Overcoming Anxiety: Learning To Relax
If you are a stressed or high-strung person, then overcoming anxiety can be an incredibly difficult thing for you to do. Anxiety has several types of manifestation. Some people worry about social situations. Others get anxious about situations in which they are expected to perform publicly (everything from speeches to music performances). Others simply get very anxious about having their plans in order, and worry more than others about something going wrong and not working as planned.
No matter what type of anxiety you have, if it is disrupting your life or making things difficult for you, it’s serious enough to work on how to fix it.
How To Approach Overcoming Anxiety: Two Angles
There are two basic things happening when you have anxiety, and therefore two different angles from which you can approach the issue.
On one hand, there are the things that happen that make you anxious: you have a presentation to give, you have a vacation to plan. Then on the other, there is your reaction to things that happen: you get worked up as the audience arrives, you get nervous that something will go wrong or over-react to small, unexpected events.
Making It Better
If certain situations are your triggers for anxiety, then do what you can to get control of the situation ahead of time. This works better for some types of anxiety more than others. For example, if you get very anxious when approaching a deadline, do as much of your work ahead of time as possible so that it’s finished well before that deadline approaches. If you get nervous in front of crowds, look for roles that utilize your skills; but if you are a musician or performer, your skills and passion will require you to work past the anxiety, because you should stay true to your goals.
You can also work to help train yourself to react differently when things that make you anxious start to happen. The best way to do this is different for every person, the most effective way of overcoming anxiety is to talk to a therapist experienced with the issue, who can help you find the best plan for you.