3 Steps to Diffusing Anxiety

Anxiety is Normal

Anxiety is something that everyone deals with, to different extents, at some point in their lives. We experience Anxiety as a reaction to many different things, a common one being uncertainty. It is human nature to find uncertainty Anxiety provoking. We like familiar and predictable, because things that are familiar and predictable are safe. No matter what your current situation is, COVID-19 is the source of A LOT of uncertainty, and therefore A LOT of Anxiety. A recent poll reported that 18% of adults in the United states are currently experiencing nervousness and Anxiety. It is ok if you are struggling to cope with everything going on, you are not alone.

As much as we dislike Anxiety, and find it uncomfortable, it is actually a healthy human response that helps protect us and keep us safe. Our brains are wired to seek out potential danger or threats so that we can avoid them. This way of thinking is primitive and helped keep our ancestors safe during a time when they faced life or death situations regularly. It was useful for them to think, “WHAT IF that noise I heard is a tiger coming near the village.” In today’s society we don’t regularly face life or death threats like this, but our brains are still wired to continuously think about the “what if’s. However, now these “what if’s” typically stem from internal threats. What if I loose too much money during this pandemic and I can’t support my family? What if this quarantine lasts forever? What if this isolation triggers my Depression? These “What if” thoughts can trigger and fuel our Anxiety causing us to get lost in a spiral of unhelpful and scary thoughts. Luckily there are things we can do to help mitigate our Anxiety and prevent this spiral from happening. The following steps can used as a tool to do just that.

Step One: Defuse Negative “What if” Thoughts

The first step when we notice these distressing thoughts start to creep up is to defuse them. Giving into those “What if” thoughts gives our Anxiety something to latch onto. We can’t stop the initial thoughts from popping up, but we can respond in a way that will defuse them. For example, simply challenging the negative “what if” with a positive “what if.” Or try answering with a “so what,” “Whatever,” or “Oh well.” You don’t have to believe your answer, but by responding this way you are defusing the anxious spiral before it gets out of control. Defusing the Anxiety provoking thought is helpful, but a general feeling of Anxiety can often remain. 

Step Two: Allow and Accept the Anxiety

The feeling of Anxiety that remains after the thoughts are defused is the physical sensation of being in a flight or fight state. When this happens, the best approach is to accept what is happening and allow the sensations to come, however they are. Anxiety is much like quicksand, the more you fight against it, the faster you will sink. Allowing the sensations to come is by no means comfortable, but doing so will allow the nervous system to naturally regulate itself, further defusing the Anxiety. It can be helpful to remind yourself that Anxiety is simply nervous energy, it cannot hurt you. What makes the Anxiety seem scary is our emotional response to it. If we take away the fear, the physical sensations of Anxiety are identical to being really excited (heart racing, sweaty palms, butterflies in your stomach), the only difference is our perception of it. So…accept and allow the sensations, welcome the Anxiety to come, and pretend you’re excited about it. This seems counterproductive, but it works! The trick here is to not approach it with the intention of stopping the Anxiety, but instead with the intention of simply allowing it to come. 

Step Three: Fully Engage in an Activity 

The Final step in this approach is to fully engage in an activity. Find an activity you enjoy that takes your full attention and keeps you in the present moment. For example, call a friend or family member (avoid conversation about COVID-19 or Anxiety provoking topics), read a book, play a game, etc. This will keep your mind from getting sucked back into the Anxiety spiral, especially if the Anxiety has not fully defused. 

1. Defuse negative “What if” thoughts

2. Accept and allow the Anxiety

3. Fully Engage in an activity

Anxiety can feel very uncomfortable and scary. During uncertain times, like the one we are currently experiencing, Anxiety can be an everyday struggle. Approaching Anxiety using the steps listed above can keep it from disturbing our daily routine. However, Anxiety can be complex and difficult to cope with. This post is a simplified technique for mitigating Anxiety. If you are experiencing Anxiety that you are unable to manage yourself reach out to our trained therapists today.  We are now offering telehealth sessions to allow for therapy to be more accessible to the community. If you believe your anxiety is going beyond the limits of self coping, do not hesitate to reach out today and schedule a free consultation.