Have you ever felt like something suddenly has overpowered your entire body, when something as simple as breathing becomes hard? This is how anxiety feels to people who suffer from it. Anxiety is both scary and stressful. You never know when it might hit you and why. For most, it is an event that becomes a trigger, making you feel overwhelmed. You start to panic about a specific thing and it is the only thing you can focus on.
But you are not alone in this ordeal as people across the globe are affected by it. Global statistics show that anxiety affects 284 million people in the world. What’s worse, recovering from anxiety can be hard if you don’t take appropriate steps to deal with it.
Clinical psychologist Elvira Aletta writes on her website, “As you feel the anxiety blip up or down, take note of what is going on and what you’re thinking. This way you may be able to notice patterns, like a spike up to 8 when it’s time for a staff meeting, or diving to 2 when American Idol is on. Over time this exercise will help you recognize your triggers.”
So, whenever you feel anxious, assess your situation and look for a solution. An effective and handy technique to address anxiety is to ask yourself some important questions. It not only helps get through an episode of anxiety but also helps identify the triggers that set it off. According to Psychology Today, “asking yourself questions provides a framework to uncovering such thoughts and patterns and reducing your overall anxiety.”
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself, the next time you are feeling anxious.
Will anything change if I worry about it?
What’s the point of worrying when you can’t do anything about it? Thinking about things that you have no control over such as someone else’s behaviour or the state of the economy will only drain you of the mental strength you need to be at your best.
Even worse, it can lead to toxic habits like blaming yourself or micro-managing people. So whenever you feel anxious, ask yourself this – Will anything change if I worry about it? Looking for the answer will help you calm down as you’ll get a clear picture of the situation. You will know what you can or can’t control.
Am I feeling safe right now?
Oftentimes, people who feel anxious have a sense of impending danger, panic or doom according to Mayo Clinic. In short, they feel unsafe. To deal with this, look around you, and ask yourself am I feeling safe right now? If so, acknowledge it. Believe that all is well and that you are not in danger. Allow that sense of safety to calm you and get rid of all your worries.
However, if your fears are real and you feel that your safety is threatened, take the necessary action right away. Visit experts or be around your loved ones or do whatever it is you need to do to keep yourself away from the danger.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Another way to deal with the feelings of anxiety is to think of the worst possible scenarios that could happen. For instance, if you are worried because you were not able to finish your task on time due to some unexpected work, ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen? If ‘getting fired’ is the answer you get, then know it is most likely an exaggeration. Now here is the interesting part—when you exaggerate your fears and imagine the worst thing that could happen, you make the impending fear look unreasonable. You come to realise that even the worst possible scenario isn’t as bad as you made it out to be. It changes your perspective and you begin to calm down slowly.
Asking yourself questions when you feel anxious can be a powerful tool for managing anxiety. It allows you to gain insight into the triggers that set off your anxiety and helps you recognize patterns in your thoughts and behaviours.
The question “Will anything change if I worry about it?” can be beneficial in reducing anxiety by bringing awareness to the futility of worrying about things beyond one’s control.
By consciously considering the worst possible outcomes, individuals often realize that their fears are exaggerated and unlikely to materialize.
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