My top 5 tips to relax when feeling anxious

One of the hardest things to deal with when you struggle with anxiety is how hard it is to relax. It feels as if your brain will never switch off, and it’s absolutely exhausting. Over the years, I’ve found a few ways to make relaxing a little bit easier. I hope they help you too!

1. Have a bath

A bath is the most comforting thing in the world, ever. I love listening to music or watching Netflix in the bath, it’s my perfect way to end the day. It’s so relaxing and it forces you to stay still and concentrate on something, whether it’s a book, some music, or your favourite show. I find that when I get out of the bath, I’m always in a much better headspace than I was before, and I definitely feel a bit better.

2. Watch one of your favourite movies or TV shows

I really love watching TV and movies, and there are certain movies and TV shows that I find really comforting. When I’m feeling down, I’ll put on one of them to calm me down a bit, and it nearly always works. My go-to TV show is ‘Friends’; everyone loves it for a reason! It’s light and funny, and there are certain episodes that I watch all the time because they never fail to cheer me up! ‘Age of Adaline’ and ‘Mamma Mia’ are great movies to help me relax too, they’re so comforting, which is exactly what you need when you’re feeling low.

3. Talking about how you’re feeling with others

It’s hard to relax when there is something on your mind which is bothering you, so it can really help to share what you’re going through with someone else. It could be a friend, a sibling, a parent, anyone really, it doesn’t matter! Sometimes, even just saying how you feel out loud can make it seem less scary.

4. Do something creative

Focusing all of your attention on something can actually make it easier to switch your brain off, even if it doesn’t sound like it will work! If I’m in desperate need of some relaxation time but my brain is having none of it, I like to draw, write or play guitar for a while to keep me occupied. You’ll find that you’ll feel a lot more relaxed once you’re actually doing something other than worrying about not being able to relax!

5. Make your bedroom a nice environment

It’s hard to feel relaxed and zen when you’re surrounded by mess, so taking a few minutes every day to give your room a quick tidy can do wonders. Having nice decorations in your room, like photos of you and your friends or fairy lights if they’re your thing, can help you feel safer and happy in your space, which in turn should help you feel a bit more relaxed.

Feeling overwhelmed and want to talk to someone?

• Get anonymous support 24/7 with our text message support service
• Connect with a trained volunteer who will listen to you, and help you to move forward feeling better
• Whatsapp us now or free-text SPUNOUT to 50808 to begin.
• Find out more about our text message support service

If you are a customer of the 48 or An Post network or cannot get through using the ‘50808’ short code please text HELLO to 086 1800 280 (standard message rates may apply). Some smaller networks do not support short codes like ‘50808’.