It is normal to feel anxious sometimes when facing difficult situations. There are a number of ways you can help yourself cope:
Check your self-talk
When we are upset and anxious, we sometimes say negative things to ourselves. Unhelpful self-talk might include things like, “I’m hopeless”, “I’m going to be terrible at this”, or “I’ll never get this done”. Negative self-talk gets us down, can increase anxiety and can get in the way of us achieving our goals.
Notice what you say to yourself and work on more helpful, calming and encouraging self-talk, such as, “I am coping well given what I have on my plate”, “This stressful time will pass”, or “I got through it last time”.
Keep things in perspective
When we are worried and upset it is easy to see things as worse than they really are, and to start anticipating all sorts of problems down the track. Take a step back and look at one of your worries in the bigger scheme of your life. Ask yourself:
- am I getting ahead of myself, assuming something bad will happen when I really don’t know the outcome?
- is the outcome certain to happen, possible, or quite unlikely?
- if the worst were to happen, what could I do about it?
- maybe I could stop worrying and asking “what if”. I don’t know what will happen yet and I will deal with it IF it happens.
Sometimes thinking about how you would cope, even if the worst were to happen, puts things into perspective.
Don’t let anxiety stop you from doing things
Try not to avoid situations which trigger your anxiety, but work on facing these situations. If this seems too difficult, get the help of a psychologist or other mental health professional to work out a plan for facing your fears and increasing your confidence, step-by-step.
Practise relaxation, meditation or mindfulness
Practising relaxation, meditation and mindfulness on a regular basis will allow your body and nervous system the opportunity to routinely settle and readjust to a calm state.
Look after your health
Exercise, diet, and other health behaviours can help support you to manage anxiety, so it is important to:
- make sure you are eating well
- get regular exercise
- avoid using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs to cope when you are finding things difficult
Utilise self-help resources
A number of self-help resources are available where you can learn ways of managing anxiety, including through common treatment approaches like CBT. The Federal Government’s Head to Health website provides information and links to reputable digital mental health services. These can be a good starting point or can be an additional means of support to complement sessions with a psychologist.