Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been very observant. As I remember, I always seemed to notice my surroundings a lot and tried to analyze them whenever it felt necessary. Although this has always been a characteristic of mine, I soon realized that it also had its downfalls. Being a very observant person from a young age also meant I would hyper-fixate on things and overanalyze them at times. On paper, this doesn’t sound so bad, but I soon started to realize that there might’ve been something off with this. There were times during my childhood when I would overthink certain situations and not let them leave my head until there was a solution. I had very anxious thoughts and there were some days when I felt at times I wasn’t able to breathe because of how much my thoughts consumed me. As I developed this, it stayed with me as an adult and I wasn’t sure if this was a normal thing that everyone experiences or if I was just different?
Last summer I decided to talk to a professional about how I was feeling. Through some questionnaires and sessions, I was diagnosed with having a mild anxiety disorder by my therapist. Being diagnosed was a very bittersweet feeling. In one way, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders because the 19-year mystery of what was going with me was finally resolved. The other part was the realization that my mental state wasn’t the best and if not treated, I could further worsen my state.
Nevertheless, I decided to look at this in a positive manner and accept this to be an opportunity for me to have the ability to unlearn some things that were negative for me and finally take steps that could help towards bettering myself and my mental health.
Dealing with anxiety is different for everyone, but I wanted to share some steps that really helped me become aware of my anxious traits and what I did to help improve them.
- Attempt therapy at least once
- Coming from a first-generation South Asian family, the topic of mental health is taboo in my community. Mental health is not addressed very much and that in itself was harmful at times for me. Fortunately, I was able to access therapy after talking to my parents and communicating with them about its importance and how it could help me. They were hesitant at first, but fortunately listened and I’m so grateful because therapy helped me very much with unraveling what was bothering me and how I could fix it. I definitely believe that trying therapy at least once is very helpful. Finding the right therapist is also very important and it’s okay if it takes you more than one try!
- Journaling
- I’ve always been a visual learner, so writing down my thoughts and emotions and having them written out in front of me helped a lot. Whenever I felt like I needed to vent or let something out, I’d journal my feelings out like:
What’s bothering me?
Why?
How can I fix it?
What am I grateful for at this moment?
Things like this helped me a lot because they helped release frustration or sadness and made me feel calm. It also helped me see the bigger picture and understand myself and my emotions more.
- Working out
- Running has been something I’ve started to incorporate more into my workout routine because it makes me feel so good after. Working out, whether it’s weight lifting or pilates, gets the body active and makes you feel so appreciative that you have a healthy functioning body
- Get off your phone! No seriously…
- To be honest, this is the one I continue to struggle the most with. I use my phone a lot and it really does have a negative effect on my mental health. Some things I try to do so I don’t have my phone on me at all times are hanging out with friends, reading a book, making a small dessert, or even doing small tasks. I delete apps off my phone or put a timer to help with this when it feels necessary. It’s kind of hard at first, but trust me, it is so worth it when you are consistent with it
- Surround yourself with good company
- Good vibrations and auras are very important in your life. It is an absolute privilege for people to get to know you. I am so grateful for the people I am close with because they make me appreciate life so much and help me become a better person every day. Having supportive friends and family is a blessing. You deserve the best and to only have people in your life who genuinely value you.
What has helped you manage your anxiety, tell us by tagging us @HerCampusSJSU!