You wake up, expecting to feel refreshed. Instead, you are met with a racing heart and an anxious mind. Not this again. There is so much to do today and this week, you can’t possibly figure out why you are anxious now. So, like anyone else would do, you try not to think about it. You try to push the feelings away. File your thoughts away for a time when you have the mental space to deal with it. Normal, yes. Helpful? Absolutely not.
Unfortunately, anxiety is one of those things in life where avoiding it does you more harm than good. You may not be actively thinking about your anxiety or what is worrying you, but your mind is still holding on to that thought. And when your mind is avoiding what it doesn’t want to deal with, it’s literally just saving it for another time. Are you avoiding your anxiety? If you are, you are likely doing more harm than good. Here are some reasons why avoiding anxiety doesn’t help and why it’s better to accept your anxiety and deal with whatever is worrying you.
Examples Of Avoiding Anxiety
Procrastinating Doesn’t Get It Done
We don’t know why we have a tendency to do this as humans. We put off what we know we need to get done. Whether that is shopping for the holidays, cleaning, or working on a big assignment at work – if we don’t want to do it, we are going to put it off. Even if it is something that is causing us to worry or feel stressed.
Avoiding any of these things may work in the short term, but can be very maladaptive in the long-term. Why? It isn’t actually getting anything done. Instead, you are likely spending more time thinking and worrying about the task than you would just doing it. And this procrastination will often just exacerbate your anxiety and worsen it until you are done.
Temporary Relief Does Not Equal Long-Term Solutions
When you have anxiety, you are desperate to try anything that will temporarily relieve it. Retail therapy is a prime example of this. You are feeling anxious and stressed, so to find some relief, you take yourself shopping. And you forget about the stress as you indulge in some new fun purchases, or practical ones. And your anxiety is gone now, right? Sure, except here’s the thing. It’s going to come back.
Often, the solutions we have for anxiety are just temporary ones that help in the moment. But when it comes to dealing with them in the long-term, they don’t really help.
How To Deal With Anxiety, Effectively
Learn Helpful Techniques That Treat It, Not Mask It
While there are likely a ton of things you can come up with that help you avoid dealing with anxiety, are any of them actually treating it?
Instead of temporary solutions to a long-term problem, come up with helpful ways that actually deal with anxiety. Some of these could be:
- Breathing techniques or exercises: These calm your body and mind down in the moment, relieving the anxiety, but also helping your nervous system cope with anxiety in the long term.
- Grounding exercises: When your anxiety gets too bad, practice grounding exercises. Identify 5 things you can taste, smell, touch, hear, and see. This also helps to soother your anxiety symptoms in a way that gives your body relief and helps your brain calm down.
Speak With A Counselor
One of the best long-term solutions to coping with anxiety is to work with a licensed counselor. They can help you determine what in your life is causing you the most anxiety and teach you the effective skills that treat anxiety and not just mask it.
As licensed therapists, we understand how difficult it can be to try to manage anxiety on your own. If you are ready to find long-term relief, contact us to learn more about anxiety treatment.
