Tools to Tackle Tricky Parts of Anxiety
Our brains are wired to keep us safe. Anxiety is one of those mechanisms that is designed to protect us. When we are anxious, our bodies are powered to up to fight or run for our life. However, when we start experiencing that anxious response in situations where we don’t need to fight or run (e.g., our brains perceive danger even when we aren’t in danger) it can become really problematic. It feels icky, and it gets in the way of living the kind of life we want to live.
And the more time our brains spend in that fight or flight state, the more sensitive our brains actually get to potential danger (e.g., our brains start treating more and more things as dangerous, and we experience anxiety in more and more situations). Read on for some tips to cope with specific parts of anxiety.
What to do when you find yourself… avoiding something you’re nervous about:
Research shows that to decrease anxiety, we must expose ourselves to the scary thing. You don’t have to jump straight into the deep end; instead, work your way up to it. Taking steps and working your way up to facing that nerve-wracking thing (and using helpful coping strategies along the way) will help your decrease over time. Facing the scary thing gives your brain an opportunity to re-code the unhelpful belief that you’re in danger; it gives you some evidence showing “hey, I can cope with this.”
- Build a ‘Brave Ladder’ of steps towards tackling the thing you’re worried about.
- Learn more about making a ladder here.
What to do when you find yourself… feeling sick, shaky or icky:
- First, it’s important that you learn more about how breathing and anxiety are linked, and what to do about it.
- Practice a relaxation strategy that incorporates movement or release for your body to let out that excess restless energy. You could try Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR); taking a breath walk; doing push ups or star jumps; or even grabbing a pillow and throwing it really hard at the ground (yes, really! You need use up that excess energy in your body!).
What to do when you find yourself… ignoring your body signals:
The feelings and sensations we experience in our body when we are anxious are often really uncomfortable. However, often our brains are racing so fast that we might not notice our body signals until it is too late and we’re highly escalated or distressed. Learning to catch the early body signals can allow you to use a coping strategy (like deep breathing or PMR) earlier to avoid becoming so escalated.
Learning to check in to your body takes time, but it is a cool journey:
- Learn more about mindfulness and how it can help train your brain (just like you would train any other muscle in your body).
- Download the free app Smiling Mind.
What to do when you find yourself… thinking negative things on a loop:
It might seem intuitive to try to push away the anxious thought you have on a loop inside your brain. However, it actually takes so much energy to fight against them. Research shows it doesn’t actually work that well. Instead, let’s drop that struggle and focus our energy on accepting that they’re there… And then use some strategies to figure out how to keep living your life around those unhelpful thoughts. Eventually over time, we expect that those thoughts will become less frequent and less intense.
- Watch this video to learn more about accepting thoughts instead of struggling with pushing them away
- Once you’ve accepted the unhelpful thoughts, moving your brain to something neutral can be helpful. Try taking a few deep breaths and making a mental list of animals in alphabetical order.
- Teach yourself about unhelpful thinking styles. Find more information here.
For more information, or to book an appointment, please phone (07) 4972 6929 or email admin@cqpsychservices.com.au.
How to Access a Psychologist at CQ Psych Services:
- Contact us directly by calling 07 4972 6929 or email admin@cqpsychservices.com.au
- Ask your GP or health professional to refer you to our clinic.
- Come in and see our friendly staff at Shop 1 & 2, 13 Tank Street, Gladstone QLD 4680.
- Visit our website and complete a ‘Request an Appointment’ form and one of our friendly staff will reply to your enquiry. Website: https://cqpsychservices.com.au/
Author: Kelsie Realf
Psychologist
