1.

Completely clean out your living space, let it all go. Ditch all the things that remind you of your ex. Donate all the old clothes you’re saving ‘just incase’. Throw out all the random knick-knacks that serve you no purpose except add the to clutter of your life. Once you get rid of all the things that just clutter your living environment it will fold over to help you reduce your anxiety and help you start 2017 with a clearer piece of mind. A cluttered life equals a cluttered mind and that’s not something you want.

2.

Get enough sleep. Seriously. Lack of sleep does nothing good for your peace of mind – it can add extra anxiety and stress into your life. Start just getting into bed 10-15 minutes earlier a night and put your phone on the table next to you face down. Don’t distract yourself, just relax, clear your mind and sleep.

3.

Surround yourself with lavender. Lavender is proven to be a natural remedy for decreases anxiety and depression, it works as well or better than some pharmaceutical drugs without the chance of becoming addicted or dependent. It helps insomnia, restlessness and nervousness. You can diffuse it or ingest it in a pill form.

4.

Meditation. Meditation is hard, it’s really hard to sit on the floor and clear your mind. It’s even harder to stop thinking about how you shouldn’t be thinking while meditating, but start with practice. There is an app you can use called Headspace, and it works really well to help you get in the grove of meditation. It’s something that takes time to get in the habit of, but once you do it will change your life.

5.

Remind yourself the feeling will pass. Anxiety comes out of no where and knocks you off your feet. It’s suffocating and ruthless, it doesn’t care what plans you had or where you are, it just shows up out of the blue. But try to remind yourself it will pass, that it isn’t the end of the world and getting worked up over it further won’t help. Try giving yourself a little pep talk that it’s all going to be okay because you deserve that.

6.

Express gratitude greatly. Start becoming more appreciative of all the things around you, studies have actually shown it helps decrease anxiety. Buy a nice, calming journal and write down your emotions and thoughts. List all the things you’re grateful for and use it as a point of reference when things get tough.

7.

Start using a planner or calendar. Lay out everything you need to do so you can physically cross things off the list, this shows your brain you’re making progress and being productive, which helps reduce anxiety.

8.

Go for a walk outside in nature, leave your phone behind and completely disconnect. Think about all you need to think about and then let it go. Allow yourself this time to tune into your emotions and explore them. Worry. Get angry. Feel sad. Acknowledge your anxiety, then when you’re ready to head back home leave it all behind.

9.

Practice self-care and self-love. Go get a massage and a pedicure. Take yourself out to lunch and spend time alone with your thoughts. Spending money on yourself isn’t a luxury, it should be a necessary thing. You deserve to pamper yourself through all your hard work and use these times to appreciate your life and think clearly.

10.

Wake up 10-15 minutes earlier. Not rushing out the door to start the day is a great way to start your day with less anxiety. No one likes sitting in the car, catching red lights, fighting traffic in order to be late by 10-15 minutes. Take the time to enjoy your morning a little more just by rolling out of bed a little earlier. It will be good for you.

11.

Cut down on caffeine. I totally understand coffee is a big part of most people’s lives, but too much of it can add to nervousness, anxiety, stress and jitters. It can trigger panic attacks, especially if you are prone to anxiety disorder. Try tea and if you can’t let the coffee go, switch to decaf or even half decaf, half regular.

12.

Eat right!! Put good, healthy, beneficial foods into your body. Foods that naturally contain serotonin like B vitamins, specifically B6(pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid) and B12. Also Iron and omega-3.

13.

Realize that most of your negative emotions come from briefs you have and not facts. A lot of the anxiety triggers you face come from ideas in your head that things are going to fall apart and self-destruct. Most of the thing everything is okay and once you start to notice that it will be easier to recognize that your mind is just playing tricks on you.

14.

Exercise. Exercise is so good for you in so many ways, it helps your physical appearance and your mental health. It helps decrease stress and anger and anxiety. It releases good hormones into your body and overall leaves you feeling accomplished after a workout. Even if you hate the idea of working out, give it a shot. Start small and continue to work at it, but don’t give up before allowing yourself to feel the benefits of working out.

15.

Drink chamomile tea, it’s reaction on the brain is something similar to Valium and it might help you calm down when nothing else is working. Plus, drinking hot drinks is good for the body internally to help you slow down.

16.

Question things. It’s good to question things when you feel anxious, just make sure you’re in a good place to do it, like in nature or on the couch. Be some place that makes you feel calm and have an honest conversation with yourself. Question your body and your internal feelings, explore your breathing and try to understand yourself a little bit more.

17.

Meet with a therapist. This isn’t a bad thing and this doesn’t mean you’ve failed by any means, but if your anxiety is getting to the point where you can’t live normally and nothing you’ve tried is helping then go talk to someone. Open up about what’s been causing you all these issues and listen. Go in with an open mind though, that’s the only way it will be beneficial.