How Do You Zap Anxiety?

It’s normal to feel anxious when embarking on a new project or pursuing a long-held dream – like getting your GED. After all, stepping out of your comfort zone can really amp up anxiety.

But here’s the deal: there’s an important reason you’ve chosen to pursue your goal – the “why” behind the goal. For example, maybe you need your GED to follow a particular career path or to go to college. In other words, it opens the door to opportunities.

Or maybe you just want that sense of completion or want to demonstrate to your children that anything is possible when you set your mind to it.

Whatever it is for you, keep your focus on the “why” and it can lessen the anxiety you might be feeling.

Below you’ll find a dozen additional ways to manage or release anxiety. The next time you feel anxiety creeping in, give a few of these strategies a try. Let me know which ones were helpful to you and how I can support you to get your GED and follow your dreams.

You’ve got this!

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How Well Do You Handle Anxiety?

Anxiety is different than fear but it is related to it. Fear is a feeling of tension that is associated with a known source of danger. Anxiety is also a feeling of tension, but in this case, the danger or the threat of danger is unknown. Anxiety is often anticipatory — worrying about the future. Without apparent reason, a person may worry about the success of their business, or fret over the health and well-being of a child, or feel apprehensive about their own health.

Anxiety is the culprit that wakes us in the night and won’t let us go back to sleep. It distracts us and makes us irritable and forgetful. Physical symptoms can include trembling or shakiness, clammy hands, dry mouth, sweating, headaches, neck pain, frequent urination, and heart palpitations.

Mild anxiety is normal in our daily lives and can be eased with some basic tools. Answer the following questions to find out how well you use some of these tools.

1. When I feel anxious, I take deep breaths to ground myself and calm myself down.

2. To ease some of the tension, I relax my body and physically release the tightness in my shoulders, neck, arms and chest.

3. I vent my feelings of anxiety by writing or talking to someone. This helps get the strong emotions off my chest and out of my body.

4. I channel the tension into some kind of physical activity like walking or sweeping the floor or doing the dishes, watering the yard.

5. I get a reality check by talking to someone I trust about my reasoning or thinking or the conclusions I’ve come to.

6. If I know I’m going to be in an anxiety-producing situation, I plan through how I will handle it; I get myself ready.

7. I watch how others get through stressful situations and model them; I ask questions about the best way to handle situations or events or people.

8. When the same anxiety comes up over and over, I log and assess possible causes and solutions.

9. When it doesn’t interfere with my normal life, I generally try to avoid people, places and events that I know will produce anxiety.

10. Sometimes, when I have to face a situation that I know will cause anxiety, I take someone with me.

11. I face and take responsibility for problems and commit to a plan of action, rather than avoiding, denying, minimizing or blaming.

12. I nurture a positive attitude.

13. I seek support from friends, counselors, self-help groups, etc.

Anxiety is a normal emotion that most people experience during the course of their daily lives. Some of it is healthy and can motivate us to get the hard things done. However, more intense feelings of anxiety are emotionally painful and can interfere with a person’s daily functioning. If you’re concerned about your feelings of fear and anxiety, don’t hesitate to call.

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Robyn MacKillop believes that all people are smart and capable of learning. Having taught multiple subjects for 20+ years at the high school, college and graduate school level, she has thrived the most with alternative students – the ones who are often ignored or discounted. Maybe it’s because she’s such a maverick – a rule-breaker who does whatever it takes to get her students from where they’re at to where they’re going. Robyn earned her Ph.D. in online education and leadership, and loves teaching online to provide her students with the tools to meet and surpass their goals, build confidence and have fun doing so. Learn more at www.GetThatGED.com and connect with Robyn on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.