How to cope with anxiety
WHAT DOES ANXIETY FEEL LIKE?
We all have felt anxious, but how do we know what's normal when it comes to anxious feelings? Say, for example you are going to a social event. You feel excited but you’re also nervous. There’s something that’s holding you back from actually enjoying yourself at that social occasion. You may even feel as though you are not in your body. If this has been happening to you in social places for a long time, every time you go out, you may feel this feeling getting worse; it can even grow into a sense of panic. To avoid this, you stop being social and prefer to live a lonely and isolated life.
The above scenario illustrates one example of a social anxiety. A person who experiences such emotions at any given scenario has a problematic anxiety, because it stops the this person from doing things we consider vital to happiness.
WORRY VERSUS ANXIETY
It is normal to be worried from time to time. This anxious feeling is good because it can protect you. Worry helps you to meet your deadlines and it makes you aware to be fearful of threatening situations. But when it reaches the extreme, even at the slightest uncertain situation when there’s no real threat - that is not good. It may rise as an emotion over which you feel you have no control. Then it may become unhealthy and an obstacle to your happiness.
TREATING ANXIETY NATURALLY
Anxiety is always about perceived fear or danger - in the future. Nothing is happening NOW, except our thoughts and feelings, and the scenarios we are projecting into the future.
Everyone produces behaviors, based on feelings, emotions and thoughts. These are interlinked and dependent on one another. To change a paralyzing feeling like fear, we need to change the thoughts related to this feeling that leads to certain actions.
This helps us to change our behavior to avoid fearful places or objects rather than remain in it, making our life miserable.
It is like programming the brain to overcome fear. The “stories in our head” all have a certain voice that we need to recognize, a habit of thinking we need to catch out - in order to be able to overcome them.
When you don’t have anything to worry about, you worry about that. Research shows that most of the things we worry about never happen. Only about 8% of what we worry about is likely to happen!
FACING FEAR There are two ways of looking at fear. One is to do absolutely nothing and just remain in avoidance and this is how people with anxiety disorders closet their feelings. to procrastinate.
But result of this is that your fear increases over time (click on the link to read more about it).
The other way is to overcome your fear like a warrior and build resilience. There are many resources for coping with fear on this website.
You could read my article on conquering fear here, or make an appointment for hypnotherapy.
Hypnotherapy is a solution focused, very effective way for changing thoughts and behaviors, and to overcome anxiety and depression.
Serenity comes from acceptance
People who are anxious often have trouble accepting that they can’t control everything. They worry excessively about things that are beyond their control. If you can control something – some particular circumstance – then go ahead and do something about it. If you’re in a situation where you can do nothing about your circumstance, that what you are waiting for is in others’ hands, accept that you can’t change it.
You can only change what you can control. Hence, there’s no use worrying about something over which you have no control.
Forgive yourself
An important coping strategy is to forgive yourself.
People with anxiety tend to ruminate a lot on what they are doing wrong or how bad they are feeling. This is not a kind thing to do to oneself. If you beat yourself up about every little thing you may have done badly or could you have done better, it is not helping you to overcome this feeling.
It’s time to be kinder, more compassionate and supportive to yourself. The way to do this is to forgive yourself for any past mistakes you might have made and to let go of regrets.
