How do you relax when work and anxiety feel overwhelming?

[BoldAquaOP]

If you have a busy life, have anxiety etc
how do you relax?
im struggling with work, general life and horrific anxiety and overthinking, i need to relax but finding it very difficult

I read my old Enid Blyton books, or whatever comforted me as a child. It's difficult to feel stressed when you are lost in The Magic Faraway Tree or perhaps a pony book.

Even better if you have a quarter of sweets with it.

I'm a big reader, however. If it's not your thing can you Youtube something nostalgically comforting?

Start with 'box breathing' for a couple of minutes to calm your nervous system
then something you are actively 'doing'

• jigsaw
• gardening
• walking
• playing card game with real cards
• reading a book with all screens off

I do read, struggling at the moment to keep focus even when it’s a good book, I will try some breathing exercises, also trying to think of another hobby to shut off with

I've recently started playing a game on the xbox, one of those big world to explore type games where you just run around finding things and solve puzzles, not particularly difficult and visually beautiful.
I'm finding it very therapeutic actually, total escapism. Would you consider something like that? I've been surprised at how much its helping my mental health.

Problems with work can feel overwhelming so I try to break it down into separate issues and look at each one individually. That helps it feel more manageable - and then I realise that some issues are things I don’t even need to get worked up about.

Then I can focus on the issues that actually matter. Just asking myself ‘what one thing could I do to make this feel better’ helps me feel more in control.

I would enjoy something like this
what is the game called please?

I'm playing Hogwarts Legacy which is set in the Harry Potter world (a hundred years or so before Harry Potter is set). I play it on story mode which basically means super easy, not stressful mode!
Appreciate this specific game may not appeal if you're not a HP fan. I'm not really a gamer so haven't played anything else but there may be gamers on Mumsnet who could suggest alternatives that might suit better perhaps, if HP doesn't appeal. I don't think you'd need to have read the books to get it though, ultimately youre just running around the castle and villages do solve various quests you get set.
There was one other game i played years ago called Viva Pinata where you had a magical garden and had to grow various fruits and vegetables, that was very gentle and relaxing. But i prefer Hogwarts Legacy, it is so beautiful. I recently got to fly on the back of a big winged creature and it was lovely, the artwork is,stunning.
You can probably see clips on YouTube.

I have actually played it on the switch a while ago, I will look for something similar though

I LOVE this. I am so going to do this.

@BoldAquaOP I'm sure there are lots out there that might suit.
I hope you can find one that works for you. I find if I can get an hour or so every so often just to completely switch off and get into the game, it really relaxes me. I have a tendency otherwise to sit and stress about stuff, over think really negative things....when I play the game it takes me right away from all that. Never thought it'd be my thing but its been really beneficial.

I can totally relate!
Things that have helped me: swimming, meditation, SSRIs, spending time in nature, long baths and (when things are really bad) a short course of therapy.

Long walks daily have done amazing things for reducing my anxiety. I think any kind of daily exercise would work.

Reducing alcohol.

Getting 8 hours of sleep.

The boring stuff in combination works miracles. I’ve always struggled with what to do in the moment when you can’t get out an exercise or whatever, though. I love the idea of reading books that comforted you as a child!

I take myself back to the past. I'll watch an old show such as Minder or On the Buses. Even childhood cartoons such as Bod or Mr Benn. I also watch old Top of the Pops episodes, and play 80s music. It totally grounds me.

Otherwise I'll do a face mask, read a mag such as Take a Break, or browse a pretty website such as Oliver Bonas without necessarily buying anything.

Animal Crossing on the switch is very relaxing.

I do this too. Also Enid Blyton! And I’ve listened to some on Audible too. It’s helpful because it’s nostalgic I guess, but also because they’re gentle and predictable and I know the stories already it so doesn’t require the concentration a new book does. I’ve just worked my way back through The Chalet School series - it was fabulous.

If you have a switch, I'd strongly recommend Zelda - breath of the wild and/or tears of the kingdom. Both are beautifully put together with lots of puzzles and exploring, but also engaging characters and storylines. Or, if you want something more craft/less fighting as a game, any of the Harvest Moon are a good shout, Stardew Valley is 8-bit style graphics but fun, Graveyard Keeper is a laugh if you have a slightly darker sense of humour!

Gaming gets a bit of a bad rep on here when people (mostly men) use it as an excuse to get away with not contributing to family life, but it can be a really good bit of escapism with some puzzles and light challenge in the mix too!

I find I get into a state where I can't focus on a book very well but find audio books plus an activity for my hands is relaxing. I do embroidery, crochet or (when very stressed) just a mindless game on my phone.

Exercise with an audio book also good.

This is a good idea thank you

I do love gaming, I’ll try Zelda my daughter has it and loves it.
ive tried a few farming games and animal crossing etc and they do distract me for a while but I got bored last night trying to do it

I do washing and then drying everything with a towel while listening a podcast or watching some sort of light TV on my laptop.
I found doing this in the kitchen at the end of the day pretty relaxing. No way I would be able to focus on a book but this works.

Haha me too, i like the idea of entering a zen-like state over my virtual farm but usually spend more time bored of the repetition! Zelda is ace and I think would really fit the bill. If you like that style of game, there's the follow up Zelda, and also Immortals Fenyx Rising which is a similar vibe, but based around Greek mythology (and is very funny).

Good luck, I feel your pain of the "always on" brain! I think sometimes the biggest hurdle is giving yourself permission to be "non-productive" and to just do something fun to unwind!

I really empathise OP, am constantly thinking about 10 different things I need to do and worrying about 10 others. I second the PP saying to revert to childhood things. Totally random but did you ever watch Murun Buchstansangur? I find it so soothing and amusing in how odd it is 😂 the theme tune alone is so comforting. Here's an example if you're interested:

I actually find spending time with friends really helps, even when I feel at my most anti social (or especially when).

Sometimes it's good to talk through how I feel and sometimes I just say I don't want to talk about it.

I end up forcing myself to do things that I stop doing when my anxiety gets bad... like keeping on top of personal hygiene (I have a lot of baths, as I get a lot of muscle tension when I'm stressed, and I have the occasional deep tissue massage), cooking from scratch (I find it weirdly relaxing, it's much more filling, and I'm not eating rubbish all week), reading, knitting, watching documentaries and attempting to play my piano. If it is really bad and I am struggling to sleep, I take melatonin in the hope of knocking me out for a few hours, because lack of sleep is a killer. My brain doesn't "switch off", so to speak, and it's hard to get rid of the anxious thoughts.

I also do my best to keep away from particular people at work, who stress me out even more! However, sometimes it's good to have a rant, either to a trusted friend who understands, or just on a Word document, and no, I don't need Copilot to assist me in being disgusted with certain other human beings!

I don’t have any friends unfortunately
I have a few work colleagues but not that I would chat to a lot really