Living with anxiety can be a constant battle. Sometimes it is just the inability to stop worrying, which in itself is not a fun experience. However, sometimes anxiety rears its ugly head in ways you don’t expect. You’re thoughts start racing and it feels as though the world is closing in around you. So, when anxiety comes on, how do you calm the storm?

1. Developing a mindfulness practice can help to calm anxiety. I personally like having a guided meditation that I can go to. Often, in my anxiety, my mind seems to be working so hard against me that it helps to have someone guide me through even a short 5 minute breathing exercise. I like to have meditations of various lengths, sometimes it can take me 15-20 minutes to come back into balance.

2. Keep essential oils on hand. There are many essential oils that can help with anxiety. The top oils for anxiety are lavender, orange, and lemon. DoTerra also makes a blend called Console that is my go to for anxiety. You can diffuse the oils or mix them with a carrier oil and apply to the back of neck, shoulders, and heart.

3. Take a walk, spend time outside, and soak up the sun. The sun is a great source of Vitamin D and when we don’t get enough outdoors time it can make anxiety worse. When I am feeling really anxious, it helps me to remove myself from the environment that is often contributing to my anxiety. Talking a walk helps you to channel your energy and become grounded in the present. After taking your walk, turn on your diffuser, light some incense, or burn a little sage to clear your space and promote peace and calm.

Following an anxiety or panic attack remember to take care of yourself. First, make sure to take care of your basic needs. Get regular sleep, stay hydrated, eat regular meals, and exercise. When I have anxiety, it is often very difficult to eat as anxiety causes nausea and indigestion for me, so I make sure to have chicken broth handy, it provides lots of nutrients and is soothing to the GI tract.

After an anxiety attack you may feel a bout of depression or lethargy, remember it takes a lot of energy for your body to be in the flight or fight response. Doing things like setting reminders on your phone can help you to keep a routine going until you feel recovered.