Real Talk Wednesday: Handling Stress and Anxiety

Stress and Anxiety are both a struggle for me. I have mentioned before that I am starting a new school in the fall (go Owls!). While my start date for school is inching near (I start Monday). I found myself earlier on this week getting anxious, scared, and stressed. I kept on thinking..."Will I make friends" "Will I enjoy my classes" "is this the university where I belong". I found myself not getting excited and just getting stressed and anxious. Freaking out over things that I can not control when it comes time for school to start. My anxiety was taking what I was excited for and making it a ride on the struggle bus (all aboard). 

So dealing with my anxiety I thought I would give a list of the top 5 things I have done to ease my anxiety::

1. Running/going to the gym: Whenever I start to feel overly stressed or overly anxious I put all of my thoughts in one part of my brain and I leave them there and I don't think about them. I go to my local track or to my gym and I forget about all the things that are bothering me, making me stressed, or making me anxious. I just turn on my music and think about how amazing my life is (sounds so silly but it actually works). Then, after working out I come back to the things that were bothering me and they are a little clearer and my anxieties are gone. 
2. Talking it out: I have some of the best friends ever and they are honestly so helpful. Whenever I feel super stressed or anxious. I can call (or text) one of my friends and they #realtalk me through what I am going through. Occasionally giving me the tough love that I need. 
3. Writing in my Journals: I have three journals that I keep. I write in them for different things. One of them is specifically for reflecting on my past and how things are different, the second is on my day to day life and what I did for the day, and the other journal is a coping journal ( a place where all of my anxieties, and fears go...in this journal I also write ways I can deal with the things that bother me). I find having three is helpful because its organized and makes it easier for me to go back and read. 
4. Listing: I know, I talk about my lists a lot. But they are so helpful. I find when I list out everything in my life and I see how wonderful life is; the little things that are making me anxious don't seem so important in comparison to the big picture. 
5. Reading my favorite quotes: I find that quotes ease my anxiety and my stress. There's something about having someones words to guide me through a situation. On my desk where I study, when I look up, I have about 10 sticky notes of quotes that I see while studying. Some of the quotes I just thought up, others are quotes from famous people, or my favorite authors. 

Whenever I get stressed about school or life I do one of these things and I find that my anxiety and stress levels decline and I don't feel consumed by stress or anxiety. 

What do you do when you are trying to ease your anxiety? Let me know below!

Keep Calm and Carry On. 

xoxo 

Melissa

P.S. Starting next week I will be linking up with my bestie Rachael for #realtalkwednesdays!! Be on the look out for that and in the meantime check out Rachael's blog!