Anxiety Management

3 Surprising Ways to Manage Anxiety

We all deal with anxiety to some degree. And we’ve all heard of ways to manage anxiety, from deep breathing to nature walks. While these methods are helpful, sometimes managing your emotions can be counterintuitive. Here are 3 surprising ways to manage anxiety that you may not have heard about.

Expose Yourself to Triggers

If you deal with anxiety frequently, chances are you’ve identified some triggers that tend to set off your anxiety or make it worse. So you should avoid those triggers to manage your anxiety, right? Actually, not always. While staying away from triggers can help if you’re in a particularly stressful time in your life, exposing yourself to triggers in small doses while staying mindful can be an excellent way to manage anxiety and lessen its influence over you. In fact, this is one of the key elements in certain forms of therapy, such as exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. 

The trick to managing anxiety through exposure is to take baby steps and remain mindful throughout the process. By exposing yourself to triggers gradually, you’re able to stay in control of your anxiety, and by staying mindful of how you’re feeling in an anxiety-inducing situation, you can calm yourself down and show your anxiety that you have power over it. As you do this regularly, you’ll find that you’ll be able to do more while experiencing less anxiety. 

Do Something Badly

Anxiety often starts to take over when you’re afraid of making a mistake. In fact, enough anxiety about your imperfections can be paralyzing. The solution? Give yourself permission to mess up. More than that, plan on it. 

If you’re having trouble getting started or continuing with something because of the fear of imperfection, tell yourself to go ahead and do it badly. Giving yourself permission to do something badly can be surprisingly liberating. When mistakes are no longer something to worry about, you’ll find that it’s much easier to get started on a task. And you may be surprised by how well you do it! 

Allowing yourself to do something badly also gives you the freedom to try new things without worrying about whether you’ll be good at it or not. As an added bonus, trying new experiences can also reduce anxiety as you have fun, make connections, and learn new skills. 

Make Time to Worry

For many people with anxiety, worry takes up a good chunk of their time. If this is you, you may be wondering how making time to worry can possibly be helpful in managing anxiety. The point of setting aside a specific time to worry is that it delays (and therefore lessens) the thoughts that cause you to become anxious. 

Set aside ten minutes at a certain time each day, and when you find yourself starting to worry about something outside of that time, remind yourself that it’s not worry time just yet. You can even write the worry down if it makes you feel better. By telling yourself that you are going to worry, just not now, you allow your mind to calm down a little, knowing that the problem will be dealt with. When “worry time” rolls around, you may find that the problems that loomed so large earlier in the day have become less significant. 

If you’re struggling with anxiety, try one of these unique ways to manage it. And if you feel that you need help, please contact a member of our team. We can assist you in determining what methods of managing anxiety would be best for you, and support you on your journey towards better mental health. 

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Back to School Transitions

Creating a Coping Toolbox

The transition back to school can be an emotional time for your child. One thing you can do to make the transition easier is to help your child create a coping toolbox. Helping your child recognize her skills and resources can empower her to cope effectively with the challenges and emotions that come with a new school year. 

What exactly is a coping toolbox? 

A coping toolbox is a small collection of resources your child can use to deal with things that come up in his daily life. Depending on the age of your child, a toolbox can be a container with physical items in it, or simply a mental list. The important thing is to help your child recognize that he can cope with any feeling or situation that arises. 

How do I decide what to include in a coping toolbox?

Determine what types of emotions your child is most likely to experience, or which ones are the most challenging to deal with. If your child experiences anxiety, for example, his toolbox might include a small, soft item he could stroke to calm himself down. Or if your child frequently feels frustrated by the challenges of schoolwork, her toolbox could contain a drawing of a balloon, to remind her to take some deep breaths, filling up her belly like a balloon with each one. 

Once you’ve figured out what types of emotions your child might need a coping toolbox for, choose three or four tools to put in it. These might be resources (like sharing their feelings with a teacher), techniques (like giving themselves a bear hug), or items (such as a fidget toy). It’s a good idea to get your child’s input on what coping strategies they would like to include in their toolbox. 

How can I help my child use their coping toolbox?

Choose an item or create a reminder for each strategy in your child’s coping toolbox. It’s a good idea to check with the teacher beforehand to make sure you select appropriate items that won’t be distracting to your child’s classmates. By letting your child’s teacher know about the toolbox, you not only ensure that the things you select will be school-appropriate, but you also give the teacher an opportunity to help your child cope well with each school day. 

Remember, depending on your child’s needs you can use meaningful items as tools, or simple reminders like cards with a word or picture to help them remember what their coping strategies are. Work with your child’s teacher to figure out a good place to keep the toolbox at school. Maybe your child can keep his toolbox in his locker or desk, or maybe she can store it in a specific pocket of her backpack. 

Conclusion

A coping toolbox can help kids of all ages learn how to handle emotions, develop good coping strategies, and test out important life skills. Creating a coping toolbox is a great way to help your child utilize their unique abilities as they make the transition back to school. If you feel that you could use some guidance in understanding your child’s emotions or helping them develop appropriate coping strategies, please get in touch with a team member at one of our locations in Portland, Eugene, or Corvallis. We’re happy to help.

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