Anxiety in its many forms is one of the most prevalent of the psychological disorders. The best way to get rid of it is through professional therapy. But there are things you can do to help yourself as you deal with the work of therapy. Here are ten strategies that you can choose from to see how many will help you.
Strategy Number One: Recognize and accept your anxiety. Notice please, you don’t have to like the anxiety, but accept it as being there in your life. Many people get more anxious because they’re anxious. Anxiety is a natural response.
Strategy Number Two: Become a problem solver. You’re not going to solve all of your problems, at least not right away, but you can solve some of them. Brainstorm every possible solution to one of your problems and choose the best one. Then go to another problem.
Strategy Number Three: Learn how to relax. Relaxing both mind and body can help you deal with anxiety whenever it hits. There are multiple relaxation techniques you can find with a web search. Try out several of them and see which one works best.
Strategy Number Four: Take a time out. Every day, set aside some time to do something you enjoy. It makes no difference what it is (unless it’s drinking or using drugs) as long as you enjoy it. Give yourself at least an hour and don’t let anything interfere with this time.
Strategy Number Five: Take care of yourself physically. Eat well, sleep well, and exercise well. All of these are necessary for you to be physically able to deal with your anxiety. Eat the right foods. Check with a dietitian to find out what they are. Sleep at least seven hours every night. Exercise daily for 30 minutes. Walking is great.
Strategy Number Six: Keep a log of your thoughts to determine what thoughts lead to your anxiety. Once you do this, you can begin challenging these thoughts by asking yourself for evidence that what you’re thinking is right.
Strategy Number Seven: Pay attention to now. This is called mindfulness, and the idea is to become aware of what is in your life at the moment. Even if it is anxiety. Don’t evaluate it, just be aware of it.
Strategy Number Eight: Let go. Let go of the past and whatever mistakes you might have made there. You can’t go back and change them. The best thing you can do is learn what you can from them, then go on. Let go of worry about the future. You can’t control it.
Strategy Number Nine: Get busy. Too many times, free time becomes anxiety time. Join a fun group. Volunteer for an organization you like.
Strategy Number Ten: If you just have to be anxious, set at time for it. Schedule an hour a week just to be anxious. Get all your anxiety stuffed into that hour, then let the rest go. This takes practice, but you can do it.
References
How to Stop Worrying https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/how-to-stop-worrying.htm
Top 10 Lesser-Known Self-Help Strategies for Anxiety https://psychcentral.com/lib/top-10-lesser-known-self-help-strategies-for-anxiety/
Anxiety - Home Treatment http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/tc/anxiety-home-treatment
Self-help strategies for anxiety http://au.reachout.com/self-help-strategies-for-anxiety