Can you control anxiety? Not really, everyone experiences anxiety for different reasons.
Anxiety comes from a fear of losing control. During the pandemic, many of felt that lack of control. We did not know what the future would bring. When we are faced with situations out of our control or which feel out of our control, anxiety is actually a perfectly normal reaction.
The way we experience anxiety can be varied. It may lead to palpitations, breathing difficulties, sleep disturbance, Irritable Bowel Syndrome or a feeling of overwhelm and tearfulness.
What helps with that initial feeling of anxiety?
- Take control of your breathing – count the breath in, pause and count it out again, the outward breath being longer than the inward breath
- Be aware of your senses – re-focus on what you can see, smell, touch and hear around you
- Distract yourself – do a crossword, read a book, watch TV – break the pattern of thinking
- Write things down – make a list if it helps to get things out of your head and onto the paper
What helps on a day to day basis?
- Have a structure, a routine to the day and include exercise and fresh air
- Make your bed – that starts the day positively
- Shower and dress – for your self-esteem
- Busy yourself – clean or sort something; carry out a small act of kindness
- Make time to chat with family or friends
- And leave some time in your day to do nothing – to reflect, to meditate, take a long bath or to do a relaxation exercise
With positive action, positive interaction and positive thinking, we can take back control and reduce anxiety.
There are things you can do to help prevent anxiety in the first place and I have a blog post with some suggestions.
If you have problems with anxiety, you could consider solution-focused hypnotherapy as a drug-free approach to making your life more comfortable. Contact me to arrange an initial appointment.