Hi, everyone! Anxiety in Teens is starting a new section, every Monday, called Mention it to Morgs. Mention it to Morgs will be a question and answer section, where I will post the questions that I receive via email each week and answer them to my best ability!
In case you are wondering who you’re writing these questions to, my name is Morgan (but everyone calls me Morgs), and I am 21 years old. I am originally from a Chicago suburb, but I’m now a student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Design and a minor in Leadership! I am very creative and love to do arts & crafts and to bake. I am all about my friends and family! Most importantly for this column, I am super passionate about raising mental health awareness, so ask away!
Happy St. Patricks Day! I hope everyone’s having a great day!
QUESTION:
How do you cope with anxiety? I used to self harm, but I’ve learned that’s not the answer, and since I’ve stopped, I don’t know how else to cope.
ANSWER:
This is great that you’ve stopped self harming – you should be really proud! Thanks for your question! One thing that works to cope with my anxiety is deep breathing. When I get anxious, the first thing that happens, is I start breathing way too quickly. So I take deep breaths, and this helps to slow down everything else in my body. Another thing I do is go take a walk and get some fresh air. No matter how cold or warm it is outside, I will still go outside and go for a walk. Being outside seems to help calm me down. One huge thing that helps me on a daily basis is to work out. Working out releases endorphins and makes you feel better and less stressed over all. When I am depressed, this is so difficult to force myself to do, but I have a buddy that holds me accountable, so this way I actually do work out! Another thing that helps me on a daily basis is to plan. When I have an idea of what I’m doing for the day or what I need to get done for school, it helps to write down what I’m going to be doing for the week and what I need to get done. This helps so that I don’t have anxiety later in the day or from something that I could’ve prevented. Another thing I do is turn on music. “Music helps reduce pain by activating sensory pathways that compete with pain pathways, stimulating emotional responses, and engaging cognitive attention (take the focus away from pain)” (Rick Nauert PHD, psychcentral.com). Even singing to the music you’re listening to will help as well. Let me tell you, I am awful at singing, but when I just focus on the music and sing to it, it calms me down. I know this sounds cliche, but do things that you love and make you happy – find an outlet. If you love to sing, draw, or to even just watch Mean Girls, do it! Doing things you love, will keep you happier and help relax your anxiety! For all my readers, what helps you cope with anxiety?
For any question big or small, email MentionItToMorgs@anxietyinteens.com!
Keep smiling,
Morgs
“Take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again”