How to Cope With Anxiousness

All human beings feel anxious from time to time, but constant or excessive anxiousness can pose a serious risk to your overall sense of well-being. According to the Family Doctor website, "Normal feelings of anxiety often serve as an 'alarm system,' alerting you to danger." However, if no real danger exists and you still feel anxious, a few self-soothing skills can help you cope with the the anxiety.

Instructions

• 1

  Make a list of situations in which you frequently feel anxious. They may include riding an elevator, giving a presentation or meeting a deadline. Write down the real dangers each situation presents, then write down the fears that are merely a product of your imagination. For example, failing to meet a deadline can cost you your job, which is a real danger. But if you are scheduling your time wisely, the anxiety over missing the deadline is merely the product of an overactive imagination.

• 2

  Make whatever changes you can to minimize the actual danger connected with each situation that causes you anxiety. For example, prepare thoroughly before giving a presentation. Do a dress rehearsal before the actual event, testing your presentation equipment and sound system.

• 3

  Repeat certain activities over and over if they tend to cause you anxiety. For instance, if riding the elevator makes you anxious, ride the elevator over and over again until you begin to accept that no harm will come to you.

• 4

  Visualize your anxious feelings as if they were performers on a stage. Imagine them hamming it up, and then imagine the audience laughing hysterically. Allow yourself to view anxiety in this manner until the edge is taken off of your anxious feelings. Realize that they are just feelings and that they cannot control your life if you learn to laugh at them.

• 5

  Respond to overwhelming feelings of anxiety or panic by lying down on the floor and placing one hand over your stomach. Take a slow, deep breath, paying attention to your stomach as it rises. Hold the breath for a while, then exhale slowly, being mindful of your stomach as it falls. Focusing on your breath should calm you and take your mind off whatever is making you anxious. Repeat this process until you feel calm again.