LIFE

Dealing with anxiety can be an isolating thing to do, stopping us from living the happy, fulfilled lives that we should be.

Zoella knows this all too well. The 26-year-old YouTuber has spoken up about her longtime struggle with anxiety in a recent blog post, sharing details about her struggle that she hadn't been vocal about in videos or blog posts the past. 

On the outside, the cute and funny beauty guru turned author seems like the definition of perfection. While she is downright adorable and all things #goals, she has struggled with anxiety since she was a teenager, and it kept her from taking on a lot of opportunities—whether that be a night out with friends or a work event in a new city. But in the post she explained how much better she has become at handling her anxiety over the past six months. This is because she's become proactive about it. When she gets nervous, she embraces it. 

"I’m very good at imagining every possible worst outcome of every single situation I live and breathe," Zoella said in her post. "After exhausting all the worst outcomes, I soon realize that nothing is ever as bad as I imagine it to be and those fears and scenarios don’t seem to inject the same uneasy feelings as they once did."

She also emphasizes that nobody should settle with anxiety being part of their identity, and discusses the importance of handling it and getting help.

Coping with anxiety is hard, but if starting looking, you’ll find ways to deal that work for you. Here are a few ways that may help you get started. 

Get enough sleep. Sleep is the key to everything. A healthy body needs at least 7-8 hours a day. The more sleep you get, the better you’ll feel when you wake up.

Exercise daily. We know that fitting exercise into your busy daily routine can be difficult, but working out for a short period of time everyday just to get those endorphins flowing can do the trick. This can mean going for a quick run or joining a yoga class—any physical activity will make your body and brain feel great.

Take a time out. When you need a break, just take a break. Sometimes it feels good to let everything go and just sit down and have time to yourself. Whether this means listening to relaxing music or getting lost in a book, taking a T.O. from reality is always helpful.

Don’t aim for perfection. Perfection is not attainable and, to be honest, it's a little bit boring, right? Instead, just focus on completing your tasks efficiently—don’t concentrate too much on the small details or the things you can't change.

Speak up. Talk to people! Keeping in all of your feelings can actually worsen your anxiety. Once you talk about your anxious feelings with someone you trust—whether that be a therapist, friend or parent—you’ll feel much better.

How do you cope with your anxiety? Let us know in the comments below.

by Yasmeena Fakhouri | 10/26/2016