5 Steps to Soothing Your Anxiety
Anxiety is a natural part of existing but we won't allow it to run our lives.
You are assigned a significant project at work that tests every part of your college degree and existence. You like a challenge, but why now? Will you rise to the occasion, or will you fail miserably? Your anxiety thinks about all the ways you could fail instead of ways to succeed.
Anxiety is spiraling thoughts about the future that only make sense in your mind. It makes you feel that you have been put in a corner to fend for yourself. The only option you have is to shut out the outside world.
What if I told you the world goes on whether you are experiencing an anxious spell or not? To feed into anxiety every time is just not sustainable because the world will go on like usual even when you stop.
You are human, and anxiety is a part of being human; it’s a natural part of existing. I’ve learned that anxiety is so natural that there is no way to prevent your anxious spells. There are proactive ways to soothe your anxiety to get going and growing as an individual.
Here are my five steps to soothe your anxiety because we can’t prevent spiraling thoughts, but we teach ourselves how to keep going.
- It’s time to reflect.
When you feel an anxious spell coming, take the time to stop and reflect. It would help if you asked yourself a few questions to determine why you think the way you think.
By reflecting, you become self-aware of your thoughts and your feelings. There is only one person that can tell you exactly how you feel, and that’s you.
Why are you anxious? Which part made you nervous? What could you do to overcome this anxiousness?
Anxiety makes you feel like you have no control. You will take this time to reflect so that you can determine which area you can control. The area you can control will allow you to take the edge off.
Your thoughts are more precise and less anxiety-driven. You have found what you can control and will continue to work on it.
2. We have daily meditation and affirmations.
You are not being proactive if you thought step one was all that was needed to overcome your anxiousness. It would help if you had constant reminders that you are in control of your thoughts and feelings.
Each morning take five minutes to meditate and speak nicely to yourself. I think we often expect others to talk well of us so that we feel better. We never want to wait for people to speak highly of us; we say positively of ourselves constantly.
A candle-lit room with your favorite candle and ocean sounds playing from your speaker. We want to visit the happy place in our minds to meditate. During your meditation, talk to yourself and repeat your favorite affirmations in your head. “I am important.” “I am not basic; I am a boss.” Let’s not wait for others to make you feel better about your anxious feelings. You are in control; your daily affirmations and meditation assure that.
3. Keep a daily journal of your affirmations.
Let’s solidify your affirmation by writing them in your daily journal. You will write about how you are feeling and why you feel you needed that affirmation that day.
My favorite part of journaling is going back to read them. I feel accomplished knowing that I fought my thoughts that day and that week. Your previous journaled affirmations can also be used during your reflections. You can look back when you talked highly of yourself.
4. You will need to work on it and through it.
The day I realized that my anxiety was just thoughts that I had control over, I felt like I won. They didn’t leave, but it makes it easier to work through it.
Whatever is making you anxious, work through it or on it. The world is still going if you stop, so why stop?
You are capable and qualified to complete that significant project that your job has assigned you to. The only thing that will stop you from accomplishing that project is your thoughts. Will you allow your thoughts to stop you from being great?
5. Let’s repeat the four steps all over again.
When anxiety tries to creep back, you have these steps to follow and repeat. These steps will become second nature to the point where the same things won’t make you anxious anymore.
These five steps can be used in each part of your life. The goal is to be better and to feel in control. Anxiety makes you think you have no control, so we developed these steps to assure ourselves.
