What are your personal strategies for coping with the symptoms of your anxiety?

breathe in and breathe out. perhaps you should try seeking professional help

In my head, I picture a place that makes me very calm and I keep thinking about it until I'm alright

There are so many external things in this world that we can't control or change. Once I realized that the only thing I can control was myself and my reaction to the world around me... It gave me more peace to navigate the things that were "scary" and gave me anxiety. When I was open to listening to my fears and learning where they come from, I could understand and truly find ways to actively approach and conquer these anxieties. One way was to Pause... And Breathe... When I realized I didn't have to rush... Rush my answers, Rush my actions... That I could take my time with my decisions... It took a load of stress and anxiety from my mind and heart. It was really the first step in taking that big load off my shoulders. Another way I dealt with my anxiety was stopping to try being perfect and pleasing others. This doesn't mean I became selfish, but rather understanding that trying to please others was an unrealistic goal and ended up hurting not only myself, but others as well. Letting go of control of others, pausing, breathing, and accepting are all just some ways to become more at peace!

My biggest piece of advise is rationalize the situation. Weather it be social or general anxiety sometimes you need to stand back and look at the big picture. I used to be scared of eating in public but all I had to do was think "why am I scared?" and I would usually say because I'm afraid of people judging me and from there I could think about in the long run what mattered more, eating so I could focus on school? or continue to be afraid of how some dumb teenage boy perceived me.

My personal strategies for anxiety are rather meditative. I find that my anxiety spikes more with excessive noise, so I tend to keep some kind of noise-canceling headphones or earphones with me, music that I find comforting and familiar, and will practice deep breathing exercises. Distraction is very helpful for me, so sometimes simply taking my focus and placing it on another person, a task or an activity can calm my anxiety to manageable levels. The key is to not reside inside the head where the anxious thoughts are brewing.

My personal strategies are to talk to people, especially one of my friends that I actually met on here. Actually there's two. One distracted me and the other talked it out with me. They didn't question me or anything. I met them both on here and I try to help others as another distraction.

Personally I do whatever I can to just keep busy when I am having an attack. I am able to tell myself over and over that it will pass. Since I know that all I have to do is keep busy for a while. Personally I find reading and those silly adult coloring books are a great way to keep busy and not think too hard!

I often watch videos on youtube about how to boost your confidence. Also, I take a deep breath and listen to calm music whenever I fell nervous. Instead of being conscious about other people when I'm facing a big crowd, I chose not to.

Personally, I cope with my anxiety by taking a walk and getting some fresh air. I might try music as well, but getting my energy out by walking usually help. :)

personally, whenever I'm depressed, sad or anything like that I always come here and try to make myself feel better by helping others that just brings me peace and I hope I grow more and more from here