Working Through Anxiety
/This post talks about working through anxiety.
Most of us learn how to tune out, ignore, rationalize, dismiss, or distract ourselves from our anxiety. By doing this, we are missing out on valuable information and feedback that we could be using to make improvements in our mental and physical health. It may sound strange and feel uncomfortable at first, but developing a process of tuning into and paying attention to anxiety is often more helpful with working through it than coping with it is.
Many of my clients tell me that they avoid acknowledging or working on recognizing their anxious symptoms in effort to reduce the intensity of the anxiety they feel. This might work for a few minutes or a couple of hours, but eventually the anxiety will return (usually sooner rather than later) and it’s not long before another distraction is needed. Attempting to ignore or distract yourself from experiencing anxiety might work to reduce the intensity of the anxiety you feel for a short period of time, but developing a process of working through the anxiety you feel instead of distracting yourself from it will work better long term.
So, at this point in time you might be wondering “how do I begin to develop a process of deciphering the messages and signals my anxiety is sending me?” and I have a few suggestions on how to do just that. Remember that this will take practice, and will probably feel uncomfortable at first. When beginning to tune into anxiety signals, try to practice in an environment where you feel comfortable, safe, calm, and can use grounding techniques if/when needed. Basic grounding techniques include, literally sitting or laying on the floor at home, taking your shoes off and placing your feet on the ground or in the grass outside, and the 5-4-3-2-1 Coping Technique for Anxiety. If you’re unfamiliar with the 5 senses anxiety technique, I’ve included a link below where you can learn more about it:
If you feel comfortable using these or other grounding techniques I would encourage you to begin practicing tuning into your anxiety. If you’re unfamiliar with basic coping skills or grounding techniques, spend some time learning about and practicing some so that you have a few in your toolbox before you begin.
Once you feel ready to begin practicing paying attention to the anxiety signals you’re receiving start with an open and curious attitude. Ask yourself and try to develop answers to the following questions:
Where in my body am I feeling anxiety? (Throat, heart, stomach, etc.)
What does this feel like? (Tightness, tingling, pressure, etc.)
What could have triggered this? (Emotions, social interactions, stress, etc.)
What might this anxiety be trying to tell me? (Most of the time anxiety serves as a warning that something is not right, this could mean something is not right with you physically, mentally, or emotionally, or that something is not right with a social situation or social exchange with someone, or that something is not right with an environment that you’re in, etc.)
Is this anxiety I am experiencing similar to or different from other times I’ve experienced anxiety? (Many people experience different forms and types of anxiety. Learning to differentiate between differing types and forms of anxiety will assist with learning how to decipher cues, signals, and messages your anxiety is attempting to communicate to you.)
If at any point in time you begin to feel overwhelmed, take a break or discontinue the exercise and save the practice for another day. The goal in this exercise is to begin learning how to engage with your anxiety in a safe, creative, and healthy way. If you push too far, too much, too fast, or attempt to master this skill too soon, you run the risk of building anxiety instead of learning how to “read” it. If at any time you want a safe space to practice in and someone to help you begin practicing, please reach out to a trained mental health professional such as a therapist or a counselor. Therapy is a great place to begin exploring, practicing, and learning some of these uncomfortable but necessary skills and techniques. If you’re looking for some assistance on how to find someone to help you begin learning, practicing, and processing, PsychologyToday is a great place to start.
-Bekah Yates, M.S.