To be mentally strong and conquer feeling anxious do 6 things.

Anxiety is on the rise and ambiguity about the future exacerbates feelings of uncertainty.

Recent studies estimate that over 35% of the population now suffers from anxiety related disorders. It’s a broad category that includes general anxiety disorder, phobias, social anxiety and panic disorders.

With millions of people out of work, political unrest, economic uncertainty and fear all converging on people at the same time, its easy for anxiety to spiral out of control.

Older men are especially susceptible because many are "unprepared" for retirement and have too much free time on their hands.

Young people are more vulnerable than ever as we become increasingly disengaged and our world changes rapidly.

Ironically, anxiety isn’t all bad.

It’s an evolutionary attribute designed to insulate us from danger.

When used properly, it’s a powerful instrument for personal improvement and motivation. 

When unregulated, it can flood our brain with poisonous thoughts that become debilitating.

“Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important.”

Here are 6 suggestions for managing anxiety:

Be still

When anxiety starts to swell, we need to stop and take charge of the incessant flow of negative emotions.

It’s ok to feel down, have a bad day or simply feel lousy.

The key. Don’t let these feelings dominate our thoughts and persist.

Sit still and breathe and let our feelings ebb and flow. Call a close friend or immerse yourself in something positive.

Take command of bad feelings and don’t let them accumulate into an avalanche of despair.

Write

Journal. Write. Document your blessings and make it a daily practice.

Writing has therapeutic benefits that are incredibly powerful. Most of all, it keeps us focused on doing something positive and redirects our thoughts in a favorable direction.

Gratitude is a powerful tool for helping us stay focused on optimistic thoughts consistent with success.

Recalibrate

Remind yourself that anxiety is a friend and resist letting anxiety become an adversary.

Talk to your anxiety. Even write a letter engineered toward seeking clarity.

Dear anxiety, what are you trying to teach me?

I am motivated to learn from your teaching. What must I do?

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” —Epictetus

Exercise

At Anatomy of Success one of my four tenets of equanimity is better health, mentally and physically.

I have relied on exercise since age 15 to keep me laser focused.

I competed as a professional kick boxer and have trained like a prize fighter ever since.

I believe exercise is the single greatest tool for alleviating stress. No question.

Find activities that force you to move and if possible learn to push yourself to the out limits of your mental and physical capabilities. You will thank me.

Laugh

The power of laughter is a relatively new study that has powerful implications.

Like a smile, laughter is contagious and its effects are remarkable.

We should all have at least one friend that can make us laugh until we cry.

Learn to laugh more and you will reduce stress and anxiety instantly.

Laughter is also an incredible tool for learning to take our self less seriously. Leaders, try it!

Appreciate

Learn to appreciate your incredible strengths and cultivate them daily.

By utilizing courage, we can confront our fears and learn to gain influence over our thoughts.

This includes being kind to ourselves and showing ourselves grace on our personal journey.

By extending ourselves the latitude to move forward by stumbling, we appreciate the erratic nature of our imperfect path and embrace it.

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” —Charles Spurgeon

Sum it up

Any tips for confronting anxious thoughts? Share your thoughts in the comments section and please like and share this article. I love learning from you as well.

About Steve:

Steve Wohlenhaus is CEO of Weatherology, the leading company in the world at disseminating audio weather information.  Steve began his career as a major market television weather anchor in Minneapolis, where he received several Emmy Awards for science programming. Steve is an author and host of the podcast program Anatomy of Success. Reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn. Learn more about my work by clicking on any picture in this article!