Skylar’s practical tips on how to reduce anxiety

It can be easy to let anxiety make you feel discouraged and take away from your happiness but you don’t have to let that happen. Whether that be anxiety experienced by a stressful situation or on a daily basis you can overcome it.

I know this because I  have struggled with it and I want to help others who may struggle with it as well.

In our social media-driven society that creates ideas of comparison and negativity, it can be hard to subdue the day-to-day anxiety teens today deal with.  It’s important to stop giving in to the thoughts of comparison and negativity caused by social media. Everyone is different and unique in their own way and that is what makes us beautiful.

Based on personal experience, here are 3 different ways to help overcome and manage anxiety. Most of them fall into three different categories: being outdoors, having faith, and being creative.

Being outdoors and exercising not only helps you stay physically healthy but can also help you be mentally healthy. When I go for a walk or a run, my mind is more focused on my movement. It’s a great way to clear your mind and focus on reality instead of the worries in your mind.

Another good way to overcome anxiety is by having faith. Believing in God has helped me get through the many highs and lows of life. Being able to give any anxieties and worries to God is a great way to reduce anxiety when going through stressful situations or on a daily basis. By having faith you can let God handle it and help you get through it with a positive and encouraging mindset. 

Lastly, being creative can be a great outlet to release stress. You can put the energy you would use for worrying into making a beautiful masterpiece instead. Painting, drawing, or scrapbooking can be a great way to express yourself and your emotions in a unique way. The best piece of advice I have gained over the years is to not keep your emotions in. Talking to a friend or writing your feelings out will help you release that tension building up and even help you debrief what is causing that anxiety.

In my experience, these are all great ways to redirect your focus and energy into something that could spark new interests or opportunities you never knew you were good at. Replacing fear for hope doesn’t happen right away but consistency is key.

Anxiety is something that many people including myself struggle with, but it is important to not let it control you and stop you from being happy.