According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 19.1% of U.S. adults suffer with anxiety. That means there are a lot of people out there that have some of the same symptoms of anxiety that you do. You are not alone!
As we start the new year, use this opportunity to take a long hard look at your life and what tweaks and changes could be made to assist you in living in a healthier and happier way. If you are thinking that you are way too busy to add anything else to your plate right now, then this article is for you! Even the smallest changes can make a big difference.
Have Direction in Your Life
Do you have direction in your life? More than creating specific goals, where are those goals going to take you? This may require exploring your values. Writing your values down and periodically reviewing at them will afford you the opportunity to make sure they are still aligned with the direction you wish to head. Values may change over time as life changes around you, refine them, rewrite them, make them a priority.
Eliminate Negative Communication
Both self-talk as well as communication with others may tend to be negative at times. Be aware of this and make changes. Negative thoughts are going to come in, which is not the main issue. The issue is believing that those negative thoughts are true and real.
One of the keys to making changes in your thought process starts with nonjudgmental awareness. How are you going to be able to make changes if you do not create awareness around what needs to be changed? Practice reframing negative thoughts into something more positive or neutral. Practice challenging and disproving them. Ask yourself questions like, “is this thought helping me?” Or “could this thought be an exaggeration of what is true?” Or “am I having this thought out of habit, or do the facts support it?”
Right now, this will be work. You will have to be consciously aware of your unhealthy thoughts as they happen and then work hard to make changes. Just like learning to drive a car… as you are learning, you need to pay attention to EVERYTHING. Checking your mirrors, looking for your blinker, remembering to use your blinker, etc. Gradually, you begin to do these things automatically. A similar thing happens with negative thought patterns. As you work to pay attention to and alter your negative thinking to something more neutral or positive, it is less work and becomes more natural and automatic.
Take Action
Put into action all the useful information you have gathered on stress and anxiety. Practice the strategies you have learned from articles, books, podcasts, and even advice from good friends or family members who understand what you are going through.
Another way to take action would be to assess your self-care and healthy coping strategies. Take a few minutes to think about what relaxes you. What gives you peace, brings you joy, helps you come down from a highly emotional time? It is different for everyone but some common ways of coping with anxiety would be listening to music, lighting candles, deep breathing, meditating, cleaning, calling a friend, and journaling. Make a list of the things that work for you and post it somewhere in your house or on your phone. At the start of feeling anxious, do those things. Take action…
Be Vulnerable and Compassionate to Yourself as Well As Others
Give yourself a break. You are not perfect and will never be perfect. No one is and in fact, behind that Facebook or Instagram post where it seems like that person has the perfect life. Every post is of them flawlessly dressed, having a blast, with that big white toothed smile across their face… even that person is not perfect. They have struggles in their life as well, they just don’t post about the bad stuff.
Learn to be vulnerable and accepting of mistakes and challenges. Find peace in the knowledge that you don’t have to be perfect in order to live a fulfilling life. When mistakes are made, own it. Take responsibility for your actions and move on because, guess what, you can’t go back in time (not even 5 minutes) so remember that it will do no good to worry about it now. Learn from mistakes and move forward.
Be Mindful and Present
Instead of worrying about the future or regretting the past, focus on the present moment. You can use mindfulness skills such as paying attention to your 5 senses in order to bring your thoughts into the present moment. Notice the beauty of what is around you. Listen to the music in the background or the leaves blowing in the wind. Take your shoes off and notice the ground beneath your feet. Take a slow sip of your morning coffee and enjoy the flavor. Light candles or pay attention to the smell of food cooking or freshly cut grass. Living in the moment and being consciously aware of your surroundings may help you get out of your head and into the present. This could lead to increased feelings of happiness as well as experiencing less stress and anxiety.
Although it is tough to do as we muddle through life’s challenges, attempt to be aware of the positive things that are going on around you. Take that magnifying glass off the negative things that happen in your life. Be grateful for the good and accepting of the bad.
Yes, it is possible for you to decrease your anxiety. The time to act is now. If you are at the point where your anxiety is hindering your daily functioning, it may be time for you to seek help from a counselor. Give us a call at Tx Harmony Counseling Center (832-352-1600) or click HERE to contact us through our website. We are here to help!
