For some of us, managing anxiety can be an extremely difficult thing to achieve.
For most of us, anxiety levels run much higher when we are in group settings or public places.
Follow these simple tips to help manage your anxiety so you can enjoy celebrations with your friends and family.
Tip # 1. Be aware
Anxiety doesn’t need to be at high levels in order for it to affect us.
High levels can impact our work, relationships, as well as our health.
We can improve our daily experiences by learning to recognise when we are allowing our worries to get the better of us.
Tip #2 Identify your triggers
People who are prone to feeling anxious may feel that it’s just the way they are but after some reflection, triggers that set off the vicious thinking cycle can usually be found.
Past experiences may bias what we expect an outcome to be; feelings of inadequacy to deal with a crisis; and even an under-stimulated mind or social life can leave you fretting over the unknown.
Keeping busy with your day to day life rather than living in your own head can help shift your attention.
Tip #3. Keeping negative thoughts in check
The main thing to remember is that thoughts are simply that – thoughts – and they do not always correspond with reality.
It’s very easy to get caught up in the “What if?” way of thinking. Rather than living in fear of the unknown, it can be helpful to go ahead and actually answer the question – as scary as that may seem.
Tip #4. “What if I embarrass myself in public?”
With people being so caught up in their own daily life, please consider how many people would actually notice.
Also consider how you would react if someone else embarrassed themselves.
Tip # 5. “What if I lose my job?”
If you spend hours worrying about losing your job, think about the practical things you can put into place to minimise the impact of job loss.
Also evaluate how likely it would happen in the first place.
Tip # 6. Breaking the habit
Thoughts can often become a habit. What might start out as a rational concern: “What if I don’t do well in this job interview?” can become an automatic response to any similar situation.
Rather than allowing your mind to go wild with the endless negative possibilities, look at what is actually happening around you and try to assess if your thoughts are in line with reality.
It’s difficult to fathom that many people with anxiety often doubt themselves and their abilities but rarely stop to consider that perhaps they should doubt the validity of their negative thoughts.
Tip # 7. You can’t control everything
No matter how hard you try, there are things in life you simply can’t control.
At the end of the day, worrying about the possible outcome of a situation won’t actually change the outcome.
If anything, worrying will distract you from potential opportunities that may help improve your life.
Tip # 8. Seeking further help
If you feel you are suffering from anxiety to the point where it is stopping you from living the life you desire, seek help.
It can be hard to take that first step but speaking to someone who is trained in such matters, will be able to give you a different perspective.
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