Living With Anxiety Is Incredibly Difficult, and Knowing How To Handle It Is Even Harder.

A situation or daunting task lying in the future can prompt more anxiety than normal because of the anticipation, which can trigger physical responses like panic attacks and cause mental spiraling. If you look at the situation and break it down in steps, it might not seem as scary and your anxiety can ease. Think of what will happen before, during, and after said task: What will it take to get there? What do I need to do when it happens to assure that I’m okay?

Although your anxiety seems like it can take over your entire body and become impossible to manage, the practice of mindfulness can allow you to detach from negative worries. Through mindfulness, you can become present instead of worrying about the future and interpret your anxiety as something that is, for the most part, something you can’t control and view it without judgment.

The stress that comes from the idea of being judged is instilled in most people who struggle with anxiety, and holds you back from achieving all the things you want to do. Maybe you're worried about your personality, or how you look, or maybe it’s something else entirely, but staying in a state of self isolation and fear isn’t going to help you get better. Reflecting on why you are so anxious and doing things that make you feel good and improve your self esteem will benefit all aspects of your anxiety.

As a teenage girl, social media can suck you in for long cycles of comparison to influencers, models, and others who you feel are better than you. This increases feelings of anxiety by making you feel like you have to put out a certain “perfect” image, cause addictiveness that impacts other aspects of your life, and trap you into constant comparison. Reading a book, exercising, baking, using any of the anxiety tools, and other activities where you can step away from social media gives your anxious brain a break.

Exercising releases endorphins and serotonin, which are the “happy” hormones that increase your mood and reduce feelings of stress. You don’t have to do a super intense workout that’s draining if that’s not your thing. Any amount of light exercise not only releases these hormones, but also keeps your mind occupied with something besides your anxiety. Exercising can also improve self esteem and confidence which makes you feel more secure with yourself, ultimately leading to less daily anxiety and a better quality of life.

It’s so easy to immediately judge yourself when you think about how anxiety has made you feel or held you back. However, this mindset only causes more insecurity and instability in your mental health which furthers anxieties. Switching the way you view anxious thoughts to a place where you can reflect on why you’re feeling like this is the skill that will help you calm yourself in future situations. Ask questions like: Why did this situation make me uncomfortable? What can I do next time to make sure I’m not so anxious?