bath, listening to music, watching something funny, taking a walk, exercising, etc. But maybe these common tips don’t always work for you, or maybe you are looking to try some new things because these common ones are getting pretty boring to you. In any case, here are 5 creative ways to help manage anxiety, depression, and stress.
1) Envision how someone without anxiety or depression would handle the situation
Identify someone who you perceive as being calm and level-headed, and imagine yourself as that person. You can choose someone you know or someone you have never met (e.g. a celebrity, a person in history, or even a fictional character).
Think about the following: how would they handle the situation you are dealing with? What thoughts and feelings would they have about it? How would they stay calm? Would they take a certain posture or tone of voice to face the upsetting feelings? What would they tell themselves to get through it?
See if you can take on some of these qualities. If it feels too difficult to play the role of that person, pretend that they are giving you advice about how to deal with the situation and apply the advice as best as possible.
2) Do a ritual to get rid of upsetting feelings
This can be as simple as taking a shower and envisioning washing your stress away.
You can also pretend to throw unwanted feelings into a garbage can. You can take this a step further by writing or drawing unwanted feelings onto paper and then shredding or crumpling the paper into a garbage can. Another variation of this is to burn the paper.
3) Create a grounding object to use when you want to decrease anxiety and depression
Grounding objects help us focus on the present moment so that we don’t stress about the past or the future. They also bring a sense of comfort and safety in the present moment.
You can create a grounding object that is small enough to carry with you so that you can use it to feel better at any time that you might need a boost in your mood. Some ideas: make a credit card sized collage to keep in your wallet or purse, draw or paint a soothing symbol or picture that can fit in your wallet or purse, make a piece of jewelry that you can wear, make a keychain that you can keep with you, or paint a rock that you can carry around with you.
When you are anxious or depressed, hold your object and tell yourself soothing things. You can say, “I am going to be okay” or “I have gotten through a lot of things, and I will get through this, too”. You can also tell yourself what day and time it is, where you are, or other facts about the present so that you can fully focus on the present moment.
4) Envision a soothing place
Instead of letting your imagination run wild by picturing all the negative things that could happen in the future or exaggerating negative things that happened in the past, use it to picture yourself in a place that comforts you.
Use all of your senses to fully imagine being there. What do you see? What colors, shapes, objects, people, etc. are there? What do you smell? What do you hear? What do you feel?
For example, if you imagine being at a beach, picture the color of the sand, sky, and water. Picture if the sky is clear or cloudy, if the water is choppy or calm, if it is hot or breezy, if you have the beach to yourself or if there are other people, etc. Really picture it in detail to engage all of your senses and be fully in the present moment.
5) Write down at least 3 things that you are grateful for
Our brains have what is called a negativity bias, which means that they focus on negative things as an attempt to help us survive. It helps to train our brains to think positively by practicing gratitude.
Some examples of things that you might want to write down: personality traits that you’re proud of, accomplishments you have achieved, little joys you have experienced in life (e.g. having a delicious cup of coffee that morning or abundant sunshine that day), recent special occasions/events that you experienced, and ways that you feel taken care of (e.g. having good physical health, a lot of social support, or a well paying job).
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Do you plan to try any of these techniques? Do you have any other creative ways that you handle anxiety, depression, or stress? Feel free to share below!
If you live in the Baltimore area and would like to work with me to help you deal with anxiety, depression, or other upsetting feelings, feel free to contact me.