Navigating Anxiety: Strategies for Regulating Your Body, Mind, and Emotions
Anyone who has been living with chronic anxiety knows the relentless cycle caused by the intense emotions. Mood swings, avoidant tendencies, and even panic attacks can all be results of intense anxiety that is not dealt with in a productive way. There are healthier ways to manage anxiety, since it will never completely go away. Fear is an emotion we are all bound to experience at some point. So, how then are simple strategies to cope with anxiety when it reaches a chronic level in our lives?
Managing Your Body
Symptoms of anxiety can manifest in our bodies in distressing ways. Whether it is headaches, chest pains, or a sick stomach, there are many ways that anxiety shows up in physical ways. I like to provide tools to my clients to help them get grounded in their bodies when anxiety feels overwhelming. Once you become aware of the symptoms you are facing, here is one way you can work with the feelings in your body:
Progressive muscle relaxation. This technique involves intentionally tensing the muscles for a few seconds and then releasing them. This helps the person become more aware of their body while also intentionally attempting to release stress. Sometimes people focus on their whole body, but you can also pay attention to specific body parts, especially if you feel more tense in some areas than others.
Managing Your Thoughts
It is so easy for anxiety to run away with our thoughts and get them stuck in an endless loop, like a hamster running on a wheel. When your thoughts feel as though they are racing from anxiety, you can practice disputing your thoughts as a way to determine if your thoughts are actually true or helpful. Here are the steps you should take:
Identify the trigger: Recognize the event or situation that brought on the anxious thought.
Uncover the underlying belief: Examine what paying attention to this thought causes you to believe about yourself.
Observe your impulse: Pay attention to how these anxious feelings make you want to react in the moment.
Test the evidence: Place the thought on trial by gathering concrete evidence to determine whether it is actually true.
Reframe positively: Once you have disproven the negative assumption, replace it with a constructive, positive alternative.
Managing Your Emotions
When you are already feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, the last thing that you likely want to hear from someone is to “calm down.” Anyone who experiences chronic anxiety knows it is not that simple. But what are productive ways to engage with your emotions when anxiety feels overwhelming? Here is one way:
Allowing your feelings. With this approach, a person takes time to simply accept and experience their feelings as they navigate anxious moments. This strategy generally requires finding a calm, safe environment—whether alone or with a supportive loved one—where emotions can be felt without judgment. If you are more imaginative, you can find a comfortable position and visualize clouds peacefully floating across the sky, giving yourself a place to watch your feelings pass by in a similar way.
Want To Learn More?
The battle against anxiety can be lonely, and many people often lack the social support they crave. You are not alone, and sometimes you might need extra support from a trained professional in the counseling field. If you are interested in learning more or are looking to begin or resume work on combating your anxious thoughts and feelings, reach out to get connected with a therapist providing Anxiety Therapy through a Biblically-focused lens.
