All Things Anxiety & How to Manage It

For years I knew I had symptoms of anxiety, but I never thought that I would be able to control or manage it. Now, whenever I feel anxiety getting in my way, I have routines to help me manage these feelings! I wanted to share some of my favorite practices with you today —

It’s so easy to feel anxiety in this day in age. We have so many daily stressors from juggling our personal and professional lives, to constant comparison on social media. Generations past didn’t have a phone at their fingertips at all hours of the day! It isn’t surprising to see that anxiety is at an all-time high. Now more than ever, it’s important to pay attention to what is causing us the most anxiety in our days, identifying it, and then creating habits to help us move forward. Often times, a lot of us cope with our anxiety with endless scrolling online, watching tv, etc. Personally, I notice myself scrolling more whenever I’m stressed. Instead of leaning on this distraction, I put boundaries around my phone & screen time. This simple habit has really helped me calm my anxiety. For me, I set limits on my social media apps so I can’t go into them at a certain time! You can adjust these settings on your iphone.

more ways to lower anxiety:

Journaling

I’ve kept a journal for years now. I don’t journal every day, but I definitely try to! There’s something so calming about writing your thoughts down on paper. Whenever my anxiety is bad, it helps me to make a list of all of the things I’m worried about. Sometimes seeing the worry written down on paper doesn’t make it seem so bad. You can also write down positive behaviors you can do to make your anxiety lessen. For example - Let’s say you’re worried about going to a party and talking to new people. You could write this down, and then come up with 5 conversation starters to help prepare you for those conversations.

Set Boundaries

We can’t control other people, but you can control your boundaries and communicate them with others.

Meditation & Positive Affirmations

Personally, positive ‘I Am’ affirmations have changed my life. I used to have VERY negative self-talk, & this definitely didn’t help my anxious thoughts. I discovered listening to positive affirmations on the Super Human app, & this practice really lifts me up on hard days. I also love listening to short meditations once a day.

Some affirmations I love — “I am able to do hard things” “I am in control of my emotions” “I am exactly where I need to be, & everything in my life is happening for me”

Therapy

I struggled alone with my anxiety for years and finally decided to go to talk therapy last year. I can’t tell you how much this has benefited me! I recommend therapy to everyone because I do believe most people need it. Just like you may have a fitness trainer, or class that you go to train your body, you also need someone to help you train your mind. Having a therapist has helped me understand irrational thinking like, mind reading, overgeneralization, etc. & has helped me develop a better way of thinking. If therapy isn’t availabe to you, researching cognative distortions is a great way to start understanding your thought patterns.

final thoughts

Sometimes we have anxiety and don’t understand the root cause. During these times, it’s important to sit with yourself to truly feel your feelings and process what you’re going through. I suggest staying present with mindfulness like meditation or yoga. Focus on the day to day, get fresh air, and get off of your screen as much as you can!

When anxiety starts to come up for you, how do you like to manage? I’d love to hear your anxiety management tips!