A Quick Trick That Can Help You Reduce Anxiety When Walking Alone

Very simple and effective. By doing this, you can focus on something else entirely — leaving you anxious free, and able to return home as quickly as possible

Today I unintentionally found myself walking the streets, full of anxiety, and completely alone with two relatively heavy bags in hand. I say unintentionally because it’s rare that I’ll have the courage to even venture outside by myself on the weekends — good old anxiety will do that to you.

It was extremely hot today, so I was a sweaty mess. I also suffer from hayfever — so not only was I sweating, but I was also sneezing, snotty, my eyes were red, swollen, extremely itchy, and on the verge of looking like a pair of swollen golf balls. If you suffer hayfever, then you’ll know that it’s like suffering a continuous cold every goddamn day of summer.

So I was convinced that I looked like some cold-ridden zombie, which brought on an insane amount of anxiety. I could feel everyone’s eyes watching my every move, every car that drove by — I was sure the occupants were laughing at me, and I suddenly remembered some really awkward memories which stopped me dead in my tracks, wondering how on earth I could make such a fool out of myself.

I had to put the heavy bags on the floor and try and concentrate on breathing for a minute. My head was spinning, I felt sick to my stomach, I had to resist the urge to scream at the top of my lungs, and I had to remind myself that the anxiety would soon pass, it would stop in a minute, and then I could carry on walking.

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It may sound silly to some people because all I was doing was walking home with some shopping while suffering a little from hayfever. But anxiety can appear from nowhere at any moment, no matter what you’re doing. For the people that say anxiety is fake — try spending an hour in our shoes when it hits. You won’t be brushing it under the carpet then.

I remembered a little trick that I read in a book — god knows how many years ago, and It was supposed to help focus your mind on something other than anxiety. It’s helped me a lot in the past, so I thought I would give it another go. I needed to do something quick to help me walk the rest of the way home calmly and quickly.

What does this little trick consist of?

All you’ve got to do is look ahead of you and count your steps.

Sounds easy right?? Well, that’s because it is.

When you’re walking, look straight ahead and focus on something, such as a car or a lamppost — then count in your head how many steps it’s taking you to get to it. Then once you’ve reached your target — look ahead again, and find something else to focus on. Then all you have to do is start all over again.

When I do this, I quickly forget about my anxiety because all I can focus on is counting over and over again, and before I know it — I’m home. It’s not very exciting, but it’s simple and very effective.

I hope that when you’re next walking around alone, you’ll suddenly remember this article and try it out yourself. Trust me, It works. ♥