Do it Afraid: Coping with Anxiety

Are you prone to anxiety attacks? Maybe you worry excessively about most things and you want the madness to stop because it’s interrupting your life. Here are a few ways to cope with that anxiety.

We all know that the mind and body can disconnect at times. We may “know” one thing but do the exact opposite. It’s often those little thoughts in the back of our minds that are the culprits. You know that the possibility of an earthquake where you live is minimal to nil, but it could still happen right? So, you continue to stay on heightened alert after hearing about each and every earthquake in the world.

It can be disconcerting to say the least when your anxiety takes over your life. You may even be projecting your fears onto your family without meaning to. But, you can manage your anxiety if you agree to give it a try and do it afraid.

That is what courage is all about – doing it afraid. You will have courage and learn to manage your anxiety at the same time.

1. Repeat your fear to yourself – Ever notice how a common word sounds strange to you when you say it about a hundred times? The same goes for your fear. Let’s say that you are anxious about small spaces. Repeat it to yourself until you begin to relax. You may get bored and stop thinking about it altogether.
2. Over-exaggerate your fear – This may seem hard to do when you are already anxious and nervous about something. But try it. If you have a fear of going to work with your slippers on, do it on purpose. How do you feel? Did anyone notice? Maybe they thought you had a foot problem. The point is that it didn’t kill you.
3. Stop overanalyzing each situation you face – Let’s say that you find a dollar on the floor at work. Your mind may jump to the conclusion that maybe your boss is testing you to see if you’ll keep it so it’s a trap. Sometimes a dollar is just a dollar. You found it so it’s yours unless someone else asks about it. There is no test.
4. Leave the past in the past – It’s one of our mind’s little games to bring up past failures before a big event. Maybe once you tripped on stage so now you are afraid you will do it every time you get up there. In your last five presentations, you didn’t do it so why would the sixth be any different? Instead, when that thought comes, allow it to play out and say that was in the past and this is a new situation. Say that (or something similar) each time to stop anxiety from attacking you before it starts.

Do you have anxious feelings in certain situations? Use these four tips to begin to see your way out of the worry and back into a happy fulfilling life.