Today I thought I would do an Anxiety survival kit, because throughout the past decade and a half I have realized most of my bag contents are there for my anxiety. It is tough because it can pop up at any time, which means I need to always be prepared for the inevitable.

These are my top essential items to surviving Anxiety when out and about. Being only 17 I am still finding my way, so if you have any essentials, make sure you leave them in the comments for me!

1. I don't know about you, but my anxiety means I get a really dry mouth so a bottle of water is a must for me. When I get anxiety attacks I often feel really nauseous, so water is my #1 essential to surviving.

2. My Phone is also really important for me, and for so many reasons. Firstly is works as a safety net, if I need someone I can call them right away, I can text people, and I know they always have my back and will help me through it. Secondly it works as a distraction, playing apps, scrolling through Pinterest etc. Thirdly meditation, I use the meditation app Headspace. 

3. Sometimes I just need peace and quiet to drown out the forever rising anxiety levels, so head phones are a necessity. Listening to music also helps, but I actually don't play anything in my head phones. I would do this all the time at school, everyone else was playing music, and mine didn't do anything but muffle everyone else's chatter.

4. I am someone who LOVES reading, so a good self help book has become a recent necessity. I find them so empowering and motivational, and they really help to get me back in the right mindset. Honestly these are currently my #1 go to when I start feeling an Anxiety attack coming on. 

5. Anxiety attacks make me seriously nauseous, to the point of throwing up. But once it does start to calm down I am often left rather hungry so granola bars come in really handy for this.

6. Aromatherapy roller balls (or whatever you call them) in other words the Saje stress relief roller ball. I included this in the My Purse Is Worse blog post, so you can see what I am on about over there, but the calming oils really help when I am feeling particularly anxious. Just roll it on your wrists and temples and you're golden. 

7. This one might sound a bit odd, but I always like to make sure I have messages to look back on. For example, if I am getting wrapped up in my head and convince myself someone doesn't like me for whatever reason, I'll look back on conversations with them on my phone. I find this always helps because I am always over reacting, but sometimes I just need that reminder. I also like to look back on comments from videos/the blog, because reading them makes me feel so loved, and sometimes that is exactly what I need.

8. Photos are always incredibly useful and go hand in hand with the messages from above. Looking back on photos, whether they are on my phone, or polaroids in my bag, means I can look back at all the happy times. It reminds me of when I was healthy and calm. But most importantly, it reminds me  that I will get back to that state.

You know I like doing mental health Wednesday posts, so it is perfect that Bell's Let's Talk day falls exactly today. There is such a stigma associated around mental health, because people assume its "all in our head". What people do not understand is that is can physically hurt, Anxiety physically hurts (panic attacks, hello?) and Depression hurts so much the only way to get a piece of mind is to physically hurt ourselves. I understand, I have first class experience in this, and talking about it is so insanely difficult. People assume you are weak. People don't look at you the same way again, and nothing can change that. Physical pain doesn't last long, mental pain lasts too long. And yes to answer earlier's statement, it is in our heads. That is exactly why we need to talk about it. To get it out of ours heads. Whether you have someone you can trust with your life, or you literally talk to yourself in the mirror. Letting the words flow, and sharing your problems, is a problem halved. 

I want to keep this post lighthearted and like a normal chat, because that is exactly how mental health should be. 

I recently went on a long girly day out, and took so many steps forward Anxiety wise. I was so happy I had managed to conquer a day like this with minimal Anxiety. I can barely order my own food without rehearsing it in my head four million times, let alone go out to lunch with friends. It sounds so mundane, but it was a big accomplishment for me. I celebrate the small victories :)

This was a long day out for me, and I actually managed to enjoy all of it. The first thing we did was play glow in the dark crazy golf. I have done this many times before with my family, but never one-on-one with a friend. It was actually so freaking fun! And I won :) But in true Zoë fashion, we had to take a few (and by a few I mean a lot) of photos. Honestly I would pay to go in and just take photos at this place, so photogenic! But I actually had so much fun, and the place was dead. It was literally just us two the entire time, which is perfect for an anxious-wreck-of-a-person like me :)

Now this was the hardest part of the day, going out to lunch. Now I so nearly said "we could just eat at the cinema" (which is where we were heading next), but I didn't. Emily insisted on eating at East Side Marios's (we were right next to it, it was cold, I couldn't be asked question her), which is somewhere I have never been. The thought of eating out, alone generally makes me anxious, being with just a friend (and having to be a big girl, sh*t me), is worse. Eating somewhere I have never eaten before, is a nightmare. I have a problem with eating, (but I would rather not get into that right now) so I was seriously freaking out. As soon as I saw pizza on the menu however, I instantly calmed down. I was going to be alright (thank heavens). We ate lunch, Emily took photos, I took photos, we laughed, we had fun. I actually enjoyed myself. Another win for me :)

Finally, the cinema. This was the main reason we were actually out together, as we had been planning on seeing Pitch Perfect 3 together for a while. I had already seen the movie once, but it was so good I was not going to turn down an opportunity to see it again! It was just as good as the first time, and I would go and see it a third time! (literally the best one of all the pitch perfects!) 

That was the gist of our day out. Lots of little victories, lots of laughter, lots of smiling. Lots of living in the moment, and just being happy. Lots of conquering little things I could only dream of this time last year. Lots of little things for the memory bank. Lots, lots, lots (okay I'm done now ;).

I actually filmed this whole day out on my Youtube channel, as my first ever A Day In The Life so that I could remember all the happy things, and everything I managed to conquer that day! 

Just your regular old mental health chat. Anxiety has been something I have struggled with for so long, but I NEED to start moving forward with it. This was my first step, and to me it was a big one. Stay strong, you were put on this planet for a reason, and guess what? You haven't found out what that reason is yet. Something amazing is going to happen for every single person on this planet, don't miss it.

Hustle Hard Girl,

Follow on Bloglovin' here :)

Hey guys!

I'm always looking for new tips to help with my Anxiety, and last week I shared my long term tips, so this week I thought I would share my short term tips. Feel free to share your own tips down below!

1. Drink lots of water - When I get really anxious I get a really dry mouth. Like Sahara desert dry. I forget how to talk and breath at the same time. I often feel really ill when I get anxious, so deciphering between the two can be difficult. But I would rather have a stomach flu than Anxiety any day, because Anxiety feels exactly the same, just worse. Not only do I find drinking water incredibly useful for combatting my abnormal, weird way of communicating, but it is extremely healthy for you. Your brain needs hydration to function properly, so the more water the better!

2. Don't Eat First Thing - A major trigger for me is events like presentations, interviews, or anything to do with talking to authoritative figures. This generally means I get no sleep the night before, and spend the night lying awake in bed with a stomach ache and being sick (TMI I know but what can you do). The last thing I ever want to do is eat, hence why I don't. So what I do is take some food with me, like a cereal bar, and save it for afterwards. As soon as whatever triggered the Anxiety is over I am usually better in an instant (psychology is a strange thing), and suddenly become hungry because I haven't eaten, hence why I bring food!

3. Stop and Breath - I know it can sound like a cliche, but just taking a moment to stop and breath can seriously help. Deep diaphragmatic breathing triggers our relaxation response, switching from our fight-or-flight response, to the relaxed balanced response of our parasympathetic nervous system. Try breathing in for four counts, then hold for four, and breath out for four, and keep repeating. Honestly it can really help in the moment!

4. Go For a Walk - Go somewhere quiet and go for a walk. If you are anxious about a presentation, go for a walk before hand to help clear your head. Sometimes you just need a bit of space, and somewhere to escape to. I use to get horrible anxiety attacks when starting secondary school in the UK, and me and my mum would go for a walk before school, not necessarily to school though. Walking towards your trigger I found made it worse, because it was getting closer and closer, hence why I would just go for a "random walk" with no potential destination. Not all who wander are lost ;)

5. Stay Connected - I am a very social person. I need to be with people, all the time! Especially when I am anxious, as being alone lets my mind just keep swirling around. Staying connected with people either online (if its right before a presentation, interview, etc. ), or physically being with them (my favourite!) really helps me personally. 

What are your top Anxiety tips? Help a girl out!

Hustle Hard Girl,

If you have followed this blog for a while, you will know that I have Anxiety. It can be difficult to live with, but every now and again we have to kick its butt to show it whose in charge. Sure it can get the best of us every now and again, but as long as you get the last laugh all is good.