Managing Your Anxiety
Young pensive male holding his hand to his face overlooking a bridge.
Anxiety is a normal part of life and it is our body's natural response to stress. However, people sometimes experience prolonged periods of anxiety that can affect their social, work, or personal lives.
There are plenty of reasons why someone may feel anxious, including: work-related stress, financial stress, health problems, substance use, social relationships, and/or trauma. Some health conditions or chronic pain may cause anxiety too. Specific situations may trigger anxiety also such as social situations, public speaking, a recent change or adjustment and learning something new outside of your normal routine. Anxiety can be managed and when you notice and address it in the moment. You can have control in shifting your mood and thinking, from feeling out of control to telling yourself “I think I've got this, I’ve managed before and I can manage again and maybe even better this time”.
It’s helpful to have a few coping mechanisms for when anxiety pays a visit. It’s also important to find treatment strategies and make efforts to be consistent to help you keep it in check. It could be a combination of things, like talk therapy, medication, meditation, exercise or getting to the root of the anxiety and resolving it to the best of your ability or with the help of a therapist.
Try some of these coping mechanisms below when your anxiety is back to say “hello, I’m here in need of some gentle reminders and guidance”:
Take slow deep breaths. Slowly inhale for four counts and slowly exhale for four counts. Try this for five minutes to decrease your heart rate, slow respiration and decrease cortisol levels, also known as stress hormones. This is also know as box breathing and you can find many examples on You Tube.
Notice if there’s any tension in your shoulders and you’re pulling them up towards your ears. Drop you shoulders if you notice the tension.
Get outside for a quick break to enjoy nature. You could go for a walk, notice the trees and surrounding areas so you can get out of your head for a bit.
Send that email you have been meaning to compose.
Call that person you’ve been meaning to speak with.
Ask yourself if you’re thinking “this is a disaster'“, thinking that something could be a complete disaster, when in reality it’s unpleasant and not the end of the world.
Ask yourself if you’re jumping to conclusions and what evidence you have to make that conclusion.
Make a decision to get something done off of your to-do list or make the decision to not do it. Give your self permission to do either. Both are OK.
Ask yourself, “will this be a problem next week, in one month or six months”? How will I feel and what do I have control over at this moment?
Be present and focused with whatever activity you are doing. What do you notice? What does it feel like? What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear?
If you’re in the middle of making a difficult decision, try focusing more on a positive outcome and less on a negative outcome.
Do an exercise you enjoy. If it’s been some time since you last did the exercise, make a commitment to yourself to try it again.
Focus on your strengths and remember how your worries were resolved last time anxiety paid a visit.
Anxiety symptoms can be a great teacher. Is there something that needs to be resolved immediately or will this take more careful thought and consideration to cope with or resolve? I can’t rush time so how can I practice patience with myself? What are three things I can do to bring me closer towards my goal? What can I let go of?
Now the list above is not exhaustive, but they are quick and easy reminders to add to your toolkit when you start to feel anxious. Often times the challenging part is sitting with those anxious thoughts and feelings, waiting for them to pass through. Know that they will pass through and you won’t stay stuck in those feelings forever. When it comes to emotions there is often a beginning, middle and end. Notice where you are in that feeling tunnel, you could be in the thick of it or you could be closer to the end of that emotion than you realize. Take the time to reflect on what you need and what could help. Consulting with a mental health professional or adding just a few more strategies can give you the confidence and ability to cope with your anxiety and the discomfort that comes along with it. Want to check out additional ways to reduce anxiety and stress? Check out my free anxiety workbook to get your started on your positive mental health journey.
If anxiety has you stuck in a loop that feels like you’re spiraling and out of control, let’s understand it’s roots to better help you manage your anxiety. Book a free consultation below to get started.
