Learn to take charge of your thoughts.
Consciously redirect your thoughts when you notice the anxiety. Try looking for 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste. It forces your brain to concentrate on the hear and now, which 99.99% of the time is actually ok.
Deliberately focus on tiny positives in your day - really notice the smell and taste if the first sip of tea, the steam curling out of the mug, the warmth of the mug in your hands. Don’t even bother thinking about enjoying a whole cup of tea because that can be interrupted but if you find pleasure in single moments you can increase your happiness level exponentially.
Cultivate healthy escapism - screens give a great dopamine hit but they’re bad for you. Try reading (a real book not a screen) instead, doing a crossword, a sudoku or some knitting. And at least once a day sit and stare into space and let your mind wander. There are huge health benefits to this. Our constant use of screens to fill dull moments is interfering with those “mental plonk” times and some psychologists suspect that it is directly related to the huge increase in anxiety.
Practice gratitude. I know it sounds twee and Pollyanna ish but it is a real help. Just find 3 things each day to be thankful for (try and make them specific to your life and your day)
Skin to skin contact helps, hugs if you can’t get that. And if you haven’t got someone to hug you try rolling on a soft mat or mattress. Again, I know it sounds daft but it’s very effective.
Get outdoors, even if it’s just putting your head out of the window. But try and spend time outdoors in nature. It is a great way of putting life in perspective.
Limit triggers and learn what they are. Life is too short to fill it with things that bring you down. I am very sensitive to music so I’m careful about what I listen to. I am very careful about managing my news sources so I’m not trapping myself in a social media echo chamber of gloom.
Find ways to laugh - comedy, read jokes, watch political debate, read the mumsnet classics - whatever works.
All of this is much easier to say than do. I’m prone to anxiety and depression and I’ve had to adopt very deliberate strategies to protect my mental health. These last few months have been incredibly challenging and most of what I’m describing is what’s keeping me sane. It doesn’t come naturally; I literally grit my teeth sometimes to do it.
Hth