Do you feel like your brain is a browser with 100 tabs open?  If so, welcome to the club of modern-day anxiety.  It can affect us all in different amounts and at varying times.  If you need a helping hand to get your Zen back, this week’s blog post will allow precisely that!  Let’s take a fun look at how to recognise anxiety and lead it towards the door!

Step 1: 🪞Recognising anxiety and taking action

It is said that anxiety can creep in without a warning sign or even an invite!  Knowing how and when to spot its sneaky signs is essential.  Anxiety is like that uninvited party guest who doesn’t get the hint to leave.  Here are the tell-tale signs that it’s crashed your mental party:

• The Jitters: You feel like you’ve drunk ten cups of coffee, even if you haven’t had a sip.
• The Doomscroll: Your mind constantly expects the worst in HD quality.
• Sleep?  Never Heard of Her: Counting sheep turns into counting worries, and suddenly it’s morning!
• Social Battery on 1%: Even texting feels like preparing a TED Talk.
• The Procrastination Tango: You’re dancing around tasks because they feel as daunting as climbing Everest in flip-flops.

Do you recognise any of these?  Congratulations, you’ve just spotted anxiety trying to be incognito!

Step 2: 🛠 Handy Tools to Show Anxiety the Door

Now that you’ve caught anxiety red-handed, let’s talk about how to show it the exit.  Here are some actionable steps that are easier than folding a fitted sheet.

1.  Breathe Like You Mean It: Deep breathing isn’t just for yoga gurus.

Helping Hand: Try the 4-7-8 technique: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8.  It’s like hitting the reset button on your nervous system.

2.  Move It to Lose It: Exercise is the nemesis of anxiety.

Helping Hand: Go for a walk, dance in your living room, or chase your pet around the house.  Movement sends anxiety packing.

3.  Talk to Plants (Or People): Sometimes, just talking it out can make a difference.

Helping Hand: If people seem too much, start with plants.  They’re great listeners! 😉

4.  Pen Down the Monsters: Write out what’s bothering you.

Helping Hand: Seeing your worries on paper can make them seem more manageable.  Plus, you get to feel like a detective putting clues together.

5.  Schedule Worry Time: It sounds counterintuitive, but scheduling in some time.

Helping Hand: Schedule 15 minutes daily to worry, which can help contain anxiety.  Then, you can spend the rest of the day worry-free.

6.  High-Five Your Achievements: Celebrate the small wins. 

Helping Hand: Have you managed to put on pants today?  Have you got the children ready for school?  That’s a victory.  Small accomplishments are big mood boosters.

7.  Mindfulness Is Not Just a Buzzword: Try meditation or mindfulness apps.

Helping Hand: They’re like personal trainers for your brain, helping you focus on the present rather than worrying about what-ifs.

8.  Phone a Friend (or a Professional): Sometimes we need backup.

Helping Hand: Talking to a friend or seeking professional help is like assembling your personal Avengers against anxiety.

🚀 Launching Anxiety into Space

By recognising the signs and taking action, you’re well on your way to sending anxiety on a one-way trip out of your life.  Remember, it’s okay to have off days.  The goal isn’t to be anxiety-free overnight but to manage it better, one day at a time.  Now go forth, equipped with these tools, and reclaim your mental space.  Your brain’s task manager will thank you sincerely for your efforts, as it can now think clearly, clear the noise and function more efficiently.

I hope you enjoyed the slight change in my blog posts.  Having had a low level of anxiety this week, I felt it was only suitable to give you the tools that had helped me move through my life and worries this week.  We can all be affected by anxiety at any stage of our lives or careers.  The important thing is to recognise it and then take appropriate action.  It’s also essential to seek help when you cannot cope with the above tools.  Seek medical help or talking therapies in your area, as these services can signpost you in the right direction and allow you to seek the support you require. 

Dr Tisha Patel

GP in Buckinghamshire, Career and Wellness Coach

If you want to know more, check out my past blog posts to help create small changes to allow growth in your daily life and work.  Why not join my weekly newsletter and let it drop directly into your inbox?  Here’s the link to sign up: Link with Free Goal Guide