Here is a list of things you can start doing right now to help reduce your anxiety. Don’t underestimate the power of any of these techniques, try each one and see what works for you. If I had embraced all of these at the beginning of my recovery it would have been a much shorter and easier process.
Acceptance
Blaming others for your condition doesn’t help, neither does frustration or impatience (no matter how justified all of these may be); these emotions use energy, and they all prevent you from moving on – release all blame (including of yourself), regret, bitterness, envy, hatred, etc. and you will be able to channel that energy into building the life you want.
Exercise
Exercise daily, at least 5 days per week, for at least 20-30 minutes. This should be something that elevates your heart rate to at least 50% above normal (unless you have an elevated resting heart rate), but not too excessive – intense exercise actually releases more adrenaline, which is not what you want.
Connecting
Spend time with friends and family, if that’s not possible then message or call them. Connecting is not just enjoyable, it’s actually essential to our wellbeing as humans, we depend on it to survive. Connecting with nature is great too, as are pets. If you’re open to the idea of meditating then that’s a way of connecting to your inner self and finding space in an otherwise crowded mind; if you’re religious then any time spent pursuing this is also good as it connects you to a higher power.
Journaling
I hated this idea, it took me over a year to finally force myself to do it but I still do it now. You don’t have to do it every day, although this can be useful as you can keep a record of your anxiety levels and any wins (things that went well, posing your comfort zone, exposure, etc.) – then when you feel like you’ve not made any progress you can look back and see what you’ve achieved. Journaling is also a proven way to process emotions.
Gratitude
Find things to be grateful for. Make a list of the things in your life that you get pleasure from, and start doing more of those things. If you find it hard to think of things, then find things you would like to bring into your life that will make you happy. Focusing on the positives like this not only attracts more of these things but also pushes out those intrusive negative thoughts.