The stress in my life is the same, but my reaction to it is getting better

The things that are working for me:

1) Medication - I’m in the third week of a light regimen of Busiprone to keep my general anxiety down. My goal is to no longer need the medicine, but for now it’s an important part of keeping me from coming out of my skin.

2) Therapy - I meet once every 2 weeks with a talk therapist. He listens and gives me feedback and homework.

3) Exercise - Nothing heavy. I just go walking for about 20-30 minutes a day. If I’m anxious, I try to find a space where I can

move around — preferably outside.

4) Outdoor time - Again nothing heavy. Those walks are most of it. Going outside in the sunshine is BY FAR my biggest source of immediate relief from anxiety. Doing yardwork doubles up #3 and #4.

5) Meditation/breathing - Sometimes I do yoga, sometimes sleep meditation, sometimes breathing exercises at my desk. However I do it, the controlled breathing helps.

6) Stress journal - I don’t have an actual journal so I use the notes app on my phone. I write down time/date, what’s happening, my anxiety on a scale of 1-10, and how I reacted. This helps more than I thought it would.

7) Self help books - I have read a few, and while I don’t expect instant changes, I find they help keep me focused on my recovery.

8) 7 Cups and Duolingo - My go-to apps for focusing productively on a task. This helps occupy my mind while anxiety passes.

9) Playing hockey once a week - When I was on the verge of a panic attack 24/7, this was the ONLY thing that made me forget my anxiety. The combination of exercise and social time was like a miracle cure for a few hours. It’s still an important “me” time every week.

Of course there are a lot of other little things — petting my dog, listening to music, doing chores around the house — but the 9 above are what has helped me move forward day by day.