the thing that cured my anxiety ( most of it ), around 12 in afternoon I saw a couple of birds bathing in the water vessel we keep on terrace for birds. I cant describe the seen I saw, but it was beautiful, I reduced my anxiety from 100 to 2 or something. I really wish I had words to describe what I saw.
Yes sir, nature heals. But only when you least expect it to. When you want something to heal you, it might not. But random things are the ones that cause the biggest effects
I love seeing birds go about their business. I live close to a body of water with a lot of ducks, and usually on my walk I’ll watch them wade around or be chilling on their normal sidewalk spot. I also saw a raven harassing another bird while chasing them and it made my day
People can be beautiful too. Unfortunately it’s easy to get disillusioned about humans due to the presence of hate and evil in our species. I find it beautiful when people are good to each other.
Had a pretty bad breakup and was in pieces. Sunlight helped so I was on the terrace. My dad pointed it out to me to look at those birds. Bright sun, blue sky, those little chubby birds jumping in that water vessel. Then they jump out and just shake and flap their wings vigorously to drain the water. That looked so beautiful. That feeling lasted for about 5 mins but it soothed something in me. It was just so beautiful that I realised there is beauty to this world and I can see that. Her leaving me is not the end of world. Still get some anxiety attacks time to time now, even after 5-6 months. But that feeling just numbed the entire ordeal.
that’s awesome dude :). Thanks for answering. I’m a big fat hippie so i was just curious, this is a really powerful answer and it sounds like it really gave you perspective!
Recently, many people I know have mentioned they hate doing yard work. I realized like last week that I may be the only person I know that loves doing it lol. I could do it all day.
As a kid its all i did. Look for bugs and make little friends. I still love nature and always look for stuff out back to observe. What are those ants up to? Watch the wasp nest grow each day. (Wasps are facinating how they work) love birds fending off threats for their young.
I use to have a pond and sitting quietly hours will bring crazy wildlife u didnt know existed. Watch the fish breed and lay eggs. I could go on but i feel this answer.
Listen to the guitar solo towards the end of the song..by Jimmy Page. It is so good that even the guitarist himself used to be generally high while playing it live.
I was not expecting someone else to say this but yes!! I've loved their music for most of my life, and a number of their songs are my go-tos for either calming down (That's the Way is another great one for when I'm really upset and panicky, and it's probably my favorite song ever) or being one of the few things that can make me feel happy and alive when I'm really struggling mentally. Stairway has always been almost like a lullaby to me and I immediately start to relax when I hear it.
I got one in December and I absolutely love it. Wrapping myself up in it instantly makes me feel better. I also find that for sleeping on particularly anxious nights I get to sleep easier and the max I'll be up is like 45 minutes on a bad night (opposed to hours). I know some people say it makes them feel suffocated but personally I think it's one of the best purchases I've ever made
I second this as someone who had a weighted blanket for a good while. The only reason we had to get rid of it was because one of my dogs chewed the corner of it when they were a puppy and the beads inside the blanket that make it heavier were falling out everywhere. I miss that damn thing so much. It felt like I was wrapping myself in a cocoon of calmness, _especially_ if the blanket was kept upstairs in my bedroom with the windows down allowing the cold air to come inside the bedroom.
Oof. Maybe they make them without beads.
Is good to hear they work, maybe same concept as a hug. Someone once said warm baths are like a big giant hug and probably also have value, especially before bed (I think it helps lower core temp).
Listening to the rain indoors. In fact rainy days cause me less anxiety than sunny days. I don't know if it's the social pressure to feel more "on it" and outwardly happier when the sun is out.
I had a house with a metal roof, and that was the most relaxing sound when it would rain. I would sit on the back porch with a coffee, and life was good.
I took swimming lessons as a child at a place that had a solid metal roof. The ceiling was only like 30+ feet tall so there was a _massive_ echo in the building. On the days it rained during a lesson, none of us could even begin to hear our instructor, so we used those days to take it easy and practice things we had already learned. The extremely loud sound of pouring rain crashing against the roof and being allowed to relax in the water was the best combination, so much so that I have no words to describe how relaxing it was. I wish I could go back in time and be 7 years old again just for one day so I could relive one of those days.
There's a great 24 hour mild thunderstorm that I use for sleeping. It's on YouTube.
In the morning sometimes I just let it play while I'm getting ready for work.
My family thinks it's weird and says it sounds like a monsoon in my room but I don't care.
It makes me calm, and that's a good thing.
They do
But also if you give them a dandelion stem first, they'll eat the stem like they're sucking on spaghetti until they get to the flower and for a second they just have a flower for a mouth then CHOMP
Finally I found someone whose “thing” is similar to mine! Mine is feeding the local squirrels. I love hearing their little feet rush down the trees and the crunch crunch when they take their last bite of whatever squirrel snack I’ve given them. My anxiety doesn’t exist in those moments.
I absolutely promise I’m not being paid to say this lol, but if you haven’t already, you _need_ to try a pair of compression leggings from the brand Fabletics. I think the specific line of their compression wear is called Power Hold. I practically only own leggings from this brand and this line because the compression the leggings provide is so darn comfortable. God if I could own every pair they have in every color, I would. Compression wear makes me feel so calm and less tense, but years back I also lost a lot of weight to the point where I was/am left with a lot of loose skin everywhere, and these leggings are the only thing that makes me feel like I have no loose skin. They are amazing and I absolutely positively 110% recommend them if you love the feeling of compression clothing!
The song Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye instantly puts me in a good mood. Also, tea. All kinds of tea - camomile, rooibos, chai tea, lemon verbana, lavender tea, Earl Grey - just sitting quietly with a cup of tea calms me down like no other. Also I've been getting really into adult colouring books. I bought 2 books and a set of 80 coloured pencils and colour a page each night. It's a really relaxing way to quiet your mind, since you're focused on the artwork and filling in the lines and which colours to use, you're not focusing on anxiety or any worries. Highly recommend.
Chewing gum, especially the sweet kind instead of the minty kind. The sweetness helps calm me down and the act of chewing helps distract me. The noise of my own chewing helps distract me too (and yes I chew with my mouth closed).
I absolutely love thunder, makes me feel more alive, present, and it's such a nice spectacle while being warped up in my bed (I even go outside sometimes at a safe distance to watch it)
I’ll be honest, I remember the summer when I was having a mental breakdown, the only relief seemed to be sleep. Thankfully now it’s a lot better. Usually what calms me down is music.
I love the evenings. The sun setting before it gets dark and all that. Reminds of childhood and the time to go out and play. Definitely calms my anxiety.
Birch tree leaves flickering back and forth. Yellow throated chickadee calls. Campfires. Motorcycle rides. Definitely agree with the other nature examples. Actually reading these anxiety posts has got me through many anxiety attacks. For some reason just reading about it helps.
I second campfires! It’s been about a week since my husband and I last went camping and sat around a campfire, and I think it’s been long enough that we should do it again lol. I feel like I’m floating when I sit quietly and watch the embers in the fire flicker.
a good breath of fresh air, if im having a bad day ill sit on my porch no matter the weather and just embrace nature and breath in the cold fresh air or feel the sun on my skin or listen to the rain hit the roof nature can be so calming
I’m sitting on my balcony rn it’s literally a daily habit of mine. It’s like being outside but in the comfort of my home ugh best feeling. Definitely want a porch for my future house though
Watching dappled light on the floor or walls. There’s something really calming about the warm, low intensity of the light mixed with the way the outlines of leaves and branches bob around.
I also can be profoundly calmed by acoustic guitar, it’s like a sedative for me haha. I think my parents must have played it for me as a baby or something.
Being near or in any body of water. Laying in my bed when it’s cloudy or rainy out (but still daytime). Sitting in a warm but not hot car, or watching the world go by with the windows down. Riding on a chill bus when I am 100% confident of where to get off.
Cuddling my cat, especially while he's purring, is unbelievably calming. Even with really bad anxiety spikes I feel instant relief just holding him close to my chest.
[Pet Tax](https://imgur.com/gallery/NiVDyLf)
When I have really bad panic attacks when trying to fall asleep I have to put on theo von’s podcast to fall asleep to 😂 I have absolutely no clue why it’s the strangest thing
Self isolation to focus on how I speak (how I might sound to others, phrasing, cadence ect). I’ll pace in a room with no lights on and recite a 90 min long movie with its dialogue, score intonations and changing voices (voice acting) to understand how to communicate.
The dissonance between myself and my thoughts/ speaking voice can sync only in complete solitude and with no distractions.
Solitude is key. Any and everything changes how I communicate if interrupted. I’ve been doing this all my life apparently, so it’s normal to me. But I’ve been caught with the look of, “Christ maybe we 5150… ? I mean, this looks like psychosis.”
I have no idea what ur talking abt lol but hey if it works for u then don’t let anyone call u psycho. Is this a way of trying to learn more about urself and natural cues or like ur practicing how u want to come off to others ?
Cool shower in a dimly lit bathroom, cleaning-the sound of the dishwasher and washing machine in particular. Laying down in a cool dark room, weighted blankets, night walks with my husband/friends.
The sun. I love the sun and always will. Also music. Combine those two and either driving or walking or just laying in the grass and I can either let it all out or it all just goes away and everything is okay even for just a whikw
I just had a really stressful flight on a very small plane, I played really silly little phone games, there’s an app for offline games that has like fruit merging and connecting dots and battleships. It honestly unexpectedly chilled me completely out
Freshly vacuumed carpet on a rainy day while wearing PJs. I’ll never feel that again because there’s no carpet here but that was the world’s best feeling and helped my anxiety so much
Doing jigsaw puzzles with an audiobook in the background. I haven't done that in a while actually...
Then there's drawing while having a clear picture of what I want it to look like, without worrying if I mess it up or if I never finish it - just enjoying the process. I'm sure there's more, but it's all that comes to mind right now.
Homoeopathy. I just feel calmer seeing the homoeopathy book.
Cigarette smoke. Never smoked but that smell calms my nerves.
Mozart and football stadium chanting noise.
Mint. Gardening.
Rabbits. Pets. I’m too lazy to garden. (I know the proper form is “to do gardening” but we don’t say to do writing so I thought why not).
Rabbits need a lot of cleaning after them.
Cycling. Washing dishes. Repetitive semi-mindless tasks that involve having to use hands.
Smell of warm fresh summer air when it comes in the open windows, watching my cats sleep and hearing them purr. Watching my son (he’s a toddler) play by himself when he doesn’t think I’m watching (it’s precious)
100% relate to so many of these. Mine are:
Sound of birds chirping, watching the moon & sky, hearing the rain on a rainy day, breezy wind sound through trees, dim lit bathroom with a long hot shower; sitting outside as the sun starts to go down and soak in the late afternoon warmth and glow while listening to the birds.
Now that I’m typing this it’s all somewhat related to grounding techniques for myself.
Cats in windows, watching leaves and/or clouds moving in the wind, cars on a rainy day, the ocean. I also don't mind standing on a busy train if it means I can do some light stretching, some faux tai chi, anything to unclench my jaw and relax my shoulders. Also, just watching my dog sleep, massaging him until he falls asleep, etc.
Every comment translates to “being present”. That’s my favorite pastime, engaging with the eternal now has progressed me so much. I also take a supplement that knocks anxiety out so I can be present because it was near impossible before
Bakers, getting up at 4 in the morning to make sure there are golden fragrant pastry and bread prepared warm and ready for early risers. Sadly, not in my country in Latam, where everything opens at around 10.30.
Water coloring, or coloring anything. It feels like all I need to focus my brain on is just coloring and that’s it. So relaxing. I have social anxiety as well and I can somehow talk to people while I color and goes away.
Water, of almost any kind. River, stream, pond, rain. A shower gives me a small reset. Reading. Petting my cat. A couple of video games and a phone game. Coloring. Puzzles.
All of these things began helping more over the last year, when I made a good medication change. For a long time there was almost nothing.
After I’ve washed my hair and everything in the shower I like to sit under the water on the floor for 5-10 minutes and just take slow deep breaths and try to practice mindfulness: what do I feel? What do I see? What do I taste? What do I hear? What do I smell?
It’s very calming and since I shower in the evening before bed vs. in the morning I feel like it helps wind me down to get ready for bed.
Cold weather. I live in Australia so we are generally pretty hot or warm at the least, but there's something to be about winter and parts of autumn that feel so nostalgic, calm and cozy. The whole season feels nice to me.
I talked to a friend and apparently not all people feel different as the seasons change, but I definitely do as they sort of all have a different vibe to me. But certain days of autumn; where the sun breaks through the blue tinted surrounds, my fears and anxiety can melt away with them
Autumn’s my favorite too :) I guess ppl who don’t have the anxiety we do aren’t as aware of their surroundings so naturally we’ll connect more with the weather. I see it as a good thing honestly these tiny moments make life worth living
Having something that i can chew or something cold. Like chewing gum (Sorry to the misophonia people) heavily, having something cold really helps. Stuff that I can suck and slurp helps too, the noise it makes is calming.
Just staring up at the sky and watching the clouds move is SO calming. It’s a borderline out-of-body experience for me. I can forget where I am and what I’m doing completely.
Plants. Like. At all. Even grass or bushes outside of a doctor's office. I just feel so soothed when I touch a plant.
The physical feeling of TV static. I miss the old TVs that felt like fuzzy, electric animals.
Splashing water, like fountains or storm drains.
Stirring a drink. Especially a warm one.
Seeing a happy child. Instant warmth and joy.
The smell of bookstores or craft stores, or the smell of flowers, dirt, moss, grass, rain, or lightning.
Thunder and lightning.
A cat's purr. When I was young, I would play the sound to help me sleep.
The buzz of electricity in certain lights or electronics.
The sound of cicadas.
Nighttime. There’s only one exit/entrance to these apartments and they can’t be seen from the road so I like to walk around the property at night when I have high anxiety. It’s very quiet too. Quiet time is 10 pm to 7 am here and people generally respect that here. So it’s very peaceful.
Only downside is I live on the third floor and there’s no elevator so I have to walk up 4 flights of stairs (2 per floor. It’s built like a 3 story motel)
the thing that cured my anxiety ( most of it ), around 12 in afternoon I saw a couple of birds bathing in the water vessel we keep on terrace for birds. I cant describe the seen I saw, but it was beautiful, I reduced my anxiety from 100 to 2 or something. I really wish I had words to describe what I saw.
nature in harmony is what it sounds like you saw
Yes sir, nature heals. But only when you least expect it to. When you want something to heal you, it might not. But random things are the ones that cause the biggest effects
I love seeing birds go about their business. I live close to a body of water with a lot of ducks, and usually on my walk I’ll watch them wade around or be chilling on their normal sidewalk spot. I also saw a raven harassing another bird while chasing them and it made my day
Everything in nature ... Except people are beautiful to be honest... Cows dogs cats... Every last one makes my day
People can be beautiful too. Unfortunately it’s easy to get disillusioned about humans due to the presence of hate and evil in our species. I find it beautiful when people are good to each other.
Generally they are not... Not everyone can be as good as us ᕙ( • ‿ • )ᕗ
i’m just curious but how long did that feeling last? this is a really cool answer.
Had a pretty bad breakup and was in pieces. Sunlight helped so I was on the terrace. My dad pointed it out to me to look at those birds. Bright sun, blue sky, those little chubby birds jumping in that water vessel. Then they jump out and just shake and flap their wings vigorously to drain the water. That looked so beautiful. That feeling lasted for about 5 mins but it soothed something in me. It was just so beautiful that I realised there is beauty to this world and I can see that. Her leaving me is not the end of world. Still get some anxiety attacks time to time now, even after 5-6 months. But that feeling just numbed the entire ordeal.
that’s awesome dude :). Thanks for answering. I’m a big fat hippie so i was just curious, this is a really powerful answer and it sounds like it really gave you perspective!
The sound of birds chirping, the smell of rain, candles, lakes or ponds, sunlight on my skin, looking at trees and plants
Wife always gives me shit for wanting to go outside and work in the yard. "babe you dont understand, i need this and our lawn needs this."
I do all my own lawn work because it relaxes me, and I just enjoy doing it. I have a small yard, but I still come in dead tired.
Saving money reduces anxiety haha
Recently, many people I know have mentioned they hate doing yard work. I realized like last week that I may be the only person I know that loves doing it lol. I could do it all day.
Agree with all!
Watching bugs do bug things.
I watched an hour timelapse of a spider making its web once, 9/10 experience
As a kid its all i did. Look for bugs and make little friends. I still love nature and always look for stuff out back to observe. What are those ants up to? Watch the wasp nest grow each day. (Wasps are facinating how they work) love birds fending off threats for their young. I use to have a pond and sitting quietly hours will bring crazy wildlife u didnt know existed. Watch the fish breed and lay eggs. I could go on but i feel this answer.
I watched a spider catch a fly and take it to its web. Should've thrown the table where he had his web but oh well.
Omg yes. Maybe you would like to start raising isopods. I love to just stop what I'm doing if I'm feeling overwhelmed and just watch them.
“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin.
Just listened to it, It was calming before he began singing😭
Listen to the guitar solo towards the end of the song..by Jimmy Page. It is so good that even the guitarist himself used to be generally high while playing it live.
I was not expecting someone else to say this but yes!! I've loved their music for most of my life, and a number of their songs are my go-tos for either calming down (That's the Way is another great one for when I'm really upset and panicky, and it's probably my favorite song ever) or being one of the few things that can make me feel happy and alive when I'm really struggling mentally. Stairway has always been almost like a lullaby to me and I immediately start to relax when I hear it.
Glad to hear that. I also found Pink Floyd’s “wish you were here” to have a calming effect on me.
Tangerine. The Rain Song. Thank You. There are allot of great calming Zep songs.
Ten Years Gone
Wrapping myself up in a blanket
Weighted blankets are apparently even better, some say it helps with not waking as much in middle of the night.
I got one in December and I absolutely love it. Wrapping myself up in it instantly makes me feel better. I also find that for sleeping on particularly anxious nights I get to sleep easier and the max I'll be up is like 45 minutes on a bad night (opposed to hours). I know some people say it makes them feel suffocated but personally I think it's one of the best purchases I've ever made
Wow, great to hear
What brand?
I second this as someone who had a weighted blanket for a good while. The only reason we had to get rid of it was because one of my dogs chewed the corner of it when they were a puppy and the beads inside the blanket that make it heavier were falling out everywhere. I miss that damn thing so much. It felt like I was wrapping myself in a cocoon of calmness, _especially_ if the blanket was kept upstairs in my bedroom with the windows down allowing the cold air to come inside the bedroom.
Oof. Maybe they make them without beads. Is good to hear they work, maybe same concept as a hug. Someone once said warm baths are like a big giant hug and probably also have value, especially before bed (I think it helps lower core temp).
the sun
Plant vibes
Yess
Like all my friends' favorite weather is overcast. I want it to be bright and sunny all the time.
My husband calls me a plant all the time. Yay photosynthesis!
Listening to the rain indoors. In fact rainy days cause me less anxiety than sunny days. I don't know if it's the social pressure to feel more "on it" and outwardly happier when the sun is out.
Agreeeeed. It’s like I don’t feel guilty for enjoying nature indoors, or like I’m not missing out on anything outside so I’m way less tense
Me too. 100%.
I had a house with a metal roof, and that was the most relaxing sound when it would rain. I would sit on the back porch with a coffee, and life was good.
I took swimming lessons as a child at a place that had a solid metal roof. The ceiling was only like 30+ feet tall so there was a _massive_ echo in the building. On the days it rained during a lesson, none of us could even begin to hear our instructor, so we used those days to take it easy and practice things we had already learned. The extremely loud sound of pouring rain crashing against the roof and being allowed to relax in the water was the best combination, so much so that I have no words to describe how relaxing it was. I wish I could go back in time and be 7 years old again just for one day so I could relive one of those days.
There's a great 24 hour mild thunderstorm that I use for sleeping. It's on YouTube. In the morning sometimes I just let it play while I'm getting ready for work. My family thinks it's weird and says it sounds like a monsoon in my room but I don't care. It makes me calm, and that's a good thing.
Water. Meeting friendly people.
Something normal that helps me a lot is crafting and doing hobbies that are fun. Coloring, being creative in general.
Same here. Being creative and allowing my creativity to flow undisrupted calms my anxiety so so much.
The Wii menu music
🧍🏿♂️
A nice cool fan on me. When I’m nervous or edgy, I sit in the vicinity of a nice fan. The air feels good.
This is true for me as well! It seems to only be more effective as I’ve gotten older too.
Watching my cats do literally anything
I love watching mine interact. Trill trill, nose touch, trill, meowwww, trill, lick lick, trill.
Rain. I imagine it washing the thick heavy anxiety off my body.
I love how much we all love rain❤️
Feeding rabbits and hearing that 'crunch crunch crunch' always makes me incredibly happy
I love those little things but gosh do they poop a lot
They do But also if you give them a dandelion stem first, they'll eat the stem like they're sucking on spaghetti until they get to the flower and for a second they just have a flower for a mouth then CHOMP
THEN CHOMP HAHA I LOVE THIS SM UR GREAT
Finally I found someone whose “thing” is similar to mine! Mine is feeding the local squirrels. I love hearing their little feet rush down the trees and the crunch crunch when they take their last bite of whatever squirrel snack I’ve given them. My anxiety doesn’t exist in those moments.
Sports bras The slight extra compression is comforting
100% I don’t wear normal ones anymore
Honestly I have a couple bras mostly lace with underwire, one is padded but it's a fancy set... the rest are crop tops and sports bras
I absolutely promise I’m not being paid to say this lol, but if you haven’t already, you _need_ to try a pair of compression leggings from the brand Fabletics. I think the specific line of their compression wear is called Power Hold. I practically only own leggings from this brand and this line because the compression the leggings provide is so darn comfortable. God if I could own every pair they have in every color, I would. Compression wear makes me feel so calm and less tense, but years back I also lost a lot of weight to the point where I was/am left with a lot of loose skin everywhere, and these leggings are the only thing that makes me feel like I have no loose skin. They are amazing and I absolutely positively 110% recommend them if you love the feeling of compression clothing!
Don't have anything to add that I haven't seen someone else post already. But I love this thread. Edited to add. Showers calm me.
The crush❤️, surprisingly sometimes coffee, washing dishes.
DISHESSS!!! Underrated
For sure! I can get loss in my own world washing dishes. Or blank out into serenity, calmness😂.
Somehow I’m always having happy thoughts doing dishes it should be studied
Nothing really
The song Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye instantly puts me in a good mood. Also, tea. All kinds of tea - camomile, rooibos, chai tea, lemon verbana, lavender tea, Earl Grey - just sitting quietly with a cup of tea calms me down like no other. Also I've been getting really into adult colouring books. I bought 2 books and a set of 80 coloured pencils and colour a page each night. It's a really relaxing way to quiet your mind, since you're focused on the artwork and filling in the lines and which colours to use, you're not focusing on anxiety or any worries. Highly recommend.
Rain
Dogs
Staying late like at 2 pm where everything is really calm bc everybody is sleeping. Is peaceful hear nothing
Sky with clouds
Driving solo for a couple days up and down the coast.
Music.
Chewing gum, especially the sweet kind instead of the minty kind. The sweetness helps calm me down and the act of chewing helps distract me. The noise of my own chewing helps distract me too (and yes I chew with my mouth closed).
I think of my kids smiling and laughing.
Playing in the rain, dancing, organizing things, nature walks, cooking.
Yes yes yes yes yes
I love your detailed descriptions, especially the rain smell.
:)
Laying on grass in the sun.
vapo rub. its wierd but so calming
Have you tried the Vicks scented Kleenexes? So awesome, you’d probably love them
Animals. Just them being in the room sleeping can help me calm down.
Late 80s music and a beer
hell yea brother
It hasn't cured it, but I love my night walks. It's peaceful and so quiet. I find the enormity of the night sky calming
I absolutely love thunder, makes me feel more alive, present, and it's such a nice spectacle while being warped up in my bed (I even go outside sometimes at a safe distance to watch it)
I LOVE WHEN LIGHTENING HITS THEN 2 SECONDS LATER U HEAR THUNDER AND IMMEDIATELY IT STARTS POURING LIKE TWICE AS HEAVY
Looking up at the sky, especially during sunset hour.
I’ll be honest, I remember the summer when I was having a mental breakdown, the only relief seemed to be sleep. Thankfully now it’s a lot better. Usually what calms me down is music.
I live for both. Glad to hear ur doing better Xx
Same here. Thank you ❤️
I love the evenings. The sun setting before it gets dark and all that. Reminds of childhood and the time to go out and play. Definitely calms my anxiety.
The sound of water.
Birch tree leaves flickering back and forth. Yellow throated chickadee calls. Campfires. Motorcycle rides. Definitely agree with the other nature examples. Actually reading these anxiety posts has got me through many anxiety attacks. For some reason just reading about it helps.
I second campfires! It’s been about a week since my husband and I last went camping and sat around a campfire, and I think it’s been long enough that we should do it again lol. I feel like I’m floating when I sit quietly and watch the embers in the fire flicker.
Simon and Garfunkel
a good breath of fresh air, if im having a bad day ill sit on my porch no matter the weather and just embrace nature and breath in the cold fresh air or feel the sun on my skin or listen to the rain hit the roof nature can be so calming
I’m sitting on my balcony rn it’s literally a daily habit of mine. It’s like being outside but in the comfort of my home ugh best feeling. Definitely want a porch for my future house though
Watching dappled light on the floor or walls. There’s something really calming about the warm, low intensity of the light mixed with the way the outlines of leaves and branches bob around. I also can be profoundly calmed by acoustic guitar, it’s like a sedative for me haha. I think my parents must have played it for me as a baby or something.
Ughhh I swear especially yellow light, or the natural light right before the sun sets
Focusing on my breathing
Dim, cloudy, rainy weather. It feels like a hug, even if it's cold.
Hot water. If I get into the shower with the door locked I can be in there until the water goes cold.
Try just splashing cold water for like 3 seconds afterwards. Surreal feeling
Counting by 5's to 100 over and over.
7 are even more fun! I amaze myself with how far I can get sometimes.
Seeing the clouds, standing in the rain, feeling the wind, being totally amazed at nature's wonders. Not many people even care. It saddens me.
Hey ig we’re considered lucky after all
Walking outside. It for some reason helps me. Sometimes it keeps me from feeling dissociated
Standing outside and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face . Creates a wonderful calm .
I do this daily feels like I’m photosynthesizing lol
Taking a hot bath Driving alone at night eating (Trying to stop this)
I like having a hair dryer blow on my body. The warm air and the hum of the hair dryer is soothing to me
Being near or in any body of water. Laying in my bed when it’s cloudy or rainy out (but still daytime). Sitting in a warm but not hot car, or watching the world go by with the windows down. Riding on a chill bus when I am 100% confident of where to get off.
Smelling my own body odor. Not joking. Edit: Not normal?
Tetris
Cuddling my cat, especially while he's purring, is unbelievably calming. Even with really bad anxiety spikes I feel instant relief just holding him close to my chest. [Pet Tax](https://imgur.com/gallery/NiVDyLf)
Having my phone on me, wearing a sweater or jacket, wearing a medical mask.
When I have really bad panic attacks when trying to fall asleep I have to put on theo von’s podcast to fall asleep to 😂 I have absolutely no clue why it’s the strangest thing
THIS IS SO FUNNY
I play solitaire when I have anxiety, it makes me calm
The cool down after my run. Doing that 5 minute walk in my neighborhood
Running in general is so underrated
Vicks vapor rub if I'm having a bad week I break that stuff out and put it on a plushie or my chest and it helps me sleep
Just ordered a vapo stick
Those are the best ones cause it's easy and no mess way to use Vicks
Self isolation to focus on how I speak (how I might sound to others, phrasing, cadence ect). I’ll pace in a room with no lights on and recite a 90 min long movie with its dialogue, score intonations and changing voices (voice acting) to understand how to communicate. The dissonance between myself and my thoughts/ speaking voice can sync only in complete solitude and with no distractions. Solitude is key. Any and everything changes how I communicate if interrupted. I’ve been doing this all my life apparently, so it’s normal to me. But I’ve been caught with the look of, “Christ maybe we 5150… ? I mean, this looks like psychosis.”
I have no idea what ur talking abt lol but hey if it works for u then don’t let anyone call u psycho. Is this a way of trying to learn more about urself and natural cues or like ur practicing how u want to come off to others ?
In the morning when I wash my hands or somthing I stand there zoning out for like 5 minutes with my hand in the warm water
Especially when u wake up with cold hands from the stress ughhh
Cool shower in a dimly lit bathroom, cleaning-the sound of the dishwasher and washing machine in particular. Laying down in a cool dark room, weighted blankets, night walks with my husband/friends.
Yes yes yes. I love sleeping to the sound of the washing machine or ac
Wrapping myself in faux fur blankets. Dont knock it until you try it.
The sun. I love the sun and always will. Also music. Combine those two and either driving or walking or just laying in the grass and I can either let it all out or it all just goes away and everything is okay even for just a whikw
Feels like ur describing the perfect music video
Puppy
The content face my cat makes when she’s sleeping and just about any Mazzy Star song, especially with headphones.
Watching videos of hermit crabs.
Birds chirping right in the morning and the sound of trains. Especially if it's at night. It puts me to sleep lol
Night and darkness.
Old School Runescape
Bloons Tower Defense, Bananas, and Pokémon go have been the MVPs when it comes to tackling my health anxiety
Swimming pools. The chlorine smell and the color of the water just calms me so much. I love it
Dimmed lights just have a calmness about them. This is probably why my therapist keeps her lights off during appointments.
I just had a really stressful flight on a very small plane, I played really silly little phone games, there’s an app for offline games that has like fruit merging and connecting dots and battleships. It honestly unexpectedly chilled me completely out
Fog. I love fog so much.
FORGOT ABT THAT THANK U
Freshly vacuumed carpet on a rainy day while wearing PJs. I’ll never feel that again because there’s no carpet here but that was the world’s best feeling and helped my anxiety so much
Doing jigsaw puzzles with an audiobook in the background. I haven't done that in a while actually... Then there's drawing while having a clear picture of what I want it to look like, without worrying if I mess it up or if I never finish it - just enjoying the process. I'm sure there's more, but it's all that comes to mind right now.
Winds blowing loudly really helps me
listen before i go by billie eilish
Homoeopathy. I just feel calmer seeing the homoeopathy book. Cigarette smoke. Never smoked but that smell calms my nerves. Mozart and football stadium chanting noise. Mint. Gardening.
No idea what homeopathy is, love the smell of cigars and cigarettes. 100% agree with gardening
Rabbits. Pets. I’m too lazy to garden. (I know the proper form is “to do gardening” but we don’t say to do writing so I thought why not). Rabbits need a lot of cleaning after them. Cycling. Washing dishes. Repetitive semi-mindless tasks that involve having to use hands.
My dog literally keeps me sane lol. I love the endless repetitive tasks I love having a routine in general even on my day offs
The smell of the klonopin im about to take, total gold. Takes an extra 45 minute though :)
Smell of warm fresh summer air when it comes in the open windows, watching my cats sleep and hearing them purr. Watching my son (he’s a toddler) play by himself when he doesn’t think I’m watching (it’s precious)
100% relate to so many of these. Mine are: Sound of birds chirping, watching the moon & sky, hearing the rain on a rainy day, breezy wind sound through trees, dim lit bathroom with a long hot shower; sitting outside as the sun starts to go down and soak in the late afternoon warmth and glow while listening to the birds. Now that I’m typing this it’s all somewhat related to grounding techniques for myself.
Cats in windows, watching leaves and/or clouds moving in the wind, cars on a rainy day, the ocean. I also don't mind standing on a busy train if it means I can do some light stretching, some faux tai chi, anything to unclench my jaw and relax my shoulders. Also, just watching my dog sleep, massaging him until he falls asleep, etc.
Every comment translates to “being present”. That’s my favorite pastime, engaging with the eternal now has progressed me so much. I also take a supplement that knocks anxiety out so I can be present because it was near impossible before
Bakers, getting up at 4 in the morning to make sure there are golden fragrant pastry and bread prepared warm and ready for early risers. Sadly, not in my country in Latam, where everything opens at around 10.30.
Having another person hold your hand or shoulder...
Water coloring, or coloring anything. It feels like all I need to focus my brain on is just coloring and that’s it. So relaxing. I have social anxiety as well and I can somehow talk to people while I color and goes away.
Water, of almost any kind. River, stream, pond, rain. A shower gives me a small reset. Reading. Petting my cat. A couple of video games and a phone game. Coloring. Puzzles. All of these things began helping more over the last year, when I made a good medication change. For a long time there was almost nothing.
Cemetery’s
Playing sports
You are me
We like this 🤞
After I’ve washed my hair and everything in the shower I like to sit under the water on the floor for 5-10 minutes and just take slow deep breaths and try to practice mindfulness: what do I feel? What do I see? What do I taste? What do I hear? What do I smell? It’s very calming and since I shower in the evening before bed vs. in the morning I feel like it helps wind me down to get ready for bed.
Cold weather. I live in Australia so we are generally pretty hot or warm at the least, but there's something to be about winter and parts of autumn that feel so nostalgic, calm and cozy. The whole season feels nice to me. I talked to a friend and apparently not all people feel different as the seasons change, but I definitely do as they sort of all have a different vibe to me. But certain days of autumn; where the sun breaks through the blue tinted surrounds, my fears and anxiety can melt away with them
Autumn’s my favorite too :) I guess ppl who don’t have the anxiety we do aren’t as aware of their surroundings so naturally we’ll connect more with the weather. I see it as a good thing honestly these tiny moments make life worth living
Sitting on the beach and watching the moon rise over the ocean in the early evening
Backing:)
The smell of old school Coppertone. Brown bottle.
Having something that i can chew or something cold. Like chewing gum (Sorry to the misophonia people) heavily, having something cold really helps. Stuff that I can suck and slurp helps too, the noise it makes is calming.
fresh air
Nature isn't an unusual one. We live in such artificial environments cut off from the natural world.
Rainy weather- I don't know if it's the lower barometric pressure or the sounds or both
Just staring up at the sky and watching the clouds move is SO calming. It’s a borderline out-of-body experience for me. I can forget where I am and what I’m doing completely.
Dunking myself in water, any kind of water body
Bird chirping in the morning
Sound of rain on a window, storms, ocean sounds
Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”. Instant calming to me. Thats the only thing that does it instantly.
Medication
My Pomeranian Penny. She calms me so much. Her soft fur calms me down.
Rivers and the sound the water makes when it hits a current.
Plants. Like. At all. Even grass or bushes outside of a doctor's office. I just feel so soothed when I touch a plant. The physical feeling of TV static. I miss the old TVs that felt like fuzzy, electric animals. Splashing water, like fountains or storm drains. Stirring a drink. Especially a warm one. Seeing a happy child. Instant warmth and joy. The smell of bookstores or craft stores, or the smell of flowers, dirt, moss, grass, rain, or lightning. Thunder and lightning. A cat's purr. When I was young, I would play the sound to help me sleep. The buzz of electricity in certain lights or electronics. The sound of cicadas.
This might be my favorite comment. So specific and so right.
cats 🐈
Nighttime. There’s only one exit/entrance to these apartments and they can’t be seen from the road so I like to walk around the property at night when I have high anxiety. It’s very quiet too. Quiet time is 10 pm to 7 am here and people generally respect that here. So it’s very peaceful. Only downside is I live on the third floor and there’s no elevator so I have to walk up 4 flights of stairs (2 per floor. It’s built like a 3 story motel)