No-fuss anxiety tips #1
Know Your Nemesis
What’s anxiety like for you?
Rather than avoiding it, can you get to know your expereince of anxiety, so it becomes less daunting?
Welcome to the first blog in a series of 20-short articles with simple tips and techniques for managing anxiety. I’ve designed this series to be quick read, no-fuss whilst also drawing on therapeutic thinking from a range of psychological and psychotherapy theories. My hope is that, rather than feel like anxiety has the upper hand, you’ll have some tried and tested ways to tackle anxiety.
What these tips won’t do is explore the origins and purpose of anxiety for you – this type of deeper exploration is what therapy offers. That said, having strategies for managing anxiety is a great place to start. Each article is designed to be quick read, no-fuss. So, let’s get started on this first technique: knowing your nemesis.
Rather than avoiding all things anxiety, it can be helpful to get to know your anxiety, to lean into it and be curious, to even befriend this experience, so you have less fear around it. Getting to know your nemesis can make the monster less scary. To gain a greater awareness of your own unique experience of anxiety, with the goal of becoming more aware of your own responses and what helps.
Today, to increase your awareness of your experience of anxiety, try to describe what sensations and you notice when you experience anxiety. Aim to describe the physical, mental, emotional, and behavioural changes you notice. It’s important to attempt this description without judgement. Some people call this the “observing mind”: noticing and observing without judgement. Using the phrases “I notice….” Or “right now, I am aware of…..” are useful starters. This can help you to recognise your own signs and symptoms of anxiety, so you are more able to act when you begin the experience indicators of anxiety.
More mini-blogs in this series will follow – look out for these. And, if you’d like to talk through how counselling can help you with a deeper exploration of your anxiety, do get in touch. We can work together through online counselling or through face-to-face counselling at my therapy room in Preston.