Happier Days
Living with anxiety
When you first get anxiety, you worry about it coming back. Half the time I worry because I'm scared it will pop up again. The good news is there are lot's of things you can do to help stop it coming back, or at least make it less frightening.
On this page I will share with you all the things I do to help me live with anxiety.
Healthy eating
We all love lollies, cupcakes and party food, but too much sugar can make me feel yuck in the tummy. That feeling in my tummy can make me feel worried which leads to anxiety. I often can't tell the difference between feeling sick and feeling worried so even if I'm not worried about anything, I can still get really anxious.
I have found that if I try (really hard) to eat more fruit and veggies, I feel better than when I eat junk food which leaves me feeling like junk! Here are three of my favourite easy to make recipes. You may need a grown up to help.
Green soup
Ingredients:
​
1 onion chopped
1 stalk of celery chopped
2 broccoli heads chopped
4 zucchini's chopped
Big handfull of spinach
4 cups of chicken stock
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of butter
Method:
​
First heat the butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat.
Secondly add the onion garlic and celery.
Then Add stock, zucchini and everything else.
Next reduce to simmer and cook until the broccoli is soft.
Allow to cool
Blend ingredients with hand wand or blender
​
Serves 4-6 people
Fruit smoothie
Ingredients:
​
1 banana
1/3 a cup of frozen berries
1/3 a cup of frozen mango
1 cup of water
Ice (optional)
​
Method:
​
Blend!
pour in cup and drink!
​
Serves 1-2 people
Chicken salad
​
​
Ingredients:
​
4 Iceberg leaves
Half a red pepper
1 poached chicken breast
1 Avocado
Basil
Half a mango
​
Method:
​
First, chop lettuce and lay flat on your plate
Second, slice chicken breast into bite sized pieces and lay on top of lettuce
Thirdly, slice red pepper into strips and lay on top of chicken
Next Slice mango into strips and lay on top of red pepper
Then slice avocado into strips and place on top of mango
Tear basil leaves and sprinkle on top
​
Serves 2 people
Happy eating
With these recipes your tummy will feel more relaxed and you'll have far more happier days.
​
Exercise
Sometimes when I have spent too much time inside I start to feel yuck, especially if I've been on the computer too long. Technology is great, but it can cause anxiety if you spend too much time zoned in on it.
The best thing to do if you feel those anxious feelings coming is to get outside and play. Exercise doesn't have to be boring. It can be a lot of fun, especially when if you play with friends and family.
Kicking the ball
Kick to kick
Any ball activity is great for exercise like bouncing a basketball, kicking a soccer ball or football, hitting a tennis or cricket ball or throwing a netball or baseball. You can use your imagination and make up a new ball game.
Climbing
On a rock wall or tree
Climbing is great for stretching arms and legs. You can climb anything! Rocks, walls, stairs, trees, or even jumping on & off a box or step.
Running
Have a race or run just for fun!
You can run anywhere or if you rather, skip, jog or walk. All of these activities will leave you feeling more relaxed and calm aftewards.
Sit ups
See how many you can do
We found when doing our sit ups that our tummy's started to burn. Sit ups are great for strengthening the muscles in your stomach which help support your whole body. The more you do, the better you get.
Yoga
Stretching and Balancing
This is my mum trying to do her yoga. My sister and I were doing the moves with her to help our overall strength, however we started climbing on her and annoying her which ended up with all of us laughing on the floor. Laughing is the best for reducing anxiety. Laugh whenever you can.
Monkey Bars
Two at time?
My sister and I love the Monkey Bars and often battle to see who can get to the end first. Sometimes we try to make two or three bars at a time at a time or jump two to start. It's a great exercise for strengthening your arms and you don't even know you're doing it.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is relaxing. Being mindful helps to make me feel calm, safe and in control. I find that focussing on right now instead of the past or the future helps to calm my worries. There are so many mindful activities you can do, even colouring in a picture and focussing on that can help stop anxious feelings.
Here are some of my favourite mindfulness activities.
Gratitude Attitude
Being grateful is to think about things you are thankful for, or proud of or happy about. I sometimes write my grateful thoughts down on a piece of paper to help me remember good things instead of bad things. It also makes me stop and think about right now instead of worrying what might happen in the future.
​
Patting Animals
I love patting my dog. Her name is Honey. She makes me feel safe and warm inside, her ears feel like velvet and when she rubs her wet nose on mine it makes me giggle. I love Honey! You may not have a pet, but you can snuggle into your favourite teddy bear or blanket to get the same feeling.
Enjoying Nature
Another idea to try is to look at, listen to and enjoy nature. You can focus on what is in front of you right now and if you look closely and carefully, you might find something amazing. Like when my sister found a yellow ladybug on a leaf.
Meditation
Meditation is one of my favourite things to do before bed, to help me reduce my anxiety. My friend Fleur has made lots of videos and has some for kids like us!
​
These are some of my favourites: