Anxiety: Do's and Don'ts

A list of what to do and what not to do to control anxiety.

Do's

• Notice how it is affecting you and pay attention to how you would rather be feeling.
• Remember to breathe.
• Focus on something interesting and engaging: a hobby, a project, a conversation with a friend, an activity.
• Play with a pet. Arrange flowers. Play a sport. Watch a movie.
• Stay active in your life. Continue going to work and/or school. Take care of children. Keep your house clean. Take care of your personal hygiene.
• Surround yourself with people who care about you. Spend time with your spouse, children, parents, colleagues, friends, neighbors.
• Engage in conversation that is interesting and meaningful.
• At other times, engage in trivial talk!
• Try to limit discussion about the anxiety to less than 5% of your conversation.
• Pay attention to whether what you are doing or thinking is what you want to be doing or thinking and whether or not it fits for you.

Don'ts

• Don't isolate yourself. Anxiety will try to get you to think you should be alone. Don't listen to it.
• Don't spend time thinking about how you feel. Anxiety will take over.
• Don't talk about anxiety more than 5% of the time and then only about your successes over it.
• Don't let anxiety get you to second-guess yourself.
• Don't let anxiety get you to imagine what others are thinking.
• Don't fall prey to anxiety's ploy to engage in repetitive behaviors.
• Don't let it put images of disaster in your head

next: Anxiety: The Other Disorder
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