How to Deal with Anxiety

Do you ever look at the successful people around you, or on social media, and wonder how they do it all? How do these women have kids, run multi-million dollar companies, look amazing and still appear to have their shit together? Are none of them freaking out on the inside? Do successful women mask their anxiety, or do they just not have it at all? These are the questions that I ask myself while I’ve been trying to figure out how to deal with anxiety.

I wanted to specifically talk about anxiety on this blog because it is something that I continually struggle with and I want you to know that you’re not alone.

What is Anxiety

According to healthline.com, anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. Growing up I was plagued with anxiety. Shockingly to those who know me now, I was a very shy child and hated situations where people would put me in the spotlight. Boy how times have changed! Back then, I would worry about my appearance, whether or not people liked me, being smart, doing what is expected of me, and everything in between. All of this caused me years of anxiety and self-esteem issues.

Feelings of anxiety are common when approaching new or unknown situations like starting a new job or giving a speech. Finding small ways of getting through these situations, like breathing exercises, will help relieve some of the stress caused by anxiety. However, if feelings of anxiety last longer than six months or start interfering with your daily life then you may have an anxiety disorder. At this time, you should contact your doctor for further recommendations.

Below are ways that help me deal with anxiety and are my own opinions. I am not a medical professional or an expert in anxiety.

How to Deal with Anxiety

Finally at 19 I had had enough. I had been living my own life and taking care of myself for two years at that point and needed to get a handle on my thoughts and emotions. That was when I discovered the phrase:

Other people’s opinions of me are none of my business.

That simple phrase changed my life and started my journey on how to deal with anxiety. I should also note that I was in the Marine Corps at this time which definitely boosted my confidence and self-esteem. For the next 10 years I didn’t worry about other people’s opinions of me. Afterall, Marines are taught and expected to be the best, so why would we worry about other people’s opinions?

Find a Mantra to Help Train your Brain

Once I started repeating that quote I was able to start living my life with my own intentions and I was able to work at being the best version of myself. I wasn’t always successful at it, but I didn’t care what other people thought when I faltered. Having this mentality helped to reduce my anxiety drastically. I no longer felt anxious because I was only focusing on my own expectations.

Find the Root of your Anxiety

A decade has passed since beginning my anxiety free life and I don’t think that I have ever had a worse case of anxiety than I have been experiencing over the past few months. When I finally sat down to investigate why I feel this way, I deduced that all of this anxiety is being brought on by the fact that I don’t feel that I have accomplished enough by the age of 30.

Deep down I know that I was meant to do more in this lifetime than I have, but I am not living up to my own potential. I am subconsciously sabotaging myself. When I look at women my age, or younger, that have led successful careers and I can’t help but think, “If they can do it, so can I!” I truly believe that there is enough success in the world for us all. But the difference is, these women ARE doing it, and I’m still just talking about it.

This is why Culley Avenue was created.

It is about helping women navigate their finances, reach their potential and push through barriers. However, I haven’t been able to articulate those topics on a regular basis because of my own self-sabotaging tendencies.

How to Calm Anxiety

Knowing what anxiety is and learning how to deal with anxiety is great, and where you need to start. But you also need to know how to calm anxiety. Here are a few things that help me get through periods of anxiety:

Write about it/talk about it.

Anxiety is extremely common and you would probably be surprised to know the amount of people you know who suffer from anxiety. If you’re not ready to talk to another person about anxiety, write about it in a journal. Writing down everything that is weighing you down helps to lessen the burden that anxiety causes on your mind.

Learn more

Sometimes, for me, anxiety is caused because I don’t know where to start or I don’t know how to move forward. This is when I have to remind myself that being successful does not happen overnight and it doesn’t happen by thinking that you know it all. Research and education in the field that you’re interested in is ongoing. You can never know too much. And the more you know, the more confident you are. Which leads to less anxiety-filled situations.

Stop watching TV and Stay off Social Media

If your anxiety is caused by what you’re watching on the news or on tv in general, then it’s time to shut it off. The same goes for social media. You are in control of the content that you consume. So if you are watching something or someone that makes you feel bad about yourself or brings up feelings of anxiety, it’s time to cut that out of your life.

Find a healthy hobby

Exercise is the best way to get your brain cells moving and it releases endorphins that help boost your mood. Not to mention it’s vital for a long life. Walk or do yoga or find something that will help keep you moving every single day. And stick to it.

I hope that even a small piece of this article will help ease your anxiety. It is such a common element in most people’s lives, don’t let it stop you from reaching your potential.What is your advice on how to deal with anxiety?

I also wrote a post about how to be happy that I think you will find useful after reading this post.