I adore those images - are they you? They are so good!
Music is a great one for soothing the beast. I used to like drawing mandalas which, along with breathing, helped anxiety too. Just slowed things down. I reckon doodling would be the same.
I really felt for you when you said how depressed you were. It resonated with me as sometimes I think depression can be a side effect of losing control over things. For me lately it's dad's death - something I can't do anything about. It happened. It's like the massive thing you can never control at all - death is just part of life. But a part of me was just floored by that.
You do have to make a conscious effort to let go, sometimes, to relax. So I'm glad you found some techniques to do that. I really enjoyed this post.
RE: Dialing Things Back A Notch