What should you remember about managing anxiety

Treatment for anxiety disorders may involve a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and medication. But there are many simple techniques that have proven effective for those in the midst of an anxiety attack. Stop for a moment and focus on breathing deeply. Sit up straight, then take a long breath through your nose, hold it for the count of three, then exhale slowly, while relaxing the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders and abdominal area.

This will help slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. Practice your deep breathing from time to time so that it becomes second nature to do it when under stress. Anxiety tends to be focused on the future, so instead, try to focus on the present. Tamar Chansky, Ph. If nothing needs to be done now, make a conscious decision to revisit the situation later in the day, when you are calmer. This is a simple way to change your focus. Start by looking around you and naming three things you can see.

Then listen. What three sounds do you hear? Next, move three parts of your body, such as your fingers, toes, or clench and release your shoulders. Research shows that practicing mindful meditation can reduce anxiety and other psychological stresses.

We are all capable of mindfulness, but it is easier to do when we have practiced and made it a habit. If you are new to the practice, you may wish to try guided meditation with the assistance of audiotapes or a phone app. It is not difficult or exotic, but just learning to pay attention to the present. Just sit up straight with your feet on the floor. Close your eyes and recite, either out loud or to yourself, a mantra. The mantra can be any positive statement or sound you choose. Try to sync the mantra with your breaths.

Just refocus and continue. Try to practice a few minutes each day and it will be an easy and accessible tool for your anti-anxiety toolkit. Telling a trusted friend or family member how you are feeling is a very personal decision, but those who are close to you can be a tremendous resource for handling anxiety.

Talking to someone else, preferably in person, or by phone can offer a new perspective on your situation. If you need someone to go with you to a movie, or for a walk, or just to sit with you for a time, speak up.

No matter what, it is always comforting to talk to someone who cares about you. Not a long distance runner or athlete? This is probably not the moment to start extreme training. Remember though, that all forms of exercise are good for you and help ease the symptoms of anxiety.

This will help calm you and give you space to move forward. I quickly convinced myself that our company was doomed, that it would be only a matter of months before we had to close up shop. But then I consulted my business partner — a more reliable narrator than I — and she suggested we readjust our forecast, which we did. You can color later, I promise. These disappointments are real, and sometimes the changes are grave. Once you make your way through these three steps, you can start to manage your anxiety daily in ways that allow you to grow as a leader and be more resourceful and productive.

Many faith traditions teach us to accept what we cannot control, without preoccupation or panic. Structure your time. First thing in the morning, create a to-do list and a detailed schedule for your day. I like to do it while having my coffee. Be careful not to overschedule or overestimate your productivity ; instead focus on the critical work and leave time to take care of yourself. Take small, meaningful actions. During the first few weeks of the coronavirus shutdown, traffic dropped drastically where I live.

The local department of public works took that time to repaint all the crosswalks. For a week, roads were halfway blocked off as DPW crews painted. And each time I slowed down to drive past one of the crews, I smiled because it struck me: This is their small, meaningful action.

When you feel anxious, an immediate task can easily become overwhelming. Take running a cash flow analysis for your business. To break that mental spiral, take a small, meaningful action. If running a cash flow projection terrifies you, organize some receipts or clean up some file folders until the panic subsides. In general, focus on the near term whenever you can. You may not be able to tell your employees what will happen next year — or even three months from now. But you can help your people be safe this week.

Focus on that, and then deal with the big questions when you feel calmer or when you can get input from trusted colleagues. Sometimes you have to turn off the future for a little while and just manage through the present. Find a mindfulness technique that eases your acute anxiety. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Even if you are high on anxiety and short on time, you can claim the space in between. One option is to focus on your breathing. Belly breaths are a classic technique. When you deliberately slow your breath, it sends a message to your brain to calm down, and your brain then sends the message to your body so that many of the physical symptoms of anxiety — such as increased heart rate and higher blood pressure — decrease.

You can also shift your attention. Some people like to sing instead. Experiment with what works for you and then keep that tactic in your back pocket for when you need it.

Compartmentalize or postpone your worry. In times of crisis you may actually find that things that worried you in the past fade into the background. Make a connection. Connecting with others can break the negative thought loop that often accompanies anxiety. Instead of focusing on yourself, you turn your attention outward. Contee, who has a park dedicated to him in his Baltimore neighborhood. Contee also connects digitally with people in her field, who support one another and contribute to causes they care about.

At her company she and her colleagues are leaning into talking about their feelings and families, doing a lot of checking about how to balance homeschooling with work. In your own life, think about performing a quick, generous act. You might check in on a former colleague via text message. Or ask a family member how you might help.

This gets me out of my head and focused on something more positive. Finally, if anxiety is persistent and hampering your days, you might consider consulting a therapist or mental health professional.

Talking to someone trained in helping others manage anxiety may give you additional coping mechanisms to address debilitating symptoms. Anxiety can impair our judgment. It can cause us to focus on the wrong things, distort the facts, or rush to conclusions. Much as you do when separating the possible from the probable, start by acknowledging that your emotions can make you an unreliable narrator and that you will likely be prone to negative thoughts. Ask yourself: Are you being objective?

Of course, you need to ask the right people. Boyes suggests you find a trusted adviser with a decision-making style that differs from your own. You can fill this role for others, too. What degree of emotion is appropriate to express? Ultimately, how much you disclose is a personal decision. As an owner of a business and the host of a podcast about anxiety and mental health, I tend to be an open book.

The social psychologist Amy Cuddy tells us we need leaders who exhibit both warmth and strength. This is why being open about your own anxiety can be so powerful. Here are some tips from Reboot.

Team members individually indicate where their moods are that day with one of the three colors, and they can expand on why if they wish. This allows people to share if they feel comfortable doing so and gives you useful information about the emotions of the group. Try to bring yourself back to where you are. Practising meditation can help. Healthy lifestyle.

Keeping active, eating well, going out into nature, spending time with family and friends, reducing stress and doing the activities you enjoy are all effective in reducing anxiety and improving your wellbeing.

Take small acts of bravery. Avoiding what makes you anxious provides some relief in the short term, but can make you more anxious in the long term. Try approaching something that makes you anxious — even in a small way. Challenge your self-talk. How you think affects how you feel. Anxiety can make you overestimate the danger in a situation and underestimate your ability to handle it. Look at the facts for and against your thought being true. Plan worry time. Even 10 minutes each evening to write them down or go over them in your head can help stop your worries from taking over at other times.

Get to know your anxiety. Find the patterns and plan your week — or day — to proactively manage your anxiety.