You Have the Power Over your Anxiety

In this article, you will gain insights into how to better manage your anxiety and reclaim your power.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety can be seen as the body's way to communicate.

Anxiety is perceived fear, an imaginary illusion, that we will not be safe at some point in the future.

Anxiety is when we allow our mind and imagination, through our own internal representation, take the driver's seat and run wild on every possible worst-case scenario of a future event.

Whilst in the middle of anxiety it can feel very much real, not all anxiety is bad.

We can see it as a messenger here to teach us something and we can learn a lot from it. Anxiety can serve as our survival instinct.

Get curious about your anxiety.

Observe what happened moments before it came about. What might have triggered it? Was it a phone call or an email? Was it a smell that brought you back to a previous memory?

If you get paralyzed by anxiety it can be hard to see outside of the bubble that you are in. Anchoring yourself to your body and surroundings are tools that can help.

Here is a helpful exercise you can use: 5-4-3-2-1 Anxiety Tool

Make note of the following:

• 5 things you can see.
• 4 things you can feel.
• 3 things you can hear.
• 2 things you can smell.
• 1 thing you can taste.

Over the long run, living a life that supports overall well-being can significantly help people who have regular anxiety. Here are a few lifestyle changes you can invite:

• Be active, go for walks, or go to the gym.
• Have a cold shower.
• Invite movement practices like yoga which can help calm down your nervous system.
• Talking it out to a friend can help you gain clarity.
• Breathe! Box breath is a great tool.
• Write down all your fears in that moment on piece of paper. This will help you release them from your mind and gain a new perspective, while asking yourself: is this really true?
• Make sleep a priority.
• Eat healthy meals.
• Often challenge your own thoughts.

Reduce things that can cause anxiety:

• Alcohol and drugs.
• Fast food and sugar.
• Aimlessly scrolling on social media.
• Limit your caffeine.

Where your focus goes your energy flows.

When you are thinking of fear and all the things that can go wrong, you can see more and more problems.

Shift your focus to the see the good things in your life, no matter how small those things might seem, by shifting your mind to the desirable outcome, you can then move into gratitude and solution-focused.

Yet in that moment of anxiety shifting your attention might seem impossible, it might seem like you have lost all control and the anxiety has control, but this is what you think - it's not real.

The truth is you have the power, you are in control, and you have the power to turn down the dial and make it stop.

Deep within you, there is a part of you that wants to get out, that wants to be saved. You are your savior in the anxiety, it's pulling that resource from within and taking control of the situation, what can I do right now to make myself feel a tiny bit better and keep stacking on those things.

Perhaps it's having a nap, a shower, going for a walk, calling a friend, cooking a healthy meal, smelling some essential oils, walking barefoot in the garden, or going to bed early with fresh bed sheets.

Always challenge your thoughts and question if these stories you are telling yourself are real.

You are not obliged to believe all your thoughts, you get to decide what you want to be real.

So remember:

• Create your anchors for when anxiety appears.
• What has worked for you in the past? What is something you can do in the future? Have your tools ready.
• Do the sensory exercise above when you are experiencing anxiety.
• Overall live a healthy life, reducing things known to induce anxiety.
• Affirm to yourself, "I am not this mind".
• Focus on your breath, more focus on a longer exhale.
• Constantly challenge your beliefs and thoughts. Is this true? Is it real? Where did this idea come from? When did I first hear this? Is this my belief or from someone else? Is it the only solution? How often have my thoughts been right or wrong? What else could happen that would be in my favor? What do I really want? What can I do right now to change the outcome?
• Remind yourself, "I have the power within to change my state or situation at any given moment"

Get your tools ready, so that when it arises you are fully equipped, to reclaim your power.

Getting to know your triggers is one of the most important steps to bringing awareness to your anxiety. When you know your triggers you know what to avoid and how to better manage and understand the root cause.

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In our Corporate Renewal Program, we delve into stress and anxiety so you can understand what it means to you and how you can manage it better.

Reach out to us for more details, if you are interested in bringing a wellness experience to your workplace: www.theinsidejob.ie