How to Deal With Anxiety: The Most Effective Techniques

How to Deal With Anxiety: The Most Effective Techniques

Anxiety is a natural reaction to a stressful situation. Sometimes there is such intense anxiety that the heart freezes and the hands sweat. Such a state is not only a source of discomfort, but can also be dangerous to your health. 9 proven ways help cope with anxiety.

Write Down Your Thoughts

When anxiety becomes uncontrollable, write down all your thoughts on a blank sheet of paper. Look your fears in the face. For example, if gambling makes you anxious, try ऑनलाइन रूलेट कैसिनो. It will help to assess the seriousness of the situation. This method allows you to organize your thoughts, calm down and regain self-control.

Exercises for Thoughts

One of the most effective techniques for working with anxiety through thoughts are exercises for distancing oneself from thoughts (also called “defusion,” or “disconnection” from thoughts). The main task of such techniques is to try to “see” thoughts “from the outside,” and to understand that our thoughts are just phrases that do not always correspond to reality. Here is an example of such a technique:

  • Try to imagine that your thoughts are the credits at the end of a movie. Watch them float away down the screen.
  • When a new thought comes in, notice it at the top of the screen and watch it gradually disappear from the screen below.
  • Observe the flow of the thoughts without trying to evaluate or challenge them. What changes in your condition do you notice?

Body Exercises

The sensations in the body during anxiety can be so uncomfortable for us that they themselves sometimes become frightening. To avoid concentrating too much on these bodily sensations, you can do so-called “grounding” exercises: restoring contact with the world around you, returning to the “here and now” moment. Here is an example of such a technique:

  • Look around you and name to yourself 5 any objects that you notice in your surroundings at the moment.
  • Try noticing and naming to yourself 4 different sounds around you.
  • Shift your attention to whatever your body is in contact with at the moment: tell yourself 3 of those sensations (e.g., you have one leg over the other, your back is against the chair, and the boot is slightly pressing on the big toe of your left foot).
  • Move all attention to smells. Notice and name two smells that you are smelling right now (maybe coffee from a colleague’s desk, or your own perfume).
  • Notice the sensation in your mouth. Is there a particular taste? Try to distinguish one taste sensation and also name it to yourself.

Behavior Activation Exercises

Our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are inextricably linked. One always influences the other. Therefore, the easiest way to reduce anxiety is through behavioral activation:

  • Imagine that magic exists. You’ve waved a magic wand, and your anxiety has decreased to the point where it no longer prevents you from living your life to the fullest.
  • What would you then allow yourself to do right now? What would you allow yourself to do more often and more? How would your life in general change?
  • Try to make a small list of simple things that you like to do that have always been interesting to you, but now because of either giving them up altogether or doing them much less frequently.
  • Choose the simplest and most accessible action from this list (for example, re-watch your favorite movie; start finally reading a long-bought novel, walk your dog for 30 minutes instead of 5, go to the pool, etc.).
  • What can you do today? What is realistic to do in the next few days? Try it, and you’ll be surprised how the other links in this chain – the change in moods and thoughts – will pick up along with the activation of behavior.

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