When people think you should just ‘get over’ anxiety, they generally have never experienced true anxiety. They may have experienced stress before, but not anxiousness. When you know about anxiety, you know it’s not that simple.
And yet, there is hope. Hang in there with me.
Anxiousness can feel so defeating, and as an Atlanta anxiety therapist I’ve seen my fair share of high achievers who are used to being able to conquer thing on their own and have no problem with getting things done.
But then they experience a panic attack, and all of the sudden their worlds are thrown.
How could I possibly be anxious? I have everything a normal person would want.
There’s nothing for me to be stressed about.
I’m usually great at having it together. What’s wrong with me?
Sound familiar? Yea, In my experience anxiety and mental health problems aren’t necessarily something that high achievers are immune to. Unfortunately, we can all suffer from anxiety.
The hope, though, is that there are very practical ways we can work to manage or combat anxiety. Interested? I thought so!
Here’s some information that could help:
- Naturally I’m going to encourage you to consider counseling, because we really love helping people with this stuff and it can be so helpful and rewarding.
- Start paying attention to what’s triggering your anxiousness. It could be internal (thoughts, feelings, sensations) or external (people, places, things).
- Think about healthy ways you can cope with the above triggers. Maybe you go for a walk, exercise, meditate, talk to a friend, listen to a calming song, discuss your feelings…the list could go on and on.
- Think about any needs you may have. Sometimes it’s the weirdest thing that can trigger anxiousness, like not getting enough sleep or drinking enough water, or getting proper nutrition. Basic needs are important to consider.
- Meditate. It’s great to practice meditation daily. The research suggests it’s great for helping replenish feel good chemicals in the body and if you’re stressed you may be overproducing cortisol (the stress hormone.)
- Nutrition plays a role. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a nutritionist talk about how caffeine is not good for anxiousness. So, pay attention to what you’re putting in your body.
- Set boundaries. Many times stress and anxiousness can come from overpromising, or expectations that are too high and demanding. It can be very important to set boundaries that are realistic for your life which may mean saying no to others or to yourself (I mean, sometimes I would rather watch Netflix than meditate so I’m speaking to myself as much as I’m speaking to you.) Boundaries help protect us.
Okay that’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a start. If you’re finding yourself in need of support, feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment. We love supporting people!
