If you are struggling with anxiety, You are in good company & nothing’s gone wrong!
HERE’S WHAT MAY BE GOING ON FOR YOU
You are having troublesome, anxious thoughts about what’s happening inside or outside of you. These thoughts feel really intense and not likely to end.
Good News–they are just sentences or pictures in your mind. All thoughts are optional, and most of the time, they are not true.
Curiosity is helpful in taking a closer look at your thoughts. Be open to questioning them, without judgment. You can decide if you want to keep them and for how long. It’s your choice.
Although anxiety can feel very overwhelming and scary, it is still something that you can learn to manage. Here are 3 keys to help keep moving forward even when anxiety shows up for you from time to time.
#1 ACCEPT IT
Anxiety is like looking at the sink full of dishes every night and morning, and wishing they would magically get done. It’s overwhelming, and yet each day there they are in the sink again, and the overwhelm keeps coming up. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, resist it, or tell it to leave you alone–the dishes, the overwhelm and anxiety are still there.
Expect it and accept it’s going to come. It’s annoying, but when you accept it, it actually doesn’t feel as bad. Anxiety becomes bigger when we resist it, react to it or get really bothered that it’s here. We worry about our worry. We think it shouldn’t be happening or something’s gone wrong with us.
The truth is, you are going to feel worried sometimes, and that’s okay. Nothing has gone wrong at all.
#2 ALLOW IT
You might have noticed that your body starts to freak out a little when you are feeling anxious. Maybe your heart starts to race, your palms get sweaty, or your chest feels tight. Our bodies can get really tense when we are anxious.
Your mind is super worried about something and it’s signaling your body about it. It says to panic–something’s gone wrong. When this happens, you can tell your body what is happening and that it’ll be alright.
Take a few deep “belly” breaths, place your hand on your heart and tell yourself: This is anxiety. I feel anxious. I can totally feel it, and I am still safe. This will pass.
Repeat this over and over until you start to feel your body release some of the tension.
#3 ACT ON IT
- Call out anxiety’s bluff!
- Anxiety is straight up lying to you. It is telling you that you aren’t capable or that you may not be able to handle something.
- Start facing the things you’re afraid of…
- Every time you take a small step towards your fears, do one dish at a time, you will remind yourself that you are still safe and alive. You made it.
- It might have felt terrible or super uncomfortable, but you’re still here and it will only get easier next time.
- Anxiety loses its power when you take action!
- Tell anxiety it can come along with you for the ride today, but it’s not going to drive!
If you are struggling with handling your anxiety…let’s hop on a call and see how I can help!