How to deal with anxiety?

I'll try to keep this short. I am looking for ways to relieve stress, and the constant racing thoughts that go through my head 24/7. Art and gaming seem to work for me sometimes, but I need to find other ways to stop being consumed by negative thoughts. To be honest I have never smoked weed, and my friend that is an artist as well admitted that weed is one of her main stress relievers. I do not know if that is the right answer for me, or maybe it is the answer I have been seeking all along. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

i kno how u feel lol i have anxiety too DO NOT SMOKE WEED!!! how bad is ur anxiety though? like how often do u get anxiety attacks?

Sometimes weed IS the answer. You seem pretty open to the idea of it, so I'm definitely not going to say you shouldn't try it. I personally don't care for weed, but plenty of people turn to it for stress relief. It's not chemically addicting, but the feeling is enough for some people to develop a mental addiction. Be careful. What I do for stress relief might not be relieving for others. ;/ I like repetition, so biking and pointillism really help me out with I'm feeling anxious. I used to suffer from a lot of mental break downs and anxiety attacks, but it's been a few months since my last episode. c: I hope you find something that works! Also, painting.

it kinda depends on how bad ur anxiety is though i have it pretty bad so i went to counloing and did some research on it and weed isnt gonna help much but i guess it is different for different ppl but u should find a better and healthier alternative method

That's true, for more serious anxiety issues, weed probably isn't the best. I wasn't sure if Lyson was having actual attacks or he was just stressed out in general.

As someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder I would definitely not recommend weed. Actually I've done a lot of research on herbal remedies because I really don't want to get put on Valium. I make a mix of Kava Kava, mint, hops, and catnip for some tea. You can also use Valerian root, skullcap, and Chamomile(not sure how good this one works since I'm allergic). I personally recommend Kava Kava the most though. I also tried making my own tinctures which you can either make from water or grain alcohol. The alcohol works faster, but makes the tinctures much stronger and I wouldn't recommend that unless they're crippling and you don't have to leave the house when you use it. The same goes for the Valerian because that is the herbal equivalent of Valium.

If you really do have an anxiety disorder, and not just a lot of anxiety, there's a good chance that you might have a paradoxical reaction to some things, including weed and valerian. Sobi: You're allergic to chamomile too? I have never until this day found someone aside from me who was allergic to it, and am so tired of people suggesting it every time I mention sleep problems XD

@Mop: I am just stressed in general ever since the break up, and that was three months ago. @Sobi: Alchohal is not a option for me.

I don't believe in relying on drugs or alcohol to relieve stress, partly because I have relatives who have done / still do that, and partly because it would limit the amount of anime, manga, cosplay, and conventions I could afford. What I do to vent built up stress and anxiety is to drop everything do one of the following: Find an anime series (preferably a comedy), and watch 10 episodes straight. Read 50 chapters of manga Take a long walk so I have time to just think, find out what is really causing problems, and come up with either how to solve it or why I really don't care The third option is probably the best one for any circumstance, but options 1 and 2 are almost as effective for me and much more fun. Granted, I just have to grin and bear it during exam weeks until the weekend, but it isn't hard to wait a few days when I'm too busy to think about being stressed I can't stand going to counseling. It stresses me out so much having to explain every last detail of my thoughts, and my first experience with it involved blackmail. I understand that counseling can be helpful for some people, and more power to them. It's jut not for me.