Resource: Alternative anxiety coping methods

This amazing post by an unknown listener has some great ideas for alternative methods of managing anxiety. Here they are summarised:

1. Repeat your worry until you're bored silly.

This involves repeating the worrying thought until it becomes boring. Thoughts that promote anxiety tend to be emotionally invoking and you can't be invoked emotionally if you're bored by something!

2. Make it worse (than it actually is).

This suggests that if you exaggerate the worry you are feeling and then apply your logical mind to what you've said; you realise it isn't as big as it first seems. (The article (link) has so me great examples).

3. Don't fight the worrying.

Sometimes we imagine scenarios that we then worry about. Similar when you want to scream at the next person who speaks to you but then worry you will do that and hurt them? You shouldn't be afraid of these thoughts. Our minds are such creative tools that can potentially imagine every possible outcome.

The thoughts that can worry us about what we might say or do are simply our minds entertaining themselves. Think of it like imagining yourself in a movie universe. You dont worry about that happening but our minds just wonder what would happen if such a thing would happen. Embrace your creativity!

4. Turn your anxiety into a movie.

Similarly, if you have worriesome thoughts, you could instead try to imagine it as a movie you are seeing in a theatre starring YOU! If a thought doesn't go away just imagine it as a piece of fiction you wrote. It has no real basis in truth but you have filled the gaps with people and situations you recognise.

5. Set aside worry time.

Anxiety is usually caused by a sudden event or thought. Giving it attentioon can ruin the next hour or day; and ignoring it can lead to unpleasant emotions and distraction. So why not have a worry time. It's a short period when you can sit down, maybe write down everything that is causing you trouble and walk yourself through them. Even just worry uncontrollably if you need; but at the end of that period it is gone again until the next day.

Ask yourself: How do you currently manage your anxiety? How could you try out one of these techniques in your own situation?

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