Dealing With AnxietyWhen dealing with anxiety in moments of frustration, it’s natural to give in to your emotions and speak and behave apprehensively. It is during those moments when I have figured out that I can make up my mind to respond in a new kind of way. What you long for the most after a long day, like the time and solitude to relax and wind down, are not available. You can’t get back time and you can’t rewind circumstances, but you can change your thinking. It may take just seconds or a few minutes, but you can choose to gain control of yourself and at least end your evening with a good attitude even if you are miserably tired. You can regain control and shift your attitude even in the midst of everyone and everything as long as you can get a moment to concentrate on a certain thought… What I do when I’m dealing with anxiety and feeling this way is separate my emotions from what’s going on. I think to myself, “How would you respond to this if you weren’t upset and feeling depressed? What would you do if your situation was just that, a particular set of circumstances existing in a particular place or at a particular time.” If I really think about these questions, I instantly see clearly and gain the strength and control I need to move forward. What I have done during such overwhelming and dissatisfying times is lose interest in cooperating and begin to have feelings of despair. When I’m upset and hungry, my instincts kick in and I don’t want to eat. (Your body doesn’t digest food well when you’re upset to prepare you for fight or flight in situations demanding action for your well being.) Well, when I go into adrenaline mode (which I do very easily), I don’t want to eat, but may still be too hungry to go to sleep. If I can calm my nerves, I can get something to eat so I can feel physically better and solve at least one of my problems.Remember, when dealing with anxiety and despair, realize that everything will actually be okay and that you can do whatever you need to do. Resist the inner chaos. Tell yourself that eating is just eating—it’s what you do when you’re hungry. So, you’re exhausted—but it will pass, tomorrow’s a new day and you’ll be all right. You are stressed and depressed because you feel out of balance and control, like your day is lop-sided with too much to do and not enough time and energy to do it—but feelings are just feelings… Don’t entertain them, do something else! But choices—the kind that you purposely make because you demand a good outcome to your situation—now those are worth investing in! Dealing With Anxiety Over “Tomorrow” Anticipating and trying to figure out “tomorrow” today. Many times I have found myself endlessly wondering, planning, calculating, and figuring out what my “tomorrow” may look like. I’m tempted to tell myself and my husband that I cannot stop thinking about it, but I know better. If what you’re focusing on is causing you to feel overwhelmed, high-strung, anxious, or frustrated because you feel like you keep hitting a brick wall, it’s time to focus on something else that will make a good use of your time and energy. We get caught up in a cycle of wanting to think about and figure out certain things that we anticipate or even look forward to with excitement, but don’t realize that the stress and anxiety comes when it is simply not time for these things to take precedence in our lives. When the timing is right, you will be able to dive in head first and begin to really plan and transition or implement the first steps of your plan. But, for now, don’t get ahead of yourself. Work on now what is right for now, hold off on other exciting tasks until you can really feel it is the right time. You’ll be amazed at how everything fits right into place when you learn, and discipline yourself, to focus on the right things each day. You will actually be productive and watch your anxiety level go way down. Dealing with anxiety should cause us to examine ourselves and our life and determine where we regularly go wrong and how we need to change.
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