What To Do When Anxiety Is Overwhelming

Identify And Manage Your Triggers

To deal with anxiety, identify its cause. Here are some factors that might trigger you:

• Work stress
• Daily inconveniences e.g. traffic
• Past trauma

The best way to identify your triggers is by keeping a journal. Each time you get stressed, write down the cause. Look for patterns and come up with a plan. Most times, avoiding the triggers is sufficient. If you cannot avoid the triggers, read on to know how to cope.

Be Present With A Growth

We all thrive off encouragement but even more so when its a little more specific. An absolute encouragement mindset is when we say, Youre great or Youre so smart! . . . therefore, you can do this! This is nice, but it doesnt spur them on. Rather use a growth encouragement mindset to highlight their qualities, character strengths, and most importantly any specific effort you see. For example,

Youre great . . . because I can really see how youre using your relaxation tools to work down your stress and anxiety and how youre keeping to your new routine to stay on track these days. You seem more calm and your mood is improving. Its such an example of seeing your faith and Gods grace in action. Im seeing you grow and change.

Admit To Your Worries And Anxiety

Quite often, we become overwhelmed in part because we’ve tried to push certain emotions down which only makes them stronger.

For example, if we’re stressed out about a relationship, we might try to distract ourselves and deny our discomfort, until eventually, it builds to a level where we become flooded.

To stop anxiety and not be overwhelmed by anxiety, then, we actually have to learn to let anxiety in before it gets too unmanageable levels.

Try, then, to develop a practice of admitting to yourself when you feel worried or anxious.

You might write it down, or say it loud, along with a matter-of-fact explanation.

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Remind Yourself That Youre Doing The Best You Can With The Available Information

Like we mentioned earlier, anxiety feeds on uncertainty, which theres certainly a lot of right now. Should you cancel your trip? Should you avoid the subway? What about the gym? There are a lot of questions out there, all with the same unsatisfying answer: Stay on top of recommendations, and beyond that, use your best judgment. But I dont have best judgment, I have anxiety!!!

The best thing you can do in response to this outrageously frustrating and anxiety-inducing dilemma is try to take some of the pressure off. Were all obsessed with making the right decisions to avoid the new coronavirusand get caught up imagining what will happen if we make the wrong decisionsbut frankly, a lot of it is beyond our control. To help, Fischhoff suggests keeping the following in mind:

Generally speaking, people make good decisions, he says. Theyre thoughtful, theyre prudent, theyre trying to do the right thing. But there are two biases we should remember that were susceptible to. The first, he says, is outcome bias, when we judge the quality of our decisions by how things turn out, instead of how thoughtfully the decision was made. And the second is hindsight bias, when we exaggerate how predictable an outcome was and beat ourselves up for not seeing what now seems obvious.

Focus On What Else You Can Control

Anxiety thrives on doubt and uncertainty, says Yip. And right now, she notes, doubt and uncertainty are really hard to avoid as scientists work to find answers about the new coronavirus and countries scramble to make decisions about how to deal. In the face of all that uncertainty, Yip says it can be important to focus on what you can control instead of what you cant.

Luckily, there are quite a few things you can controlspecifically, sticking to the prevention recommendations that the CDC has outlined for us. Smith also wrote this post for SELF about things to do if youre worried about the new coronavirus, including creating an emergency kit and brushing up on your emergency plan.

Garfin also recommends keeping your preparation in perspective. Instead of letting your anxieties run wild while stocking up on shelf-stable foods because the end of times are near and you have to be prepared, oh, my God, remind yourself that being prepared is a good idea all year round. Were just paying more attention to it right now. Planning for a potential pandemic or a potential disaster, if its in a kind of measured, realistic, non-panicked way, is always a good thing, says Garfin.

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Coping Tips For Living With Severe Anxiety

Anxiety disorder does not have a cure, but you can take steps to manage it. This is a chronic mental illness that never fully goes away. That doesnt mean you cant make significant improvements to reduce anxiety and function more normally.

Treatment is the foundation of managing anxiety. It will give you many of the tools needed to reduce symptoms and live well with this disorder. One-time treatment is not a cure, though. You will need to learn and practice coping skills.

Ways To Cope When Feeling Overwhelmed

Recognizing what is causing your overwhelm, taking steps to reduce your stress, and engaging in relaxation techniques can help you cope with feeling overwhelmed. Remember, if you are feeling overwhelmed, you are not alone. You cannot avoid these feelings entirely, but you can manage them.

Here are ten healthy ways to deal with feeling overwhelmed:

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How To Deal With Anxiety During Covid And Difficult Times

The COVID-19 pandemic has made life stressful for many people. Being away from loved ones, losing income, and living with a sense of impending doom is overwhelming. Although things feel hard right now, you should remember that this situation will not last forever. In the meantime, here is how to deal with feelings of anxiety.

The Difference Between Normal Worry And Gad

Worries, doubts, and fears are a normal part of life. Its natural to be anxious about an upcoming test or to worry about your finances after being hit by unexpected bills. The difference between normal worrying and generalized anxiety disorder is that the worrying involved in GAD is:

• Excessive.

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Treatment For Generalized Anxiety Disorder

If youve given self-help a fair shot, but still cant seem to shake your worries and fears, it may be time to see a mental health professional. But remember that professional treatment doesnt replace self-help. In order to control your GAD symptoms, youll still want to make lifestyle changes and look at the ways you think about worrying

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one type of therapy that is particularly helpful in the treatment of GAD. CBT examines distortions in our ways of looking at the world and ourselves. Your therapist will help you identify automatic negative thoughts that contribute to your anxiety. For example, if you catastrophizealways imagining the worst possible outcome in any given situationyou might challenge this tendency through questions such as, What is the likelihood that this worst-case scenario will actually come true? and What are some positive outcomes that are more likely to happen?.

The five components of CBT for anxiety are:

Education. CBT involves learning about generalized anxiety disorder. It also teaches you how to distinguish between helpful and unhelpful worry. An increased understanding of your anxiety encourages a more accepting and proactive response to it.

Monitoring. You learn to monitor your anxiety, including what triggers it, the specific things you worry about, and the severity and length of a particular episode. This helps you get perspective, as well as track your progress.

What To Do If Your Anxiety About Covid

Feeling anxious and nervous about everything thats happening as a result of COVID-19 is perfectly normal. Our lives are being turned upside down. Many people are struggling to make ends meet after losing their jobs. Some necessities are scarce. Parents are homeschooling while trying to work from home. Theres no getting around it, these are stressful times.

So, what can you do if youre feelingoverwhelmed by anxiety stemming from COVID-19? The first thing you should do isbreathe. Take a deep breath slowly through your nose over five seconds, hold itfor three seconds, then let it out through your mouth over five seconds. Repeatthis process five times. Do this whenever you feel the anxiety starting tobuild. Here are some other things you can do reduce your anxiety:

• Stay informed but limithow often you check the news. When you want information, stick totrustworthy sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization . If youre feeling overwhelmed,step away from the media for a while.
• Focus on what you cancontrol.While you cant control how long the pandemic will last or how other peoplewill behave, you can control what you do and take steps to reduce the chancesof being infected yourself, including:
• Washing your handsfrequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Avoiding touching youreyes, nose, and mouth.

• Staying home as much aspossible, even if you dont feel sick.

• Avoiding non-essentialshopping.

Here for a Healthier You

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Examine Your Assumptions About What Success Requires

On a similar theme, you might also be self-generating faulty thoughts about what it takes to be successful in your field. Perfectionistic assumptions like, To succeed I need to work harder than everyone else become especially problematic when youre rising through the ranks in a competitive industry and youre in a group of other overachievers. Heres the tricky part about identifying your problem thoughts: our assumptions and self-generated rules are often implicit. When youre feeling miserable or blocked, thats a great time to hunt down any hidden assumptions that are contributing to that.

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Do Something That Makes Your Heart Sings

When youre overwhelmed, do things that make you happy. Thats the easiest way to handle the situation. You cant think clearly when you are being overwhelmed with everything. So, why dont you just take a short break and do things that make your heart sings?

Change your mood and you will change your thinking. When you are in a joyful state, you tend to be more creative and able to tackle things in a better way.

Therefore, change your mood by doing something that you love. Once you are happy, you wont feel overwhelmed. And when youre not overwhelmed, you know what you need to do to make things work. As simple as that.

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Remember You Dont Always Have To Act On Your Anxieties

Preparation is good, but so is mindfulness. If you stick to official recommendations in your area and for your population group, you dont have to go super above and beyond in all of your decision-making. Its about being aware of your fears and how theyre affecting your behavior and mood instead of treating them as fact, clinical psychologist Suzanne Mouton-Odum, Ph.D., tells us. You can notice it and be curious about it, but you dont have to necessarily do anything about it.

For example, Mouton-Odum says you might notice youre feeling more anxious than usual today and its making you not want to go to the grocery store. Thats when you have to challenge your fear with rational thought, she says. Are there cases of Coronavirus in your area? Has your local health department made it clear you dont have to stay inside? How do you challenge some of those thoughts instead of just assuming that the thought is true and therefore, to keep yourself safe, you should avoid the grocery store?

How Therapy Can Help You Manage Overwhelm

When you are not able to prevent overwhelming thoughts or feelings, therapy is a helpful way to address your response to them. In therapy, a qualified professional is able to help you sort through the issues causing your stress or anxiety and better understand its root causes. When you gain a solid understanding of what stressors and situations trigger this uncomfortable mental state, it helps cultivate a calmer frame of mind in the future. When looking for the right type of therapy to manage overwhelming experiences, there are different types of practices to consider. Certain forms of therapy incorporate meditation, hypnosis, and centering techniques to help teach people to soothe themselves during times of distress. In addition, a therapist may also recommend journal therapy or physical exercise, which are also found to help prevent emotional overwhelm. While there is no way to determine what life has in store at any given moment, there are ways to build up mental strength to better take on lifes challenges and build resiliency. When you take time to learn what triggers stress and anxious thoughts, you can better manage overwhelming experiences before they occur. With the right tools and hard work, you can help minimize the occurrence and impact of becoming overwhelmed.

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Why Anxiety Can Make You Cry

Anxiety can be an overwhelming condition more than people realize. Millions of people living with anxiety disorders can handle themselves every day. These people often feel like the anxiety is manageable though it is affecting their lives.

However, the more a person struggles with anxiety, the harder it may be to manage the associated emotions. Anxiety puts the body under tremendous stress, and it takes energy and resources to reduce that anxiety. Anxiety can be powerful so powerful that the stress associated with it essentially hits your body with a non-stop barrage of physical and mental symptoms. Symptoms dont always generate further emotions, but they wear you down and reduce your ability to cope with and tolerate an experience.

How Can I Help Myself

Face your fear if you can

If you always avoid situations that scare you, you might stop doing things you want or need to do. You wont be able to test out whether the situation is always as bad as you expect, so you miss the chance to work out how to manage your fears and reduce your anxiety. Anxiety problems tend to increase if you get into this pattern. Exposing yourself to your fears can be an effective way of overcoming this anxiety.

Know yourself

Try to learn more about your fear or anxiety. Keep an anxiety diary or thought record to note down when it happens and what happens. You can try setting yourself small, achievable goals for facing your fears. You could carry with you a list of things that help at times when you are likely to be become frightened or anxious. This can be an effective way of addressing the underlying beliefs that are behind your anxiety.

Try to learn more about your fear or anxiety. Keep a record of when it happens and what happens.

Exercise

Increase the amount of exercise you do. Exercise requires some concentration, and this can take your mind off your fear and anxiety.

Relax

Learning relaxation techniques can help you with the mental and physical feelings of fear. It can help just to drop your shoulders and breathe deeply. Or imagine yourself in a relaxing place. You could also try learning things like yoga, meditation, massage, or listen to the Mental Health Foundations wellbeing podcasts.

Healthy eating

Avoid alcohol, or drink in moderation

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