Can you overcome your anxiety?
If you suffer from anxiety, what is the best way to deal with it?
Extra alert
Everyone feels scared at some point. In addition to being quite normal, it can even help us. Like when you’re about to speak in front of a big group, for example, and you feel tense. You might feel like everyone’s watching you, and suddenly you’re not so sure of yourself. That’s your brain switching to ‘survival mode’. It makes you super alert so you can focus and remember what you want to say.
Of course, anxiety doesn’t always help - it can sometimes make things more difficult. So what can you do when that happens?
Self-care matters
‘If you suffer from occasional anxiety, relaxation exercises can be very helpful,’ says anthropologist Roanne van Voorst. She has studied how people cope with anxiety. One key finding: self-care matters. That means getting enough sleep, eating nutritious meals and exercising regularly.
Photo: ambermb courtesy of Pixabay
Sometimes, anxiety takes over. It stops being helpful and starts getting in the way of everyday life. That’s when it can become an anxiety disorder. This can mean being extremely afraid of things that aren’t truly dangerous, like spiders, the lift or giving a presentation.
Learn to think differently
The good news is, anxiety disorders can be treated! One proven method is cognitive behavioural therapy. Through guided conversations, you begin to recognise negative thoughts (‘I’m not interesting enough to have anything worth saying in front of so many people’) and how those thoughts affect how you’re feeling (anxious) and how you then behave (fidgeting nervously, talking softly, brushing off compliments). In therapy, you learn to think differently (instead of ‘I’m not good enough,’ you might start thinking, ‘I have something worth saying’). And that makes it easier to manage anxiety.
Van Voorst is also confident that anxiety can be overcome. ‘It’s not instant. It takes time and small, steady steps. That includes changing how you see yourself and your anxieties, and gradually facing what makes you anxious in a safe way. Over time you’ll realise just how muchyou’re capable of.’
Answered by Judith Neimeijer
