Anxiety can happen to anyone. Our emotions and feelings about something drive our thoughts. If we are having anxious feelings, then we will in turn have anxious thoughts. There are some things we can do to calm our feelings of anxiety and allow us to process thoughts clearly.
First, tell your body everything is normal. Anxiety is a natural survival response our bodies use to help protect us. We can calm our bodies when this reaction is not a true emergency by the way we react, and this will send calming messages to our brains. Talk calmly and softly, smile, breathe deeply, loosen your body. Doing just one of these can alter the feedback to our sympathetic nervous system and help our bodies feel calm.
Next, focus on how you expect your feelings will change. You won’t be in this place of worry forever. Remind yourself that when these feelings change you will feel calm and focused. Think about the positive changes in your emotions that you will have.
Find something meaningful to do. Ask yourself what you would want to be doing if you weren’t feeling anxious. If you would be cleaning your house, do it. Did you plan a movie with friends? Go. Get busy with life. Nothing positive will come when all you focus on it your anxiety.
Using these strategies can be positive steps to help stop anxious thoughts and calm our anxious feelings. Anxiety is something everyone experiences. You don’t have to let anxious emotions dictate your thoughts to be anxious.
Photo by Alexandra Ișvănescu on Unsplash
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