As humans, we are naturally driven by anxiety, stress, and fear in relation to our abilities and performance to meet the expectations of others and ourselves. Many of us are living in fear and anxiety – some use that as a driving force to succeed, while others live such lives to the point that it hinders them to be happy and feel self-worth.
In most cases, anxiety is short-lived and is a normal part of life, and people often overcome it easily. However, in some cases, anxiety can take over the lives of people, preventing them from performing their work and obligations and hindering relationships and happiness.
Do you know someone or are feeling anxious yourself for some reason when facing the unknown? While anxiety can be triggered by past experiences, many people experience it without apparent cause. If you answered yes to the question above, continue to read below to understand your feeling more and overcome anxiety, little by little. You can also get in touch with a psychologist like Endeavour Wellness for proper counseling.
Recognize the symptoms
If you’re aware of your tendencies to be anxious, you must be accustomed to the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety usually manifests as a troublesome feeling about uncontrollable situations. In a bigger picture, it’s the uneasiness you feel about a future filled with uncertainty and possible threats.
The following are the typical symptoms of anxiety:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dizziness
- Irrational worries and tension
- Irritability
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness
- Sweating
The first step to overcoming anxiety is to recognize that you have it. You can’t accept anything if you’re not aware of its existence.
Observe your behavior
It also helps to identify the things that make you anxious. You can grab a pen and paper and list down all the things that trigger your anxiety. It can be money, family, or work. Once you have written them down, read them again and again until you feel anxious. Follow your train of thoughts and determine where the anxiety is coming from. Also, take note of when you can expect it to happen.
Observe your behavior and be mindful of your thoughts, moods, and even your irrational beliefs that cloud your judgment. Once you develop an awareness of your own behavior and train of thoughts, you also start to understand your anxiety more.
Confront anxiety
Anxiety is not something to keep within you. For you to overcome anxiety, it must be confronted, even in small doses over time. One effective way to confront it is to choose one issue that made you feel anxious for the day. Talk to yourself and ask whether your feelings of stress and panic in that particular situation really matter, or whether you will still remember it after a few days, weeks, or months.
Step back and look over the situation. If you realize there are better or bigger things to be worried about than that situation, although slowly, you’re on your way to overcoming your anxiety.
Accept your anxiety
Now that you’ve developed awareness of the things that make you feel anxious and have confronted them heads on, you made yourself ready for acceptance. Acceptance is a key step to positive transformation. Anxiety is a condition that will affect you throughout your life. Even if so, remember that it’s not something to be ashamed of but to be proud of once you overcome it.
Acceptance also gives you greater control of your emotions. If a stressful situation approaches you, take a deep breath and accept it. Deal with the condition as rationally as you can, but remember to go slow. Learning how to manage your emotions and thoughts makes a significant change on how you deal with anxiety.
Optimize your body
Overcoming anxiety is not just a one-time work; rather a continuous process that needs to be practiced every time there is a stressful situation. Another way to overcome anxiety is breaking your emotional pattern. This can be done by optimizing your body movement and keeping yourself busy. Your thoughts are directly related to how or what your body is doing at the moment. Start by optimizing your body and consequently your state-of-mind.
Conclusion
Dealing and overcoming is in no way an easy feat. It takes strength, courage, and willingness to confront something stressful and threatening. With these steps, we hope you develop a habitual pattern that will help you overcome your anxiety. Good luck.
