Blog: How a teenager copes with anxiety
Blog written by Kieran Bains from Leicester, who has lived with anxiety for almost four years. These are her views which she is sharing with ITV Central.
Living with anxiety for almost four years now has become something that I have accepted and constantly work on to make sure that it is manageable and that I am able to reflect on.
I do not however put the pressure to force myself to be or act ok because it is a strenuous task.
I know that I will have my good days and my bad days but I do not let the days where my anxiety is prominent to define me. I use these days as a sign and reminder to emphasize the importance of self-care.
Taking care of your mental health and wellbeing can easily seem so challenging when at times you feel like the whole world is on top of your shoulders and is weighing you down.
In the business of day to day life, we often get so caught up with the normal stresses of life whether it be work, school etc.
This means we neglect ourselves and our basic needs even without realising or meaning to do so which could prove to be significant to our health in the long run. Simply taking some time out for ourselves during the day to maintain our wellbeing will avoid burnout.
Whether you have anxiety or not, self-care is something that we should all practice and incorporate into out lifestyles and there are several ways you can do so depending on what works for you.
Kieran has some tips on how to manage your mental wellbeing:
Breathing: Breathing exercises have the ability to calm you down and gain back control of your body and senses when feeling stressed or anxious. There are many methods and techniques of doing so but the most simple and effective one is to relax your body; sit up straight, keep your shoulders down, place yours hand on your knees, breathe in through your nose for four seconds and out through your mouth for four seconds allowing yourself to take deep breaths to allow yourself to relax.
‘First aid list’: Create a list of things that help you stay positive and will lift your mood to get you out of a slump. It can be as simple or detailed as you want, a few of mine are meditating, walking or blog writing.
Talking: As straight forward as it sounds, talking to someone you trust can lift a weight of your shoulders and put things into perspective for you. Even if it is just having someone to listen to you and having the opportunity to talk about how you are feeling.
Music: This is a good way for you to connect with your emotions and allow you to explore your thoughts and feelings but also distract you from anything that may be worrying you.
Lists: If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, try writing a list of what you need to get done, prioritising certain tasks to help you get them completed. If you prefer to look at things visually, bullet journaling is also a good way to organise and plan your day out.
Digital detox: I find that when my anxiety is present and my mood is low that taking a step back from social media is extremely helpful. Technology has become a huge part of people’s everyday lives as we are dependent on it and as good as it can be, it takes up a lot of valuable time. Often it subconsciously impacts the way we think and feel, therefore taking a break sometimes can be useful to refocus and reenergize.