What You Really Should Know About Managing your Anxiety

Gaining control over your anxiety is possible. However, only 36.9% of people diagnosed with anxiety ask for help.

I see so many people taking fiction as facts that they talk themselves out of taking steps to conquer their anxiety before they even start!   

“The only two options I have are talk therapy or medication.” 

“I can handle it on my own.”   

“I’m too busy to deal with my anxiety.” 

Can you relate?  I can.  I waited over a year to ask for help for all of these reasons (and then some).  What if I told you THAT YOU CAN manage your anxiety on your own, but that you have to LEARN HOW TO first?  Here’s how to find peace and freedom from your anxious mind by learning effective ways to manage your anxiety and how you can do it on your own. 

Tools and Techniques to Manage Your Anxiety 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “Oh, I thought talk therapy and medication were my only options!”  Yes, talk therapy and medication are extremely important options for managing your anxiety AND there are other effective ways that might help as well!

Below are a variety of options, in addition to talk therapy and medication, that may help reduce your anxiety and stop your overthinking mind.  

• Journal daily

• Exercise regularly 

• Change your diet to avoid foods and drinks that stimulate the nervous system 

• Connect with others 

• Improve your sleep

• Meditate regularly 

• Apply stress management techniques

• Practice mindfulness by bringing your awareness to the present moment

• Practice Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT - Tapping) 

• Work with a Hypnotherapist

• Learn and apply Ayurveda techniques to balance the body

• Take herbal supplements suggested by a Naturopath Doctor

• Get Acupuncture treatments on a regular basis 

• Work with a Massage Therapist that specializes in easing anxiety

• Practice Yoga regularly

• Work with a Life Coach

Interestingly enough, each one of these techniques could have their own blog as to how and why they work to manage your anxiety.  I would suggest taking a deeper dive into understanding and practicing any of the items listed about that resonate with you!    

Personally, I have used many of the above techniques to manage my anxiety. Some I found extremely helpful at the times I used them and others didn’t resonate for me.  I had to explore all my options and try out the ones that I thought could work.  

The key to knowing which technique will be right for you at any given time comes down to self-awareness and trying it on. 

There is no “one-size fits all” when it comes to determining the most effective way to manage your anxiety.  Anxiety shows up at different levels and in different ways for everyone since we are all unique human beings.  And, in your own individual experience, it can morph and change depending on the circumstances in your life.  Therefore, different solutions to help manage anxiety symptoms will be more or less effective based on your individual needs.    

How To Handle It On Your Own

My dear friend’s 2-year old daughter always says to her dad, “I DO IT MYSELF!”  

I get it.  You want to manage your anxiety on your own because you want to be independent, like my little 2-year old friend, you don’t want to burden your loved ones and you think you should already have all the skills and tools you need to do it all by yourself.  

I completely understand that you want to manage your anxiety by “handling it on your own”.  But how can you do that if you don’t know how?  

Think of it this way - Let’s say I want to cook a gourmet meal on my own.  But I’ve never even boiled water in my life.  Do you think it’s going to be easy or hard for me to make that gourmet meal all by myself?  I’m going to waste a lot of time fumbling around in the kitchen looking for the pots and knives, trying to cut an onion, sauté and bake, all while figuring out what “fold-it in” means (Yes, that’s a Schitt’s Creek reference!). 

Would you really expect me to know what I’m doing without learning how first?  

No.  You wouldn’t.  

But, once I try a few techniques, practice and find out what feels best for me, I could probably cook that gourmet meal all by myself in no time.  And sometimes, when the meal feels unmanageable, I’m going to need to call my chef-friends for some support and love.  

The same concept goes for you!  You need to learn your way around your anxiety in order to know how to manage it on your own.  Knowing there are other techniques that you can try-on is the first step.  The second step is seeing what works!  And, if you find that your anxiety is just not manageable right now on your own, it might be time to call an expert for help. 

Ugh!  I Don’t Have Time!

Well, if you just said that to yourself, I’ll ask: 

What is the cost of not looking into an effective way to manage your anxiety?

• Do you struggle with migraines and headaches?  

• How about chronic muscle pain in your head and shoulders?  

• Do you clench your jaw and/or grind your teeth? (Hello dentist bill!)    

• Do you lose sleep worrying about what could have been or what might be?  

• Are you happy with the relationships you have with loved ones? 

• Are you as productive as you can be at your job? 

• Do difficult situations take up more space in your life than you’d like?

• Are you tired, overwhelmed, and lack motivation or energy?  
  
  And most importantly - are you living your best life?  

Yes, it will take time to find the anxiety management strategies that will work best for you.  And those strategies will change over time as well.  But I’m here to remind you that investing in self-care time is extremely important for your health, your relationships and your overall well-being.  

Here’s how to break it down Step-by-step:  

• Read that list above and notice which topic stands out.  Set a timer for 10 minutes and do research to explore it more.  

• Do this research for 10 minutes a day as long as you need before you find the one strategy that feels best for you right now.  

• Take time each day/week (depending  on the strategy) to do the thing.  Schedule it in your calendar and keep it like an appointment that you can not miss.  

So there you have it! You now know a variety of anxiety management strategies and why you need to set aside the time to learn them so you can manage your anxiety more effectively on your own. I know it feels like a lot right now, but I promise if you take that first step, you’ll start to feel the momentum you need to begin making positive changes in your life.