You’re feeling WORRIED… or afraid that something BAD is going to happen, you obsess over something going wrong and you’re never going to be able to cope... Sometimes the feeling becomes OVERWHELMING, it stops you from doing things, and it usually leaves you feeling MISERABLE…
Anxiety is one of the most common issues that lead people to seek out help from a psychologist… So YOU’RE NOT ALONE. I bet you’d like some help dealing with those worried thoughts in your head, which you know are unhelpful (or even silly) but are hard to stop. I also know you want to banish the physical symptoms, such as quick breathing, tightness in your chest, a racing heart, shaking and tension in your body, which at the time can feel like you might be having a heart attack..?
There are some fairly simple practical steps you can take to increase your tolerance and better manage your anxiety. Some of the important strategies and techniques focus on your thoughts and avoidance behaviours (avoiding things that make us anxious is super common, but also part of the vicious cycle of anxiety). But, for today let’s try some practical steps to become less vulnerable to anxiety and be able to back away from the edge of an anxiety attack...
1. Calm breathing. When you start to feel anxious, your breathing becomes faster and shallower. To combat this, find a quite spot or even in the moment try to slow down your breathing and try to breathe down into your belly. Count to four as you breathe in slowly – pause - then count to four as you breathe out slowly. This one is really useful because it helps to calm your body from its “freak out” … and as a bonus you can’t think anxious thoughts if you’re counting breaths and focused on breathing nice and low into your belly. Win/Win!
2. Progressive muscle relaxation PMR for short. Find a quiet location. Close your eyes and slowly tense and then relax each of your muscle groups from your toes to your head. Hold the tension for three seconds and then release quickly. This can help reduce the feelings of muscle tension that often come with anxiety.
3. Healthy lifestyle. This is a more general one. Keeping active, eating well, making sure you get enough sleep, going out into nature, spending time with family and friends, reducing stress and doing the activities you enjoy are all going to reduce your vulnerability to that damn anxiety as well as improving your wellbeing.
4. Limit alcohol and caffeine, which can aggravate anxiety and trigger anxiety/panic attacks.
5. Take a time-out. Practice yoga, listen to music, meditate, get a massage, or learn relaxation techniques. Stepping back from the problem helps clear your head.
6. Do your best and accept you can’t do everything – This is a general mindset thing, instead of aiming for perfection, which isn't possible, be proud of however close you get and accept that you cannot control everything.
7. Have a laugh… A good laugh goes a long way. A lot of the things we think when anxious seem a bit funny if we say them out loud...
8. Get involved. Join a group or volunteer or find another way to be active in your community, which creates a support network and gives you a break from everyday stress.
9. Talk to someone. Tell friends and family when you’re feeling overwhelmed and let them know how they can help you. Talk to your GP or psychologist for professional help.
These practical steps will help you start getting on top of your anxiety and build confidence that you have some control over how you feel. None of these are a magic wand to banish anxiety, but with practice they will likely help. Next time we can talk about some of the useful thinking and self-talk strategies you can add to these for even more powerful relief.
If you really want to take action, get on top of your anxiety and build better mental health and wellbeing, particularly if you’re based in the Cambridge, Waikato, NZ, then give me a call on 0274554100 or send me an email, to see if I’m the right person to help. Talk soon.
