Techniques to Help you Tame your Anxiety
Anxiety can be summed up as feelings of tension or stress that cause us to feel on-edge or uneasy. Like all our other emotions, anxiety can come and go in varying degrees of strength and have different effects on both our internal and external perceptions.
Our anxieties can be something that only plague us from time-to-time, or they can become a serious mental health problem that undermines our confidence, happiness and intimate relationships. If you want to overcome the anxiety that’s plaguing your mind and your life, you have to learn to understand it from the inside out.
All humans experience some degree of anxiety. Nerves and anxiousness keep us safe, and protect us from people and situations that are potentially dangerous or undermining.
Feeling a little anxious before a big meeting can be a good thing, but when that anxiety begins to take a major physical toll on your mind, body and relationships; that’s when you begin to get into the territory of an actual anxiety disorder.
The best techniques to tame your anxiety.
1. Focus on your own journey
A lot of the anxiety we experience comes at the hands of our obsession with the people around us. We are endlessly concerned with what our friends, neighbors and co-workers are doing, and in that we can get overwhelmed in the details of both the past and the future.
Build this habit by breaking your major goals down into smaller chunks, further defining each step until you have an actionable list of the steps you can take, not tomorrow, but right now. Not only is focusing on your own journey a relief, learning to be present helps boost the dopamine in your brain, making you feel better and further empowered. Get out of your negative patterns by taking control of your mind and your focus.
2. Learn how to self-soothe
Self-soothing is a set of coping strategies that allow you to engage and involve your physical and emotional senses in such a way as to lead to healing, recognition, or resolution. There are many different types of self-soothing, and they can vary from engaging in group therapies, to creating a mindful journaling practice. When it comes to self-soothing, there is no right or wrong way to do it. In all counts, it’s incredible for soothing the anxious and troubled mind.
You can start a self-soothing practice by setting aside 20–25 minutes each day. Find a safe and quiet space (where you won’t be interrupted) and set a timer. Spend time focusing on how you’re feeling and what is making you feel that way. Think about what you really want and zero in on that. Then, spend the last 15–20 minutes doing an activity that makes you feel good, like listening to music, watching your favorite program, or checking out a live comedy special.
This kind of technique allows us to rewire our brains and transform our negative emotions (anxiety) into positive ones. Doubly, this allows us to get in touch with our feelings in a way that allows us to see them as a safe and manageable thing.
3. Drop the social comparisons
Drop the social comparisons by reminding yourself that you are as deserving and worthy as anyone else in the world around you. Stop putting yourself down, and stop putting other people down too. You don’t need to be better than anyone else, and they certainly aren’t better than you. Rebuild your social standing in your own mind and remember that we’re all just doing the best that we can.
If you really struggle with social comparisons, try taking a break from social media and give yourself the space you need to rest and recharge. In today’s plugged in society, we’re encouraged to compare ourselves constantly with those around us; creating invisible, toxic and never-ending competitions that leave us feeling anxious, isolated and hopeless.
4. Putting it all together
Living with stress and anxiety isn’t easy; but it can be done with some compassion; understanding and a reworking of the way we think and approach our desires and emotions. If you want to kick your anxiety to the curb, learn how to spot the signs of an anxious mind before it has the change to wreck your mental fortitude. Only you can rewire the way you think. Only you can choose the happiness that you’re seeking right now in this present moment.
Focus on your own journey and learn how to live in and focus on the present moment. Stop being so concerned with what’s going on in the future, and zero-in on your own journey. Make sure you’re only spending your time and worry on things you can control.
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Culled from: Medium.
