7 Gentle Reminders to Silence Anxiety
How to silence anxiety? —
Um, maybe a bit worried.
Maybe not before parties — but definitely before school tests!
I was pretty bad at school… 🙂
Anyway, I think it’s normal to feel a bit worried, right?
One thing that can help is the “What if…” method.
Let’s see how you can give it a go.
1. So, if you feel anxious or worried, start with this:
→ Spot your anxious thoughts
→ And write them down
For example:
→ What if I embarrass myself at the party?
2. Now, write down at least three different “what if” scenarios.
Just focus on scenarios that might happen instead of the worst-case one.
For example:
→ What if I have a great time and make new friends?
→ What if I feel a little awkward at first, but then I start to enjoy myself?
→ What if people are friendly and don’t even notice if I’m a bit nervous?
Those scenarios are real, right? 😉
3. Now I know what you’re thinking:
→ “How do I make myself think those scenarios are real?”
Great question!
Stick with me!
For each scenario, identify:
→ Likelihood
→ Feelings and Actions
→ Evidence
In short, ask yourself these 3 questions:
→ How likely is this to happen?
→ How would I feel and what would I do if this happened?
→ Do I have any evidence or past experiences that support this scenario?
For example, let’s take this scenario:
→ “What if I have a great time and make new friends?”
Your answers to the previous 3 questions might be:
→ Um, quite likely. Social events are for meeting new people.
→ I’d feel happy and confident. I’d enjoy myself and engage more.
→ Yes, at a previous party, I felt anxious but ended up having fun.
4. Did I convince you?
And most importantly, are you convinced?
To test it, reflect now on your original thought.
Ask yourself:
→ How do I feel about my original anxious thought?
→ Is it still as scary, or does it seem less likely to happen?
Probably the second part of the last question, right?
This is how we can trick our minds and silence anxiety.