If you feel anxious, do this:

By Gunila Pedersen • • 2 min read

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Hi {{ subscriber.first_name }}!

If you feel anxious, do this:

  1. STOP, and acknowledge you’re feeling anxious.
  2. Feel where it is in your body (tense jaw? Knot in stomach? How are you breathing?)
  3. Notice that anxiety is just an emotion and can’t harm you. It doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong, or that YOU are wrong
  4. Breathe into the areas of the body where you feel the anxiety, without trying to make it go away, just breathe and notice it. Spend a couple of minutes here.
  5. Now take out a piece of paper or write on your phone/tablet/laptop. Answer the questions:
  • Why am I feeling anxious?
  • For example> “I just realised I should have paid this bill last week”, “There are a ton of people in the waiting room” “I don’t have enough time”, “I don’t know how to do this”.
  • Now, to that answer, ask : And so what? What does that mean?
  • For example > “They’ll take my car”, “People will be angry for waiting so long”, “I won’t finish all”, and so on.
  • Then ask yourself, in detail: What’s the worst case scenario/outcome of these situations?
  • By writing down concrete facts about what’s stressing your out, and facing the worst case scenario instead of trying to hide from it or buffering with working harder or eating muffins, you’ve shown your brain that you’re on top of it, and in control of the situation.

6. Now check in with your body again: How are you feeling now? How are you breathing?

For me, what most helped me overcome my anxiety was realising that even the worst case scenario was something I would be able to cope with.

For example, when I had a complaint against me, the worst case scenario was being expelled from the Veterinary College and not being able to work as a veterinarian (highly unlikely due to the nature of the complaint, but still a possibility). And I realised that I could find work as anything else, even if just in Starbucks, and survive.

What’s a typical situation that creates anxiety for you?​
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