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Wellness finds to live better, not perfectly

I can’t always pinpoint the exact reason I experience anxiety, but I can always identify when it’s happening. You’ve got your classics: Increased heart rate, panicked breathing, trouble sleeping, a little sweaty perhaps. And for me, it usually involves spiraling to worst-case scenarios. These are often the hypotheticals I’ll unpack with my therapist.

“Anxiety amps up when we focus on what might or what could happen,” says Larissa House, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist. “When we focus on what could go wrong and what’s outside of our control, it can create an anxious response in even the most resilient minds.”

After spending many hours Zooming with my therapist about all of my fears over the worst possible outcomes, she gave me a piece of advice that has stuck with me: Imagine the best-case scenario. Not that it’s necessarily the most likely outcome, but it reoriented my way of thinking. If I’m going to devolve into unsupported hypotheticals, why not make it a happy one?

For me, it’s a technique that has helped profoundly. That being said, there is more than one way to manage feelings of anxiety. (Not to be confused with anxiety disorders, which are more severe and debilitating, and require a diagnosis from a healthcare provider.)

You’ve got your classics: Prioritizing healthy sleep, taking a beat to breathe, moving around, finding solace in a silly sitcom, eating and drinking well, writing it down in a journal, limiting social media, practicing gratitude, and talking to a therapist. There are other strategies, though, that you can integrate into your day-to-day to manage anxiety.

We outlined 33 coping skills for anxiety, whether it’s stemming from work, relationships, or just daily life.

Take care,

Melanie, editor at Nessie Sightings

First Sightings 👀

You saw it here first: A virtual sticker pack for some of our healthiest college picks. Maybe your alma mater is on the list.

Tennis Great Arthur Ashe was the first Black man to win the U.S. Open, an AIDS educator, a civil rights activist, and a style icon. A new clothing brand named after him launched leading up to the U.S. Open, and the brand’s creative director even worked with Ashe’s estate to design pieces in the likeness of clothes Ashe actually wore.

Oliver’s makes plant-based oatshakes so that kids with dairy allergies or intolerance don’t have to feel like they’re missing out on fun flavored drinks

Would you wear these cargo zip-offs made out of Chipotle napkins?

Aerie partnered with Liberare, experts in adaptive designs, to create a functional intimates collection for people who wear bras and like cute underwear, including those with disabilities. For instance, the plunge bralette has a magnetized closure and the cheeky undie has a slightly higher waistline for both seated and non-seated bodies.

Impossible Foods has eight new frozen meals

CBD brand Trip dropped a canned coffee drink

Dr. Pooja Goel started looking for clean beauty products when dealing with fertility struggles. That search ended up developing into HARA, her clean beauty brand. (All ingredients are rigorously vetted.) I always appreciate a shop that lets me browse by concern. In HARA’s case: Acne, dry skin, dark circles, oily skin, pores, and sensitive skin. That’s how I found this non-foaming charcoal wash for sensitive skin.

Thanks to our scouts Chanel and Megan for putting some of their favorite wellness brands and products on our radar: Bask Suncare (“smells like a Hawaii dream!”), Nike Vision sunglasses “for morning workouts, hot-girl walks, and beyond,” size-inclusive and sustainably-made cotton basics at The Standard Stitch, and Three Ships Beauty natural skincare products

Pit your cherries with a metal straw (these are my favorite) or just buy a pitter

Feeling very inspired by this review to get my own little nut milk maker

👀 Be one of our scouts! 👀

Did you spot a cool new (to the world or just to you!) wellness product? Are you a brand dropping something cool soon?

In the wild 🌾

A reporter embedded with the fitness equipment brand loved by the Kardashians and Rafael Nadal, shadowing personal trainers around the world, and he learned that New York has the most intense clients and “is the capital of fad exercise”

There’s a “male friendship recession” and it’s bad for their health

More hotels should provide portable mini fridges for parents traveling with breast milk (especially since some mini bars “snooze” overnight)

A chia seed comeback

An interview with the comedian who threw up at her health insurance office (for a very unfunny reason)

Farmers’ markets, meal delivery services, buying in bulk, and other sustainable food models are not very accessible

How to feed yourself when you’re stressed, anxious, or grieving

A deal! 💸

Photo credit: Brock Dupont

Our editors reviewed a bunch of breathwork apps, and Breathwrk is their top pick. It has a simple interface, a good variety of exercises, and is interactive and habit-building. You can use the app to find exercises for anxiety, energy, improved slumber, and more. And our readers can get a 7-day free trial and 30% off a yearly subscription at this link.

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We write for people looking for approachable health and wellness finds and insights. All products and services are independently selected to provide recommendations you can trust. We may receive commission on purchases made from some of our links, but that’s not why we’re here. We just want to help you find good stuff.