To ask what apps / methods you can use to help with anxiety

[Sweetlily99]

Posting for traffic

Just that really. I'm looking into therapy but wonder if there are any apps / methods (breathing etc) I should look into while I find one and wait for appointment.

I'm tying my stomach in knots about multiple things and really need to get out of my head and be calm

Thanks in advance

App called Balance is good, you initially sign up with your bank details but they don't take payment for a year. Its got all sorts on there, sleep, bedtime stories, meditations for energy, calm, anxiety, focus etc you name it. It's helped me immensely x

That sounds great thanks. X

Maybe ditch the apps and tech and go for a walk where you can feel the wind on your face, hear birds singing and see green trees and plants flowering. Whenever I'm feeling super stressed (often) getting outside helps, even just a wander around the garden to see whats growing.

Plum Village app is completely free mindful meditation app - I love it!

Also forgot to say, cold showers, holding ice, brisk walks, setting a routine that's realistic for you but gives you sense of control. Writing 3 things you're grateful for before you go to bed, thesenare small thing that can help x

CBT is great for anxiety, but you really do need a good therapist, so if you don't feel you vibe with one, please try another one. Alas, the NHS sees it as a cheap option - but 6 sessions with a great therapist is very different to 6 with someone who is shit - and that doesn't always come down to the level of qualification.

You can also tell a good CBT therapist by whether they use experiments to test the validity of your beliefs. If they only tell you to deny your thoughts without disproving them - new therapist.

But as a real great intro, and also as a mantra I found really helped me, the book 'Feel the Fear and do it Anyway' by Susan Jeffers was great.

It reminded me that it's ok to be afraid, and actually, eveyone does. All that differs is how you respond to the fear.

The more you do something, the less you fear it. For example, if you or I were asked to parachute jump from a plane, we'd probably be really scared. But if you are a member of the Parachute Regiment, jumping out of planes regularly, it's of no matter. Ditto jumping off the highest dive board and Olympic divers. Etc etc.

So the thing you fear most? Do more of that.

Also, looking at breathing exercises for hypervetilation can make you less likely to panic. Be sure they are exercises you do several times a day, not ones to only do when you are panicked or feeling anxious. (DM me if you can't find any and I'll send you mine - I've not been a physio since 2021 tho).

Finch. It gives you a little bird to nurture plus you can choose small daily tasks and there are “first aid” activities, breathing exercises etc. I used it earlier today to cope with some strong negative feelings that were making me panicky. I also have daily routines to stay grounded and deal with anxiety. Plus I like dressing up my little cartoon pet.

Sit down. Close your eyes. Take a breath in for 4, hold for 2, breathe out for 4.

repeat until you start to feel your heart racing less.

concentrate on your feet resting on the floor. What the floor feels like. the weight. The feel of your clothing on your skin. Work your way slowly up you body, feeling the weight of you sitting on your chair, notice all the things you are hearing, near and far. If you notice anything is clenched or tense, give it an extra hard squeeze and then consciously relax it. Continue to do the slow breathing when you remember.

5 mins later and you will feel much more grounded and in control.

Years ago I worked with someone who would say ‘is it today’s problem?’. She meant, is there anything you can do to change things right now. If not, it’s not today’s problem and you can mentally dismiss it.

I’ve used it for years, and the more I do it the better it works. Really anxious about something months away ‘not even this month’s problem, worry about it nearer the time’. Worried about tomorrow ‘nothing I can do about it tonight, not today’s problem’.

Don't know if it will help you, but it’s helped me a lot over the years, so I’m passing it on.

calm app is really good.

Calm app
Also emotional freedom technique
I found hypnosis really helpful
Meditation
CBT
Yoga with Adrienne

I love this idea! Am going to try it.

OP I'm not an outdoor person and can be lazy and also stuck at home a bit with kids, so sometimes I open the front door and make myself listen to birdsong. Or a mindful walk where I try to notice the flowers, identify smells, sounds etc. Depends where you live obviously

The apps I downloaded were all about breathing which doesn't work for me and sometimes makes me feel worse. I need to be active - a vigorous hoover, or walk, or a plunge in cold water work for me. Hope you find what works for you x

DBT taught me to get interested in things like this- eg, stomach in knots, I wonder why, what emotion is this and why? Once you've worked it out (it could be fear/sadness etc) you can think about it why you're feeling that way. If it's fear, you can think through, is fear justified? Are you in danger? What's the worst case scenario, how would you handle it? In almost every scenario, there is a way you could get through it. This alleviates the strong emotion. If it's sadness, often even naming and acknowledging the sadness can be enough to make it feel a bit better- validate your feeling and don't try to suppress it.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply and share. I really appreciate it.

Love the wee bird app do you need to pay?

I really like clearmind hypnotherapy really helped

The 'stay alive' app is very good and includes support with breathing ( moving graphic that you can follow for timing to breath in and out).
It also includes many links to other resources, for example DBT , where you can look at basic emotional coping skills.
Using the 'hand model' for breathing can also be really useful, hold one hand up , fingers splayed. Use your index finger to trace around your hand. So as you trace up around your thumb breath in. Pause at the top, trace down the thumb and breath out, continue to follow around the hand.
Russ Harris, the happiness trap is a book that can also be very helpful.

Oh also Tripp meditation on VR

Marconi union weightless. Reduces anxiety by 65% slows heart rate, very soothing.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanpassman/2016/11/23/the-worlds-most-relaxing-song/

alternative nostril breathing is also good and only takes 5 minutes.

Yoga with Kassandra, she has some great YouTube videos and if you search yoga with Kassandra anxiety she has a couple of videos, I think one is only 10 mins so it’s not like you have to do an hour of yoga.

Also simple habits meditation app has some good meditations.

Headspace a pretty good. But tbh only thing that keeps my anxiety in check is exercising- swimming, walking, sport, gym class etc x x

also when I had talking therapy there was an exercise about writing down worries, categorising them into practical and non practical worries and writing solutions to practical worries- that really helped (sorry I can’t remember what the exercise was called but sure a gooogle will help you find the worksheet) x

i defo notice that more screen time =more anxiety too so maybe apps not that helpful

I absolutely love loona its an immersive colouring story your super relaxed afterward