6 Tips For Anxiety - Life Changing Actions For You To Take Now
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What is Anxiety?
Anxiety impacts everyone uniquely and can be caused by a number of experiences or situations.
You might be wondering why it happens.
It’s our body's natural way of keeping us safe and alive when we perceive danger.
It releases chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol to assist us in managing the present stress so that we can fight, flee or freeze.
The downside of this positive response to danger is that if these chemicals remain in our bodies for long periods they can negatively impact us causing ill health.
So let's do a check-in.
Are you feeling uneasy?
Living with a feeling of worry and dread?
Perhaps a mild or serious fear?
A need for perfectionism or avoiding triggers?
Experiencing sweaty palms, increased heart rate, shaking or/and shortness of breath?
We all experience symptoms and feelings like these somewhere along our life journey.
More often than not they disappear once the pending situation has passed.
Unfortunately though, for some of us these feelings linger and a somewhat harmless situation can turn into a highly charged and overwhelming concern that interferes with everyday events and relationships.
This blog is for you if you’re experiencing that rare moment of anxiety where you feel a little out of control and unable to find perspective.
It will offer you accessible tips for creating clarity and perspective in the moment and remind you that you can always choose to be in the driving seat.
6 Tips For Anxiety
Understand Your Anxiety
Keep a diary or find your own way of recording your thoughts and feelings. This will allow you to see patterns of behaviours and provide an outlet for self expression.
With this personal record, you can then find clarity in understanding the why of your emotions and see what action steps will support you.
Challenge Anxious Thoughts
It's really easy to find yourself in a spiral of negative thoughts that stem from uncomfortable feelings and then result in not so helpful behaviours.
The next time you find yourself experiencing this, recognise what's happening, pause for a moment and catch the thought.
Then question whether what your telling yourself is true. We often forget that we have the power to influence our own thoughts. You could imagine supporting a friend who was thinking this way.
What would you say to them?
Once you've determined the reality of your thinking, make a decision to change if it doesn't represent the truth.
By catching your thoughts, challenging them and then changing them you can start the practice of breaking the negative cycle that results in anxious feelings.
Make Time For Worrying
Sometimes worrying can distract us from the hear and now and lead us into anxious thoughts.
If this happens to you, consider setting aside some ‘worry time’ to ponder over it. Knowing that you have a designated time to address your concerns can alleviate stress and give you mental space to focus on the task in hand.
During your ‘worry time', follow the steps of this Worry-Free Map to support letting it go.
Step 1
Notice your worry.
Step 2
Ask yourself what you're worried about. Challenge what comes up by looking for evidence to support it.
Step 3
Ask yourself whether you can do anything about it.
If yes, create an action plan based on what you'll do next, how you'll do it and when you'll complete it by.
Sometimes our anxious thoughts linger so if the worry returns, be kind to yourself by remembering that you have an action plan in place that's ready to go.
When you're unable to immediately take action, decide when you can and schedule a time to do so. Again, if the worry lingers remind yourself of your plan and find comfort in knowing that it will soon be addressed.
If the answer is no and there's nothing you can do about the worry, simply acknowledge this. Distract yourself with another task or practice breathing slowly in and out. You may not be able to control the worry but you can certainly control how you manage it.
Shift Your Focus
Picture your worry like a baby who is easily distracted.
When it takes you away from the present moment, shift your focus by using relaxation techniques to distract it.
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that allows you to bring your awareness back to the present moment by noticing the here and now. For example, the texture of the chair you're sitting on or the detail in the walls.
Use this, breathing exercises, music, audio books or reading to slow your thoughts down and away from stress.
Build Resistence To Anxiety
By avoiding stressful situations, you fuel anxious feelings however by confronting them you become more resistent to them.
Develop your ‘worry time’ so that you start to climatise to your anxious feelings. The more you recognise them, the more you can manage them.
During this time, make a decision to face what you'd usually avoid. Notice that the more you do this the less anxious you'll become because of your exposure to it.
They'll also be habits that you do and practice that offer you a sense of safety. Slowly and mindfully reduce these habits to build resistence to being uncomfortable and uncertain.
Meet Your Worry Head On
Very rarely do we worry about things we can't resolve. For example, how often do you worry about shop opening hours or the weather?
Most problems have a solution. When you're unpicking what's worrying you, why not use the following 7 problem solving steps to assist you.
Idenitfy the problem
Identify potential solutions
Analyse strengths and weaknesses
Choose a solution
Plan the solution
Practically explore the solution
Assess and review the solution
There will be times when overwhelm and worry interfere with your everyday activities.
If you're feeling anxious for most of the day, feeling helpless to shake it off and finding each day distressing then it might be that you'd benefit from some deeper support.
There's absolutely no shame in asking for help, so if this is you please reach out for some professional support via your local GP, Samaritans: 116 123 or CALM: 0800 585858 to name but a few online support groups.
Often just having someone to talk to can be the start of shifting distressing emotional responses to life's experiences.
If The Creative Genius can support you, please let us know by reaching out and sharing what you need.