Anxiety can be confusing to understand and sometimes even more confusing to predict. Just when you think you’ve gotten a handle on understanding your symptoms and how to cope with them, you will notice that they always seems to find a way to come popping back up. Often times, it can seem as though doubt, worry, fear, physical pain, or restlessness have arrived and you can’t connect these thoughts or feelings to any specific trigger or stress.
Unfortunately, symptoms always have a reason for popping back into our lives and learning to understand ourselves, our bodies, and our thoughts are truly the best ways to get a handle on our symptoms and start to play offense rather than defense in coping with them.
Why It’s Important to understand your triggers
Knowing your triggers and how they affect you and your symptoms is the key to truly get ahead of them. If you know what can lead to increased anxiety or even just bring symptoms to the surface, allows for you to create a plan to best cope with them and decrease the time and severity they will affect you.
1. Have a game plan
Ok, so now I’m going to tell you how to reduce your symptoms of anxiety and potentially prevent them from popping back up all together. I have to start by saying that what I’m going to ask you to do, will be something you initially might not want to do. I get it. I get that taking the time to get ahead of your anxious thoughts and feelings-takes work. It can feel annoying to want to put your attention on uncomfortable thoughts and feelings intentionally- when you are feeling positive and don’t have any unwanted thoughts present.
But let me tell you…it will be worth it! So stick with me.
Having a game plan is all about understanding your thoughts and feelings as they relate to the anxiety that you experience. Start to think about and write down what causes anxiety for you.
Writing down all of your symptoms of anxiety and what can cause them might seem like a lot of work, or potentially put you in a head-space that you’d like to avoid, I get it- but let me tell you that by taking this step and taking the time to do this is where you will be able to work on alleviating the symptoms as you experience them and potentially preventing them all together, and that’s the goal right?!
Beginning this process can be simple. I’d encourage you to think about your thoughts, feelings, and how your body feels.
Staying in-tune with the reactions that we’d like more control over is a way to create a plan to cope rather than react and feel badly for the choice or behavior we engaged in while trying to protect ourselves and get through a difficult moment.
Begin to notice when your body feels more pain or tightness. Your body can truly be a guide to listen to and understand when you might need to slow down and take care of it. Often times when we are going 100 mph in our personal and professional lives, our body is keeping track of the stress we are trying to deflect or avoid. Our bodies hold onto the stress despite us trying to avoid or deny it exists.
Like I said in the beginning, anxiety is confusing, and the symptoms of anxiety can be confusing as well. For some people they will feel more anxious when they are put into a situation where they don’t feel in control, like going to a crowded event. For others, symptoms might spike when they feel more pressure than usual, or are expected to complete a task that they’re not familiar with. Whatever it is that causes symptoms of anxiety for you, write it all down.
It is important to connect each trigger to the thoughts and feelings that you experience along side of them. Go back to each moment and think about what you were thinking when you felt the anxiety building up in your body. Think about what you were thinking when it hit its peak. What thoughts did you have?
Recognizing your thoughts is the key component for this step, as this is where you’ll start your game plan and start lowering or even eliminating your symptoms all together.
Creating a game plan is simple. Once you’ve written out all of the thoughts and feelings that you experience as they relate to anxiety, then write out what you’d you like to think or feel instead. Click HERE for a worksheet, to guide you on this process.
This part is where we can begin to see what is possible. That change is possible.
If this work is too difficult for you, that is ok. It is hard work to do. I’d encourage you to consider connecting with a therapist, as they can assist and guide you in this process.
2. Put Your Game Plan into Action: Communicating what you need and who you need support from
Talking about symptoms of anxiety is often avoided because it can be tough to talk about. It can be embarrassing to share that you don’t feel comfortable or confident in certain situations. Sometimes sharing your symptoms might make you feel inadequate or not competent. But let me tell you- YOU ARE NOT YOUR SYMPTOMS!! Anxiety affects thoughts and feelings, symptoms are not YOU and are not a description of your character.
Communicating when you might need support is an important step to help others understand you and your needs. Communicating your needs and how others can support you can also decrease the symptoms you experience as you’ll have a plan in place for when things feel out of control.
Do you feel overwhelmed when participating in an outdoor adventure with your kiddos? Does the feeling of fear cause you to get snippy with your friends or family you are with; taking away from the fun you had looked forward to? In your head you feel consumed with worried that your children are going to run off, or get lost, or someone might take them. Instead of enjoying the moment, you are wishing it was time to pack up and leave and get back into the safety of your car.
Now that you’ve recognized the situations that can spike your feelings of anxiety, take some time to prep and talk to the people you’ll be with in the future that can be of help. Taking the time to explain to a close friend, or your mom, or sister, that bringing your two little ones to the zoo can feel overwhelming for you especially when they both want to get out of their strollers. Share with them that whatever it is that you think in those moments, maybe that you fear that one will get lost or run away putting you in a position of having to chase them down in separate directions.
All of our fears are real, and it is OK to have these fears. However we don’t have to let them be in charge of our happiness or ability to enjoy all that we are apart of. Talking about our anxious thoughts helps others to understand and be of support rather than keeping it in and just trying to “deal” with anxiety provoking situations. Leaving you and who you’re with not able to truly enjoy the moments you’re apart of.
Whichever situations or event that you’ve identified that creates anxiety for you think about what you might need to feel less anxious and more engaged in these situations.
A plan for communicating the support, could be asking for help from someone to be in charge of holding one of your little one’s hands when both are out of the stroller while you’re walking into the park. Or if you need relief with a plan in place before you go, speak up and share your thoughts with your bestie. Let them know what worries you and what specifically you’d like some help with as you set the date. I’m sure that they will be more than happy to lend a hand.
Not only will having this plan communicated ahead of time help you in feeling more in-control, but it will also allow whoever you’re with to better understand the situations that create anxiety for you and allows them to be part of the solution. From my experience, friends and family want to be supportive; however, they often feel helpless due to not knowing how or what would be most helpful to me.
3. Stay healthy when you’re not experiencing stress and symptoms
Move your body
Staying healthy isn’t just for your fitness goals; staying healthy is important to maintain your emotional and mental wellness goals as well.
Staying active, can prevent symptoms of anxiety from settling in. Maintaining physical and emotional wellness allows you to strengthen your ability to withstand discomfort caused by stress, allowing you to not sweat the small stuff.
Incorporating any type of movement into your day is key in staying on the offense to manage your symptoms of anxiety and prevent them from creeping back in on you. The endorphins that are released during a workout assist in elevating your mood which has long term benefits to keep your feelings of anxiety lower than they typically would be.
Taking time to dance with my little ones, is always my favorite (we jam out to the Trolls Soundtrack) which puts us all in a positive mood and connects us to happy feelings. Just the same, going for a daily walk or getting out to explore a new path or fitness video on YouTube are great and easy ways to stay active as well. Tell yourself that staying active isn’t to just look good in your bikini anymore, but to be your happiest self and be the strongest version of YOU. As you begin to feel the strongest version of yourself your friends and family will take notice. Your relationships will become stronger, healthier, and happier and the strength you achieve will become a model for your kiddos.
It’s also important to pay attention to what we are putting into our bodies. Talking with your doctor, a dietitian, or a nurse practitioner can provide you with valuable information and direction to help with this. Medical practitioners understand which foods, supplements, and vitamins would be helpful for you and your body to avoid or incorporate into your diet, to alleviate the symptoms you might be experiencing.
YOU can do it!
If you want to enjoy all that you are apart of, taking care of your mental health and emotional wellness has to be your priority. The choices we make to live a happy and healthy life has to be done intentionally. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen by accident. Stay consistent and stay the course.
Support is always available. If you feel stuck on your own or don’t know where to begin to start the process, reach out to a therapist in your neighborhood if you need help along the way.