Five Ways to Calm Situational Anxiety

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Your heart pounds. Your palms sweat. Your mind races -- going over the million different things that could go wrong. You feel like the anxiety is seeping out of your pores making a puddle on the floor for all to see, but in fact, you are not alone. Approximately forty million Americans suffer situational anxiety at the hands of everyday and unavoidable tasks like job interviews, public speaking, and other situations that put you outside of your control and comfort zone. But, you truly don't have to suffer in silence. Read on for five tips to calm situational anxiety:

 

1. Break The Situation Down Into Small Steps:

Most times, it's the size of the situation that overwhelms us. Break it down into small pieces/tasks and tackle those one by one - telling yourself you can certainly tackle this small piece of the puzzle. Anxious about the mountain of work on your desk with a looming deadline? Break up the mountain into small, manageable hills and give yourself reasonable deadlines for each one. As you tackle each, move towards the next until the whole project is done. You can use this technique for anything that causes situational anxiety.

 

2. Talk Yourself Through With Facts, Not Fears

One of the biggest causes of situational anxiety is allowing our fears to run out of control with "what ifs" or worst case scenarios. Although "worst case scenario" thinking is very common, the worst very rarely happens. When these out-of-control thoughts start, think about your past success. How many times have you really been ridiculed at an office presentation? Were you ever actually so tongue-tied you were laughed out of an interview? It's human nature for an audience to remember what went right, not what went wrong. Realize that most people are empathetic because they feel situational anxieties themselves and will overlook minor slip ups.

 

3. Be Certain You're Not Transferring The Anxiety From Another Situation

Anxiety-prone people generally strive to avoid unpleasant feelings and situations - so much so that they are masters of pushing down or putting aside any thing they find upsetting. Although it would seem this is a self-preservation technique that lessons anxiety, it actually does the opposite. If you don't deal with the issues, feelings or situations, they will only come out somewhere else. For example, if you are feeling anxiety about a presentation at work when you've successfully given many, take inventory and make sure you're not avoiding another issue. Until you do, situational anxiety is likely to rear it's ugly head in places where you actually aren't feeling particularly anxious.

 

4. Take A Break From The Cycle Of Tension And Relax

Your body generally will have the same physiological response whether the stress is from an actual stressful situation or anxiety stemming from the mere thought of one. Your body tenses up either way and makes the anxiety worse. As soon as you feel your body's own signals of situational anxiety (racing heart, what-if thoughts, sweaty palms, etc.) take a break. Get up, even if it is only for five minutes, and take whatever steps you need to break this cycle. It may be talking a quick walk, turning on soothing music, or shooting a few hoops. Your body needs a break from the tension because if left unchecked, the tension will only feed on itself and make the situational anxiety worse.

 

5. If The Situational Anxiety Is Reoccurring Or Limited To One Fear, Face It Head-On.

If you find yourself having a repeat of the same situational anxiety over and over again and these techniques are ineffective, then you have to face the repetitive anxiety head-on. Doing so is really the only way to take away the reoccurring power the situational anxiety has over you. For example, if you're absolutely mortified of public speaking, seek out small, doable opportunities to hone you skills. Gaining confidence is a sure way to decrease anxiety. You could begin by giving a dinner toast each night, volunteering to speak in small groups, or taking a community theater class. With each step, you'll gain more and more confidence and the situational anxiety will begin to weaken it's grip. Eventually, a situation that would've left you highly anxious will no longer even register any alarm.

We all face situational anxiety. But it is truly a burden that you don't have to carry. Break the task or situation into small steps. Remind yourself of rational facts and past successes. Take inventory of anxieties you may not be addressing. Take a break and relax. Face any reoccurring anxieties head-on. Know that all of these things will lessen the anxieties, so you don't need to worry another second.


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Quotes

"Many people have a sense of impending disaster, and think they're going to faint, lose control or even die. You need to tell yourself that this is not going to happen and the symptoms you're experiencing are caused by anxiety"

Prof Paul Salkovskis

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