Nervous to meet your in-law? Nervous to drop your child on his first day of school? Anxious about your family’s health? Finances?
- Surround yourself with a good support system: The natural feeling is to withdraw from friends, loved ones, and even personal interests and hobbies. However, choose intentionally to be with the ones who care. Start with one person – a best friend or spouse or sibling. Choose one person to talk to about what is going on. Tell them how you are feeling? What you are thinking? Then you slowly (or at your own pace) open up to others about your anxious feelings.
- “Think happy thoughts” – sounds familiar? This is a meditation technique. It works! Find good quotes and encouraging word and peruse over them every day. The first space to change is your head space. When your mind is full of negative thoughts, then you will respond with negative actions. It is okay to FEEL nervous; don’t allow the nervousness to hinder you from moving forward and giving your best in any situation. One of my favorite quotes is: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your request known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will rest on your hearts and minds.”
- Problem-solving. Sometimes, we feel nervous about circumstances that we can resolve. If you are in a toxic work environment that breeds anxiety, first try to see how you can be a part of the solution. Perhaps, the anxiety will subside by making the workplace more organized. If nothing changes, look for another job. Another example is being anxious about things beyond our control. It is common for parents to be anxious about their children’s future and how they will turn out. Well, that is beyond your control. You can only do the best that you can at this moment. Solve what you can and leave the rest.
If the anxious feeling starts to spill into your daily activities and affects your physical health, talk to a professional. Get medical help. There is no shame in getting the help you need to stay calm (that is part of the first step/point).
“Walk it out and find joy in the activity that typically unravels your nerves. No moment last forever.”