If you feel anxious, you're not alone. In
fact, one in eight
Americans experience overwhelming anxiety that interferes
with their daily lives. There is hope for anxiety sufferers.
Studies show that you can reduce the anxiety
you feel by
integrating healthy habits into your lifestyle.
This issue I would like to share six simple habits that can
go a long way in defeating anxiety.
1) Acknowledge your Anxiety.
When you hide your anxious feelings for months or years,
you perpetuate your anxiety by assuming it's your fault.
Anxiety is not your fault. There is nothing inherently wrong
with who you are. You are a good, valuable, uniquely special
person. You simply suffer from anxiety. You are not alone,
and there is help available. Share how you're feeling with a
trustworthy friend, partner, or relative. Go online and talk
with others about what you're going through. Talk to your
doctor.
When you acknowledge how you feel, you take an important
step toward feeling better. You step into the driver's seat and
take the wheel away from anxiety. You open the door to
learning how to feel better.
2) Learn Strategies to Immediately Deal with
Intense Anxiety.
Educate yourself by learning strategies to immediately deal
with
intense anxiety. The National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, Inc. has
made available free information that can help you reduce
anxiety symptoms quickly, easily, and effectively.
"Using the Anxiety Pyramid" is a sample lesson from
our
course. It contains audio and workbook exercises that
show you:
---how to stop intense anxiety using a powerful three-step
formula
---how to deal with anxiety symptoms quickly
---what to do when you're having a panic attack
These easy-to-follow strategies are freely available to anyone
wishing to download them by joining our free e-course at:
http://www.conqueranxiety.com (Get Free Strategies Now link).
3) Use "Power" Language.
Mind-body research shows that the words you use
can have a
powerful effect on how you feel. Most anxiety sufferers use
negative words that destroy their self-esteem and promote a
sense of loss of control. I call these "victim words." A few
victim words include: can't, always, never, and should.
Victim words perpetuate your anxiety and fear. They
create a
negative self-fulfilling prophecy that results in anxious thoughts
and physical symptoms.
You can learn to defeat anxiety by replacing
victim words with
power language. Power language means using words that
promote your feelings of self-worth and personal power.
When you use power language, the statement: "I can't control my
anxiety" becomes "I can control my anxiety, and I'm
learning
skills to conquer it." The statement: "Why do I always feel so
anxious?" becomes "I often feel anxious, but not all of the
time." The statement: "I shouldn't be late for dinner" becomes
"I may be late for dinner. It's unfortunate, but it's OK."
4) Tone your Inner Power Daily.
Think of your inner power as a muscle just like
any other muscle.
The more you use it, the more toned it becomes and the more
you are able to accomplish. Every time you practice a healthy life
strategy, you actually increase your ability to conquer your
anxiety. What you couldn’t do yesterday, you can do today. With
practice, your new skills will become automatic. This is how you
create lasting freedom from anxiety.
In the words of Aristotle: "We are
what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
5) Set Small, Achievable Goals.
Anxiety sufferers tend to set unrealistically high expectations for
themselves. To counteract this tendency, set goals that you can
easily accomplish. This builds your confidence and your sense of
accomplishment.
When you are learning skills to handle stress and reduce your
anxiety, baby steps work best. For example, if your goal is to
integrate deep breathing into your life, start by practicing for
one-minute intervals three or four times a day instead of for an
hour all at once.
Setting small, achievable goals will help will take you farther
than you can imagine over time. It will help you reach your
final destination: a happier, low-anxiety life.
6) Realize that Now is the Perfect Time to Start
Feeling Better.
And finally, realize that your anxiety and
fear will not go away
until you stop waiting and start learning. There are many
resources available to you to help you overcome your anxiety
-- books, courses, chat rooms, and more.
Some of you have been waiting for the
“perfect” time to
conquer your anxiety. You may be saying to yourself…"I
can’t tackle my anxiety right now. I’ll wait until my symptoms
aren’t so strong to make changes in my life.” Or …“I’ll start
making changes when my life is less hectic.” The list goes on
and on.
Here's
what I've discovered: You’ll be waiting a lifetime for
these things to happen. Because when you wait for something
else “to happen” to improve your life, you’re giving away
your power. You feed your anxiety and feelings of loss of
control.
The only perfect time to conquer your anxiety is
right now…this moment. You do not need to feel
symptom-free or confident or energetic, or any of those
other things to do this. All you need to do is take the
first step.
Practice these six habits daily, and you'll see your skills
improve as you take back your power from anxiety.
© Copyright February 2, 2002, edited December
12, 2004 by
Deanne Repich and the National Institute of Anxiety and Stress,
Inc.
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