How to Control Anxiety

By licensed therapist Diana Ruiz, MA, LCPC

Disclaimer

This blog contains evidence-based therapy techniques. The content is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical and psychological advice. This blog is not intended to substitute for medical and psychological diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a doctor or mental health professional.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health conditions. Anxiety can be overwhelming and sometimes debilitating. You are stuck with worrying, overthinking, questioning, or fear. The anxiety, fear, and overwhelming feelings are uncomfortable, interrupting your joy and your sleep.

You think about the bad things that can happen, the mistakes you can make, and the negative situations that can occur. You think about how scary it is to approach situations. Worry and overanalyzing take over, and you end up anxious. Your heart races, you have discomfort in your chest, and it's hard to breathe. The future seems scary sometimes. The unknown is entirely overwhelming. 

Anxiety is treatable, and you can work on it on your own. This blog will find some of the most important steps or techniques to conquer anxiety. Guess what? You can do it? You can stop anxiety!

This is what you will find in this blog:

• How to Practice Awareness

• Emotion Regulation

• Cognitive Techniques to Stop Anxiety

• Solve your problems (to manage anxiety)

• The Wise Mind

How to Practice Awareness

Awareness is so important to understand what is associated with anxiety. Anxiety can be linked to your predisposition, upbringing, learned behavior, and negative life experiences. Some factors that sustain anxiety are irrational thoughts (negative thoughts), unsolved problems, and problems with regulation. Anxiety is also present when we overestimate the risk of situations and underestimate that we can deal with them. 

So, the first task for you to stop anxiety is to be aware of what is causing anxiety and what you are thinking about that leads to anxiety. The automatic thoughts we have in situations or day-to-day life are also associated with anxiety when they are irrational and negative. Automatic thoughts come immediately without you controlling them or intending to have those thoughts. Automatic thoughts can be unconscious, and you may be unaware of having them. Automatic thoughts can be sentences, words, or images. Many times, the automatic thoughts we have are negative, and the situation is not what causes anxiety; it is our perception and thoughts about the situation.  

Use these journal prompts to bring awareness to what is associated with anxiety:

What is the situation? What happened?

What emotions did you experience?

What were you thinking during, before, and after the situation?

Keep a record of your thoughts, situations, and emotions. Keep up with the record for some time.  

Emotion Regulation

At the height of anxiety, you may experience severe symptoms, including an accelerated heart rate, a pit in your stomach, feeling on edge, panic, an anxiety/panic attack, and racing thoughts. At the height of anxiety, the best option may be to regulate. Emotion regulation means engaging in a technique to reduce the intensity of the emotion to feel more grounded. Here are the best options to regulate your emotions.

• Step away from the situation

• Take a break

• Do five rounds of diaphragmatic breathing (slow, even, deep breaths, 3-4 seconds of inhaling, 4-5 seconds of exhaling)

• Change your body temperature

  • Hold ice for a few seconds

  • Step outside 

  • A few seconds or a few minutes of high-intensity exercise

  • Place an icepack on your forehead and temples

  • Bend your face into a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes for 30 seconds

• Take a short walk

• Engage in a distraction to refocus your attention 

• 5,4,3,2,1 Grounding (Identify five things you see, four things you can feel or touch, three things you hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.)

• Self-hypnosis

• Mindfulness

Cognitive Techniques to Stop Anxiety

As I mentioned before, anxiety may be associated with your thoughts and not the actual situation. For example, suppose there are two people about to get on a roller coaster, and one is thinking that the roller coaster will malfunction or that they may die. In that case, that person is more likely to feel fear, panic, and anxiety. Let's say the second person thinks, "This is going to be so much fun; I can't wait to get on it and feel the thrill." That person will most likely feel excitement or joy. Both people face the same situation but have different automatic thoughts that cause different emotional reactions. To reduce anxiety, practice being aware of your automatic thoughts in situations causing anxiety.  Keep a record of your thoughts. Once you feel anxious, you likely have many irrational and negative thoughts or overthinking. When you feel anxious or have other overwhelming emotions, this is the alarm system that tells you that you are engaged in negative thoughts. Record your negative thoughts and challenge them; here is how to do that:

• Reframe your thoughts. Is there a different way to look at the situation? What is the silver lining? What is the bright side?

• Balance your negative thoughts. When you have a negative thought, balance it by being rational, logical, or positive. 

• Practice being optimistic.

• Evaluate whether your thoughts are accurate, evaluate the facts against and for your negative thoughts, and make a conclusion. 

• Stick to the facts. Focus on the facts of the situation. 

• Ask yourself if facts back up your negative thoughts.

Use these methods daily. Record the facts, the optimistic thoughts, and the reframed thoughts and read those daily.

Grab my workbook to get more step-by-step guidance on the above techniques. Learn how to control your negative thoughts to control anxiety and self-doubt and to help you obtain your goals if you experience self-sabotage. Get it here. It's on sale!!!

Solve your Problems

The famous creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Dr. Marsha M. Linehan, said we don't create all our problems, but we still have to solve them. Solving your problems is an important puzzle piece of managing anxiety. Problems that accumulate and avoidance of your problems can be part of persistent anxiety. I understand some problems are heavy or take time to solve, but you can do this. Most of the time, solving problems is not enjoyable, but always think that once the problem is solved, you will feel relief.  Some problems take time to solve, so stay committed.  

Identify the problem, make a plan, and stay committed. Learn and analyze what problems are out of your control and need to accept as they are. Acceptance does not mean you ignore, avoid, or give up; it means you are clear on what is out of your control. 

Wise Mind/Self- Respect/Self-Care

Dr. Linehan coined the concept of the wise mind. The wise mind is the sweet spot between our rational and emotional minds. When we are only in our emotional mind, our emotions take over and can influence our decisions. In other words, if you are in the emotional mind, you are more likely to act on your emotions. In the emotional mind, we feel overwhelmed, and it may be challenging to overcome that moment. The other side of the emotional mind is the rational mind. The rational mind uses logical cognitive processes and is focused on making decisions rationally. You may feel invalidated when you are in the rational mind without considering your emotions. The wise mind incorporates both emotions and rational thoughts; it is the balance for making rational decisions while considering your emotions. The wise mind is more than a balance of emotions and rational thoughts; the wise mind is used to engage in beneficial and healthy decision-making. The wise mind makes decisions with self-respect, self-care, and honor for the self. Use your wise mind to make decisions that align with your values and are healthy for you. Another way to use your wise mind is to help you balance fear using rational and logical thoughts.

Tips to use the wise mind

• When making a decision or picking a behavior, consider your options logically and validate your emotions

• Notice when you have a misbalance between the emotional and rational minds

• Always make decisions based on your values 

• Resort to your wise mind to choose what is best and healthy for you.

• Block out all the disorganized chatter, and listen to your wise mind.

• Use your wise mind to take responsibility for your life while giving yourself grace and patience.

Are you ready to take control of your anxiety and reclaim your peace of mind? Dive into my comprehensive workbook designed to empower you with practical strategies and tools to manage anxiety effectively. Say goodbye to overwhelm and hello to a calmer, more resilient you. Purchase your workbook today and embark on the journey to a life free from anxiety! Get here! It's on sale!