When you have ADHD, anxiety often accompanies it.

And if you have anxiety, you know how important it is to be able to keep it under control.

I am an anxious person by nature,  but taking care of someone for 7 months and calling in hospice cranks my stress and anxiety levels way up.

I have had to learn better methods of dealing with my anxiety and decompressing.

Here are 5 of my favorites:

I find myself a spot that is quiet and peaceful so that I can meditate, sip a cup of tea, or just relax. This one happens to be on my deck – one of my favorite spots – but I have another spot in my bedroom in case it’s dark or the weather is bad.

I think that it’s important that your spot be beautiful as well as comfortable.

I am lucky enough to have this beautiful view from my deck, even if it’s cloudy and gray. But you don’t need a lake or a gorgeous view; all you need is to get outside for a while. Being outdoors automatically makes me calmer and more peaceful. If you’re a gardener, you probably find that as a means to settle yourself.

I found this lovely handmade journal in Bellingham, Washington several years ago. It took me forever to actually use it because it was so pretty and I needed exactly the right color of turquoise pen to write in it.

Don’t you love the pages? Handmade paper with sparkles. I heart sparkles.

Anyway, I got over that whole perfectionist stuff about the right color pen and all and just started writing when I was having a particularly stressful day. It worked! I felt so much better afterwards.

You know sometimes you need to get something out of your system but for whatever reason you can’t talk to someone about it. Maybe it’s too personal or no one is available. That’s a great time to pull out your journal and just start writing. And put your perfectionist attitude away too. Don’t wait for the right journal, ink color, or day; just do it when you need to.

And no editing. Just write.

I’ve been taking these herbal supplements for especially trying days.

I’ve been taking the one on the right, Relax & Sleep, for several months now. It does a nice job of calming me without making me sleepy.

Relax & Sleep contains valerian and passion flower as well as some other ingredients. It is gluten free and all natural. Valerian and passion flower are  both excellent herbs to help with calming as well as sleep.

Mason often does a buy one, get one free promotion, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out for that.

The one on the left, Mood Up, Stress Down, is a recent purchase. This one has rhodiola, lemon balm and chamomile, and passion flower as well as nutrients that are good for lifting your mood and supporting you during stressful times.

I find that I am taking this one more often than the other; I think it does a better job for me. I also like the fact that for every purchase, Wellroots donates multivitamins to children in need.

I got this at Walgreens, but it is more expensive than the Mason Relax & Sleep.

So pretty. I wish you could smell this – it’s heavenly – and it’s pink!

This is a specialty blend tea that I got from Teavana. It’s a blend of Youthberry and Wild Orange Blossom and it tastes just as good as it looks, even without sweetener. Right now, I’m drinking it iced, but I’m sure it will be just as good hot when the weather gets cold.

It’s sort of flowery and orangey and a tiny bit sweet. I made a pitcher of it for my family when I first bought it and everyone liked it.

Teavana makes no claims that I am aware of regarding the benefits of their teas, but just making myself a cup of this tea and drinking it makes me feel good and that’s all that I need.

Another great (and more affordable) option is Republic of Tea. I can easily find them in the grocery store in my little town or you can order online.

I generally dislike anything peach flavored, but their Ginger Peach is one of my favorites. In fact, I just recommended it to a friend the other day!