21 Days Anxiety Challenge: Does it Work and How to Do It?

Nobody said that life’s going to be a bed of roses. It is completely normal to find yourself caught up in situations that make you anxious. However, if you feel like your troubles and fears drain the joy out of your life and make taking every single breath of air a challenge for you, you may be suffering from chronic anxiety.

Chronic anxiety is a common anxiety disorder that forces one to be in a constant battle with themselves – you may find yourself worrying excessively, even on somethings as normal and mundane as picking up the kids from school. Chronic anxiety has been responsible for making the lives of millions of people around the world bland and gray. It removes all the colors from your life and snatches away the joy of simply existing. Even though this form of anxiety is less intense than say, a panic attack, it is far more damaging in the long run and itself is long-lasting.

Chronic anxiety makes it almost impossible to get your troubles out your head and prevents people from even trying to relax. The sad part is that it alters the way people view life in general. It makes people think that everything around them is a constant threat to their existence, even if nothing harmful is happening around them.

The 21 Day Anxiety Challenge revolves around helping those dealing with chronic anxiety to overcome their fears and help them start anew on the road to healing. It has been proven by scientific research that stress affects many of our body’s core communication systems such as the nervous system and the immune system. The 21 Day Anxiety Challenge helps ‘reboot’ these vital mechanisms of our body and help an individual get back on track.

Before we start, we would just like you to know that you should feel no shame in accepting the fact that you suffer from chronic anxiety. Moreover, try to understand the fact that recovery doesn’t just happen overnight, you need to stay committed to the healing process, and make a diary of your progress. You’ll notice an improvement in how you deal with stuff eventually. Just hang in there!

Many people consider coloring to be therapeutic. Visit your local bookstore – you’ll find many adult coloring books made specifically for people who suffer from anxiety.

Meditation has long been used as a way to deal with anxiety and stress-related issues. You don’t even have to leave your house for this one. There are plenty of meditation videos available on YouTube which are both easy and effective.

Many neurologists believe that music soothes the nervous system and lowers blood pressure, which leaves an overall positive effect on your health. So take some time out of your day to listen to an album that you love!

If you’ve wanted to read a new book from your author for a long time but just never found the time to, this is the chance to dive into a fictional world!

What better way to reduce anxiety than to think of all the things you’re grateful for? Think about the fact that there are so many things we take for granted: a place to sleep, good health, family and friends, financial security… the list could go on forever!

Taking hot baths help calm us relax. Moreover, if you have a scented candle lying around someone, light it up as well – aromatherapy is a thing, you know.

It has been proven that working out helps in lowering our blood pressure and anxiety levels, increasing our heart rate, and making us feel rejuvenated.

It is believed that your view outside reflects how you feel inside. Take some time out cleaning your house, you’re going to find so many things that you don’t even need anymore or they have bad memories attached to them in general.

You need to love and accept yourself for who you are before you can expect anyone else to love you. 

Binge-watch a series on Netflix, it’s a great way to reduce stress and get distracted!

For you to make room for recovery, you need to get rid of all the people who make you feel worthless. They’re not worth it, man. Let it go.

What better way to feel better than reuniting with those that love and appreciate you? Host a lunch or go out for a picnic if the weather allows it!

Anything! A poem, a song, a story, heck – a novel! Just get creative!

Unleash your hidden artist and paint something that inspires you.

Social media has become an important part of our everyday lives, but an excess of anything is bad. Ditch social media for the day – let’s go old school!

Writing a simple ‘thank you’ letter would not only make them happy, but it would make you realize how many blessings you have in your life that go unnoticed.

Ted Talks have tons of videos of people just like you – who’ve overcome their fears and disorders and turned out to be strong, self-motivated individuals. On the plus side, it’s completely free!

Get your dad’s old guitar out from the attic! Learning to play an instrument isn’t just fun, it’s a literal workout for your brain.

Remember all those old photos you guys haven’t enjoyed looking at for a long time? Head to the local gift shop and buy a photo album. Let’s re-organize!

Pictures, texts, notes, songs – whatever has a bad vibe attached to them, delete it! It’s not worth it.

Buy yourself something you’ve wanted to buy for a long time. Be that perfume, new clothes, perhaps a new iPhone? Who cares? You deserve it!

“I think implementing activities like this daily allow you to have an outlet for anxiety and stress, which can help alleviate some anxiety symptoms. Taking time for yourself could help prevent a total breakdown, or panic attack, for anyone with any level of anxiety. It’s better than doing nothing” – Chanda Scobee

“I do most of these on a regular, even daily basis and they do help! A few are new to me and I look forward to trying them. Leading a mindful calmer life will help day to day!” – Bethy

“It looks to me like a mentally healthy routine for us all – even if we don’t suffer with anxiety” – Cheryl Harrington

All you need to nail this challenge is some spare time on your hands, a car (or a cab app like Uber) to travel to bookstores, gift shops and meetups with friends and family members, and some self-motivation!

Unfortunately, so many of us deal with chronic anxiety daily. However, the good news is that it is treatable. All it requires is you to believe in yourself and accept yourself for who you are – acknowledge your healing process and live every day like it’s your last. Life is too short to be wasted on stuff that you won’t even remember six months later. Admire the beauty of this world and the beauty within you!