Taking Control Of Your Anxiety
It’s no fun having to deal with something that interferes with your life, no matter what it is. Having a flat tire, for instance, is a pain. But, it can be fixed in a relatively short amount of time. Not so with other things that interfere with your life. For instance, anxiety. Dealing with anxiety is not like having a flat tire. Anxiety is not something that can be easily or quickly fixed.
When you experience anxiety that cannot be controlled, the first thing you should do is seek medical assistance. This is going to help your doctor or other health care professional understand what you need to do in order to deal with the anxiety, and design the best possible treatment program.
But, taking control of anxiety takes more than a doctor’s intervention. You must also work to minimize the day-to-day impact anxiety is having on your life. It’s important to realize there are no magic cures for anxiety disorder. Your goal is to develop coping skills so you can live a normal life. Choosing to face the challenge of anxiety is the only way you are going to get better. But how do you do that?
Like many challenges in life, developing a plan with easy to follow steps often works out well. Here we’ll lay out a suggested plan that you can follow to get you started. After a time, you will want to see what works best for you in managing your anxiety related reactions. Let’s take a look.
Step 1 – The Cause
What is really causing the anxiety? Get out a pen and paper and describe the events leading up to the anxiety in detail. Science shows there is connection between your fingers and your brain as you write down your feelings and thoughts on paper. As you’re describing the problem, don’t be surprised how your perception may change as you vent. Don’t go back and correct or rewrite. Each word is valid at the moment you wrote it, even if your thoughts change completely.
Step 2 – The Validity
Once you’ve clearly defined your worry, determine how valid it is. Is this something that’s a real possibility, or is it more of a “this is what might happen” scenario? If you find that it’s a “what if” scenario, try to justify your fears. Pretend you have to convince someone else this is going to happen. You might find there isn’t really anything to worry about. Or, there may be a reason to be anxious. In either case, the next steps will help.
Step 3 – The Script
Come up with a “script” that allows you to take control of the situation. The script can be actual words or it can be a method of reacting to a situation. For example, when you’re anxious about dealing with a family situation, remember that you can control what you are going to say or how you are going to react. You understand the nature of the problem and how you would like it to be resolved, but you also have to be aware that all you really control is yourself. If you stick to your “script,” you have done your part. Everything beyond that is outside of your control. By going in prepared, you’ll maintain control over what you can – you.
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Step 4 – The Release
If you feel you’ve done all you can do, then let it go. Create a mantra of sorts you can use to affirm that you’ve done everything you can and there is no longer a reason to hang onto the anxiety. That’s easier said than done at first, but give it a try. Once you take that first step forward, the next steps will follow, and will become easier each time.
Anxiety is real and it’s not something that simply goes away. How you approach it is what makes the difference, and that approach is all up to you.
*Disclaimer: Please note every effort has been made to include accurate information, but further research and the advice of a physician is highly recommended before starting any of the anxiety management ideas listed.
I’m learning to incorporate coping mechanisms that help control my anxiety that differ greatly from the ones that worked in a former stage of life.
I wish you success Barbara.
The older I get the more I am learning about myself and my anxiety. My mom passed away almost a year ago when I was 5 months pregnant with my 3rd baby girl. She died of a heart attack and her anxiety was bad. The more you educate yourself the easier it is to control your anxiety.
This is useful info that I will put to use when needed. Thank You
Thanks for putting this information out there. Anxiety is a real problem, and with information people might be able to intervene early before it worsens,
That is my hope Pam V H! Not to ignore anxiety…but to confront it and intervene. But if you can’t handle the anxiety and it interferes with your daily living then seek help.
This is very helpful. I have been dealing with anxiety for many years. Sometimes, it can be so overwhelming, definitely going to use this post. 🙂
This is great information, I also among others here suffer from anxiety , How I have been dealing with mine is either crying in the shower to my Father Christ Jesus or praying.. I do thank you for sharing this information and have tried these before…
Oh Dorothy, I believe in prayer but I also believe God has given knowledge to man for medication that can be helpful when nothing else is. Natural remedies first but if you feel bad for a long time despite all the natural remedies and prayers..please seek help.
This is great! I have suffered from anxiety for years and have been on medication that I really don’t like 🙁
Jennifer..I am not recommending no medication if indicated. I am a firm believer in meds for mental health when indicated. These steps can help quiet anxiety even on meds.
Is think it is important that people realize that anxiety is a real problem and not always something that you can easily control or deal with on your own.
Absolutely Jo-Ann! It’s not something imagined! It is something that may need medical attention for control!
Its weird as sometimes I am on my way somewhere and I get anxious and forget where I am and how to get to wherever I am going.
That’s a scary feeling isn’t it Sue Harding. I hope they pass quickly for you!
I’ve suffered from anxiety my entire life. Thank you for the great advice!
This is great advice thank you so much
I’m glad I don’t need the tips but they are very good ones.
slehan at juno dot com
This is great advice. I’ve had anxiety my entire life. Thanks for sharing!
This is a good reminder to help difficult days and times when things are tough. thanks
Great post with lots of useful information. Coping skills are invaluable to living with anxiety. I’ve also found that meditation and deep breathing helps to quiet the mind and allow some relief as well.
absolutely wen! meds may be one of the essential things for some and meditation and deep breathing are a must 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
This is very useful information. I have no problems with the cause. But the script i have a problem with. I suffer from depression, so i have anxiety and panic attacks. I have done something similar to this before. It does work but for some. I want to say thank you for this. I know this information will help a lot of people. Thank you again!!!
Jody Arbogast, I too have depression which I’ve had to remain on meds for because it returned many times after I would be able to go off my meds. I’m not sure what all you use to control your depression…but panic attacks are with me also. Awful night terrors..that just wake me from a sound sleep. Nothing but meds keeps them in control. Cognitive techniques alone don’t seem to help for me. I would rather take a few meds along with other complimentary natural avenues if I can have a full life. I think the script is different for everyone…you just have to experiment and find your script. Good luck
I have been on medicine for my anxiety for four years now. I would love to try these. Anything to be more natural.
Meds can be a great help. I use both meds and cognitive therapies when needed.
I used to have major anxiety attacks, sometimes requiring emergency room visits. I learned a great 12 step program a few years back that helped me immensely. I do like the recommendations you shared and am sharing them to my friends.
Ann Cluck I am so glad you found what works for you! For me it’s a continual battle…it is much less and very livable but it does show it’s ugly head off/on when I have to dig deep and use my steps and interventions.
I suffer from anxiety almost every day. These are great tips and are some of the things that my therapist has suggested for me to try.
Your 4 steps to overcome anxiety are almost exactly what my doctor has tried to instill in me over the last 15 years. I suffer from bi-polar and SADS, and go weekly to meetings, as well as being a “guinia pig” for so many different drugs. Many times I have tried,planned and always failed…but I am sorry to say I can find no way to release it. Thank you for the forthright depiction of a sad state of affairs.
I can feel your pain in your writing Ronald. What ways have you tried to release it? Writing letters? Burning what you’ve written? Sometimes it takes more than once to let it go..keep trying.
As I get older, I find that I worry more. All of my family lives out of state and I don’t drive. I do, but not very much, to the grocery store and back.I worry what will happen to me if something happened to my husband. It’s a valid fear, but something that I need to think about.
But there is something behind that fear. Find that and make it turn into a positive! Then you won’t fear it anymore.
I have suffered terribly from anxiety in the past. I didn’t leave my house (unless I HAD to) for the longest time. I finally just pushed myself to move past it but it was difficult, sometimes it still is. I have to work on it everyday.
You are conquering it Sandra! Good for you. It is a day by day battle sometimes. Thanks for sharing your story!
I have to tell you….I seriously feel like you sent this amazing information to me for a reason. I suffer from this damn ailment, and have for many years. I haven’t went for help, I have continued to just blame myself and fill my head with negative talk! HOWEVER! After reading this information, I have to say, I feel some hope. You have no idea how much you have helped me. These are actual steps that I can take to help this thing inside me. It isn’t the same old “just breathe”, or “focus on something and just relax!”. If I could do that, I wouldn’t be anxious! Anyway….God bless you for sending this out. Just reading this has given me more tools than you will EVER know. Thank you!
Oh Dawn Monzu please take these steps and if you continue to suffer seek help. You don’t have to take meds there are many cognitive things that you can try yourself that professionals can guide you with. I know for myself when I was having such “high anxiety” issues I would have to picture a stop sign until it subsided. Then it gradually lessened and It didn’t take long when I would visualize that stop sign..it would go away. You have to find something that interrupts your thoughts. Keep interrupting those thoughts with something else.
I’ll be sharing more on anxiety so keep posted 🙂
My wife suffers from anxiety and stress. I will have to show her this article to see if it could help.
Thanks for sharing Michael Lambert!
Thanks for the very helpful info – good to know!
very useful information! thanks
Very useful information.
VERY helpful information! Thank you!
I think this could help so many people, thank you.
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Great advice. Both myself and my daughter suffer from anxiety issues for different reasons. Mine is due to health and hers from prior trauma in her life.
Melinda Berlin, sorry you are suffering but the cause really doesn’t matter for your family….the way you treat it is what matters. Hope you both feel better.
This is great information for dealing with anxiety naturally – thank you!
I used to suffer from anxiety and even took medication on a daily basis but I used a lot ot the tips in this article and have learned better ways to handle it. This is great information, thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you can confirm in your own life how successful these tips are!
This is so needed! My anxiety has been super bad lately!
I sure hope you feel better soon Strength and Sunshine!
I agree that it’s great to have some reliable go-to techniques that can help to guide you through any bout of anxiety. The more you practice these techniques, the more faith you can develop in your own ability to steer yourself to a calmer, more peaceful existence!
So true Penni!
I suffer form anxiety and these are some good tips to keep in mind!
Great ideas to help me with my anxiety! I thank you and so does my hubby!
Glad to be of help! I struggle with this and have to do visualization even to help stop it sometimes.
It is a problem for a lot of people with extreme anxiety an or depression. My granddaughter’s both suffer from that.
Yes it’s a daily struggle Donna Bardocz
This is great. I have suffered from anxiety and depression off and on for years. A lot of great information here.
Thanks Lisa Coomer Queen… I hope this information sheds some new light.
I’ve suffered from anxiety over the years and sometimes it’s been brutal. At the moment it’s under control, I’ve been trying to treat it naturally and not resort to meds but it can be overwhelming at times.
I’ve lived with anxiety for the majority of my life. Thanks for posting about it and helping get rid of the bad rap that goes with it.
Maria and Heidi,
I too have battled with Anxiety all my life. There needs to be no shame with this…and it’s not an imaginary thing and is very painful to live with. Don’t be afraid to seek help if natural remedies can’t control it.