Regain Control of Your Life
I have identified 5 key strategies to manage anxiety that are easy and can be implemented anywhere and at anytime. You can start kicking anxiety to the curb and regain control of your life, feeling grounded, productive, and energized.
Anxiety is About Fear
We all experience anxiety from time to time, it is a natural part of life just like the feeling of happiness or anger. Theorists posit that anxiety is a learned feeling that is derived from the basic feeling of fear. Connecting your anxiety to the source of your worry and concern is the first of several strategies that will help manage anxiety and regain control over something that you might often feel controls you.
Anxiety can be really uncomfortable. Over the past 20 years, I have been able to work with many who have struggled with depression and anxiety and most will agree, that they would rather feel depressed than anxious, it really can be brutal. Anxiety is described as being unsettled, feeling jittery, as if you are in high gear all day or for an extended period of time. Sometimes people will describe the feeling of being disconnected from their body, which in various degrees may be a form of derealization. Needless to say, managing all of that is exhausting and relief can be found with a few simple strategies to manage anxiety for you and your loved ones.
5 Strategies to Manage Anxiety NOW!
#1 Stick to the Facts
Anxiety is about the unknown and is typically future-oriented. This is why it is so important to ground ourselves in the facts.
If you find yourself saying “what-if…” regarding a fear or concern, stop and make a mental note which will break that “what if” cycle. There are probably dozens of what-ifs that we could come up with around just that one concern, the what-if cycle will be an endless repetition of questions and concerns that you won’t be able to answer and will continue to push your anxiety to increased levels.
In these situations, you can break that what-if cycle by grounding yourself in the here and now. One way to do that is by recognizing the facts of your present life or around your worry.
For example, The persistent thought is “What if driving in the rain causes me to lose control of my car?”
First, you need to accept the reality, driving in certain conditions can be scary, this is true for anyone. Recognizing that driving does pose some risk and we need to accept that and build tolerance if we want to be able to master driving in the rain. And you have the power to mitigate that risk with some steps that are within our control.
The facts are: you are an experienced driver who has driven through many rainstorms and been ok, you had a scare once but you have never been in an accident while driving in the rain, you can control the speed of your car and if it starts to rain, you can slow down and drive in a slower lane, you can also decide that if it is a particularly heavy downpour, you can pull over for a few minutes and wait for some of it to pass.
The other ultimate decision that is yours, is whether or not you get behind the wheel. Are there other alternatives to driving in the rain? Is public transportation possible? Is there someone that can drive with you in case it no longer feels safe? Do you need more time to practice or do you need to take a driving class that can help you learn how to drive in the rain?
There are many options that you have complete, 100% control over. However, in the paralyzing what-if thought cycle we forget all of this, grounding yourself in the facts will decrease your anxiety and the spin-out in your head.
When waves of anxiety overcome you about something you are worried about for the future, make a list of the facts around that concern, either mentally or written out, and you will begin to disarm the anxiety and regain perspective.
#2 Prioritize Self Care, Exercise
Anxiety is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it is your body telling you that you need to take better care of yourself. When it comes to managing anxiety, exercise can be one of the most important parts of your self-care, by exerting some physical energy, you will be managing your anxiety in a few key ways.
Anxiety is energy and as we know in the case of children, energy needs to have a place to go. Exercise will give your body and your mind that outlet to expend your energy and will not only yield health benefits but will start a process in your body that is sometimes dubbed the “runner’s high”. When we exercise, chemicals called endorphins are released in the brain creating a feeling of positivity and calm. These endorphins are therapeutic and create a feeling of euphoria, they also act as a sedative relieving the body of stress and anxiety.
Exercise is also known to increase focus and concentration which will likely distract you from your worries while simultaneously elevating your mood and helping you to feel overall better and motivated.
The research around exercise and mental health is pretty clear, it is better to have shorter, frequent routines, than longer less frequent ones. Suffice it to say it is better to build a 15-30 minute walk into your daily schedule 5 times a week, rather than an hour or 2-hour session on the weekend.
#3 Mindfulness
The practice of mindfulness is at its core, about the connection between the present and our state of mind. This is further enhanced by bringing our physical body to be in touch with and aware of our physical environment. By creating awareness and living in the present you will be in direct contrast with what anxiety does to our mind and body, which is to distort reality and bring us to a place that is uncertain and therefore dangerous.
One simple mindfulness activity that you can implement anywhere and at any time is known as the “5 Senses” activity. I love this activity because of its simplicity and the way it connects us to the parts of ourselves that we are very often unaware of. A simple Google search will give you lots of worksheets if looking for some guidance around this activity. It is also a great way to begin a class, as an ice breaker in a meeting or a family activity before dinner.
In short, this activity is a walkthrough of your 5 senses, asking you to identify 5 things that you see, 4 things that you feel, 3 things that you hear, 2 things that you can smell, and 1 thing that you taste.
#4 Progressive Relaxation
This is an activity that you might be familiar with, it is an easy and very effective way to manage tension and find some physical relief from the anxiety that you might be experiencing at the moment. The thinking behind this activity is that you cannot have both well-being and psychological stress at the same time. If you are working with a therapist this is something that you could ask about and they will most likely be able to walk you through the process.
Essentially this activity is a process where you create intentional tension in a certain part of your body by contracting your muscles and then allowing them to relax, moving through the different regions of your body. Some of the symptoms that progressive relaxation can target are high blood pressure, back and neck pain, insomnia, and muscular tension.
#5 Ground Yourself in the Present With Gratitude
If there is one strategy that can flip the script, turning fear of the future to awareness and appreciation of the present and thereby reducing anxiety, it is gratitude.
Having space for gratitude in our life brings us to the here and now and forces us to think positively about our present-day life. Having gratitude doesn’t dismiss the things that are hard but, it acknowledges that in the midst of the hard, there is also good. This is something that we can incorporate into any of the above activities, whether it is while we are exercising or practicing some progressive relaxation or thinking about the facts of a challenging situation, we can find gratitude for the possibilities that are in our hands and the power to make decisions for ourselves.
I like to think about gratitude as the thread that strings all of the above together.
Therapy is Always An Option
If you notice that your symptoms of anxiety continue to progress after implementing some of these strategies, or you notice increased panic, it might be a sign that you will need some additional support. Therapy might be the next best step to help you identify the strategies to manage anxiety, it can also be an opportunity to process some of the origins of your anxiety.
Finding the right therapist can be challenging, sometimes it is a matter of personality or discipline (training of the therapist) or insurance. Some of the best resources are the ones within your network, you can start by reaching out to your health insurance company or your primary care’s office, both should have a list of possible referrals. Also, by talking to your friends and colleagues at work, you might be able to find someone locally that others have had a good experience with. If you would like a more confidential option, maybe your place of employment has an employee assistance program (EAP), you can connect with them through your human resources department.
If you would like an online option, you might want to check out, Online-therapy.com, where you can have online access to a therapist from anywhere in the world. I have included my affiliate link here where you will receive 20% off your first month.
Final Thoughts
Anxiety is a natural part of our life and it is essential that we learn the strategies to manage anxiety and cope with it. Grounding ourselves and our thoughts in the reality of our present everyday life, our physical environment, and connecting our mind to our body through exercise and the 5 senses will be a step in the right direction.
The above strategies can be thought of as a framework that you can build on and adapt to make them work for you in your life. Try them out and let me know how it goes! I would love to hear from my readers, you can contact me below or send me an email.
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References:
NCBI: The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors
NCBI: Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Anxiety
Harvard Medical School: Can exercise help treat anxiety?
