Reframing Anxiety

Written By Colēgia

Anxiety is something that often has a negative association with it and while it can be debilitating, there are ways to help with that. Rather than viewing anxiety as something negative, today we want to take some time to reframe it and see it in a more constructive light.

Acknowledge it When it Happens

One of the more common mistakes that happen when confronting anxiety is that many of us do our best to push past those feelings and ignore them. This has the unwanted side effect of us not recognizing the symptoms of anxiety when it happens. Instead of denying it, we want to focus on acknowledging anxiety when it arises. This is important for a multitude of reasons. Anxiety can cue you into things within your immediate surroundings that can be threatening for example such as somebody dangerous. It can also be an alert to behave a certain way around others. Being aware of this is good as it can signal to your brain that you may need to be more cautious of certain events along with recognizing what makes you uneasy. Taking the first step to say that you acknowledge how you feel can help you make better decisions and come to view anxiety as something constructive.

“Instead of denying it, we want to focus on acknowledging anxiety when it arises.”

Tune Into Your Feelings

Your emotions are closely tied to anxiety as well. It can amplify negative feelings and make it harder to focus on the good. There are ways to work on this though. A good example of anxiety comes in the form of eustress, otherwise known as positive stress. This type of stress is good as it relates to an action that gets you anxious in a good way such as wanting to be prepared for a test you're looking forward to. Reviewing how anxiety affects you is one such way to use this more constructively. If you feel that you're nervous about your performance you can tune into these feelings and use them as a means of working on areas that can be improved upon. The willingness to shift things into a more positive viewpoint is how we can use our emotions in a helpful manner.

“A good example of anxiety comes in the form of eustress, otherwise known as positive stress.”

View Anxiety as a Friend

By far one of the most helpful perspective shifts when it comes to reframing anxiety is to look at it as a friend that's trying to help you. Most of us see anxiety as something unwanted that we are trying to get rid of but it serves a useful and practical purpose. It can be used as a motivator for change and to help you do things that are good for your well-being. It can promote feelings of empathy by letting others know that you've been through similar situations. It can provide the courage needed to take action and give you the mindset needed to do that. In many ways, it can be a push in the right direction. Looking at it like this can help us view it as more of a concerned friend who is looking out for us and trying to do the right thing.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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