5 Ways to Manage Your Anxiety During a Crisis
- Anxiety can be debilitating, especially during high-stress situations.
- With the right coping strategies, you can overcome anxiety and function when it counts.
- A combined therapy approach can help you learn stress management skills and better regulate your emotions.
Anxiety manifests differently for different people, but in a crisis, it can feel impossible to overcome. Luckily, there is a path out of the overwhelm.
Miami Hypnosis and Therapy uses innovative therapeutic strategies designed to get to the root of the problem. Here are 5 helpful therapy tools to control your anxiety during a crisis.
1. Learn What Your Triggers Are
Anxiety and depression can derail your entire week. While there is no “off” switch for negative emotions (and no “on” switch for uplifting ones), avoiding triggering situations can help prevent a downward spiral before it starts.
One way to manage anxiety is to start exploring what starts the negative thought cycle. You can try asking yourself at the end of each day, “What was my mental dialogue today? What situations were connected with those thoughts?” You might notice negative thought patterns connected with a specific conversation, or after watching the news. This is one tool professionals often recommend to clients in therapy to control anxiety during a crisis.
2. Take Care of Your Body
Managing anxiety starts with taking good care of your body. Nutritious food makes a huge difference in our body’s ability to effectively manage stress. Likewise, sleep and physical activity are essential cues for our brains to produce “feel-good” hormones and recover from the mental and physical demands of the day.
If your diet, sleep schedule, or physical activity are off, start by taking just small steps as you guide yourself towards a healthier lifestyle. In therapy, you’ll learn to pick one small habit that you can incorporate into your daily routine to control your anxiety and avoid your own internal crisis. For example, dimming the lights and starting your bedtime routine half an hour earlier, or having a ten-minute walk at lunchtime can help you calm your mind and body. Notice how you feel after doing this new habit. Focusing your attention on the positive feelings in your body will make it easier to keep it up.
3. Confide in a Friend or Family Member
Speaking with a trusted friend or loved one is its own form of therapy. Controlling anxiety during a crisis can be challenging, but having a support system can help. Sometimes, just talking to the people you care about and having someone there to listen proves to be a simple but effective way to manage anxiety and depression. A compassionate ear and helpful feedback can help you break out of unhelpful thought spirals and behaviors.
Anyone can feel like life has been turned on its head while dealing with a crisis. Oftentimes, you’re not the only one who’s worried. Reaching out and sharing your concerns outside of formal therapy reminds you that, even in your anxiety, you’re not alone, and you can learn to control it. You might also hear some helpful advice from someone who’s had a similar experience.
4. Be Kind to Yourself
Isn’t it funny how we often speak to ourselves harshly, while saving kind words for others? The path out of anxiety involves showing yourself care and compassion. Try taking a step back and thinking, “How would I support a friend in the same situation?”
Learning how to manage anxiety during a stressful situation starts with accepting that it’s okay to step back and take a breather. Berating yourself for missteps or shortcomings serves no real purpose. Instead, consider practicing self-care. Treat yourself with the kind of patience you might use for a struggling loved one, and remember: weathering the storm is an achievement in itself.
5. Speak With a Professional
There’s plenty we can do for ourselves to maintain our mental health, but professional support is one of the best ways to manage persistent mental health challenges. Certified therapists use well-researched therapy methods to help you control your anxiety in times of crisis (both real and perceived), helping you acknowledge damaging thought patterns without acting on them.
Break Free from Anxiety
At Miami Hypnosis and Therapy, Anna Marchenko, LMHC, M.A., Ed.M., creates individualized exercises for her clients to unlearn unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. To better address anxiety in all its complexity, she offers neuro-linguistics programming, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, and EMDR. Many therapies are also offered virtually over Zoom. These methods have been rigorously studied and found effective specifically as therapy to control anxiety and mental health crises. Rather than simply uncovering why an individual is struggling, Miami Hypnosis and Therapy empowers clients with tools to better regulate their emotions and keep moving forward.
Chances are, you’re reading this because you’re tired of feeling that you’re not living to your full potential. Discover resources to break the negative cycle and start creating positive life-long habits by reaching out to Miami Hypnosis and Therapy today.
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