Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts
Let it out!
There are a multitude of practices one can exercise to help calm anxious thoughts. I want to talk about one method that I feel is good practice in helping you with the way you deal with anxiety and anxious thoughts.
Generally speaking, when a person has anxious thoughts or is suffering with anxiety, they are over-thinking about the future and the “what ifs”. So grab yourself a journal and start writing down your thoughts, let them out!
I want you to think about,
What thoughts you are having? Write them down, time date etc….
How are these anxious thoughts making you feel emotionally and physically? Describe them.
Think about the triggers.
What were you doing when the anxious thoughts began? Describe and log.
Start writing in your journal and describe how and when you began having these anxious thoughts. is there a time line?
Who were you with? (is this a pattern).
If you were with someone, was it something they said or did? Describe how this made you feel. Do you think it was a deliberate act or just a misunderstanding?
Was there an event that triggered the anxious thoughts?
Sometimes events happen in our lives that trigger an anxiety attack leading to anxious thoughts. This could be a family rift or fallout, a death or an argument. Think about this and describe how it made you feel and why?
Was there a “now/present” trigger that reminded you of a past trauma?
Something that happened now can be a instant reminder of a past event that then leads you into being anxious about the future.
Are you procrastinating about a task you are putting off?
If so, why are you putting the task off? What is the worst thing that can happen? Think about this and describe.
The above are just a few examples of how to start logging in your journal. Not only will it make you feel a little calmer by getting it off your chest but you will, over time, start to see a pattern and then be able to start thinking about how to navigate coping strategies.
