How to Deal with Anxiety

Anxiety is a common mental health condition, but also one that is becoming more socially accepted. Nowadays, you can see people discussing their experiences or posts providing helpful information all over social media platforms.

Having anxious feelings is entirely normal, especially considering the number of stressors and stimuli around us each day. However, when these anxious feelings become consistent and problematic to our daily functioning, they could indicate a larger issue.

You don't have to sacrifice your quality of life over anxiety and any symptoms you're experiencing. Here are some ways you can start managing your anxiety.

Challenge Your Negativity

Anxiety finds a way to push that secret button that makes the mind spiral in all different directions. There's a deep connection between anxiety and negative thought patterns, one fueling the other, making it hard for you to come out of this vicious cycle.

When you feel yourself taking off into the anxious space, mentally take a step back. Challenge your thought patterns. Is the outcome your mind is predicting even remotely likely to happen? The odds are that this isn't a new trigger, so has something like this happened in the past? What was that outcome? If a loved one were expressing the sentiments your mind is racing over, what would you tell them?

It's not easy, but we are able to challenge our thought patterns and replace them with something more realistic and optimistic.

Identify Your Triggers

Much of anxiety and its symptoms are tied to this idea of control. We become anxious when we perceive something out of our control. When matters become out of our control, we may anxiously get stuck running that information back over and over again.

Learning what triggers you will help you understand your thought patterns better and allow you to regain some control over your situations. Common triggers include social situations, work or school stress, overstimulating environments, financial concerns, health concerns, phobias, or life changes.

When you know what you're up against, you can start to develop effective coping strategies.

Physical Activity

Exercise is one of the best medicines for most things that may be ailing you in life. Where anxiety is concerned, any physical activity can help reduce symptoms and make it more manageable.

Take some time each day to go for a walk. Join a gym. Attend a group fitness class. You can even take up dancing in your living room. There's a really catchy song titled "Anxiety" that has a great dancing beat.

Practice Grounding Exercises

As mentioned, anxiety has a tendency to make your thoughts wander way off into the future. When you're starting to feel anxious, grounding exercises can be used to bring your focus to the here and now. You can regather your thoughts and return to your regular activity.

A great grounding exercise to start implementing now is tied to your senses. The 5-4-3-2-1 method can be done anywhere, anytime. Find five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. By the end of the exercise, you should feel less anxious.

Seek Professional Treatment

Anxiety is a different experience for everyone. For some, it can be managed simply with a few lifestyle changes. For others, it may require a bit more guidance. Through therapy intervention, we can establish an individual treatment plan geared towards your symptoms. Together, we can uncover your triggers and create healthy strategies.

Anxiety doesn't have to be a recurring problem. If you happen to be struggling with anxiety, contact me to schedule your first appointment.