How to Conquer Anxiety: 7 Timeless Pieces of Advice

Do you always seem to make predictions how things will turn out? Let’s dig a bit deeper—do you predict only the bad outcomes?

If you consistently do, then anxiety may already be taking over you.

You see, anxiety is when you think, or feel, that something bad is going to happen. This anxiety may yield fear, worry, panic or nervousness. And when you allow these to take charge, you’ll be left paralyzed, being stopped from realizing your everyday purpose.

Learn how to conquer anxiety. You know it doesn’t simply go away. But you can tame it, and carry on through your busyness, despite its presence. Here are timeless tips you can start adopting right now.

1. Be vulnerable.

This could be tough. But vulnerability could open doors for your own personal development. Perhaps you’ve been playing it tough by showing others you knew exactly how to handle your life, without the need for feedback or criticism.

Being vulnerable is being willing to learn more about yourself, by opening up a part of you to others. Remove the barriers that might be stopping you from taking this opportunity. Perhaps you’re only hiding, protecting your feelings from getting hurt. I wouldn’t blame you on that. But remember that every time we fall down, we have to get back up—how to conquer anxiety involves strength. Minding your emotions, or taking a break, from time to time, is a great practice. But if you want to learn exactly why you’re not yet living your dreams, it might be time to let yourself be a bit vulnerable.

Do it slowly so it won’t overwhelm you. Start with the people you trust.

2. Stay positive.

Even though it seems impossible, staying positive can be your best weapon of choice in times of anxiety.

Turn your negative statements into positive ones!

Instead of saying “For sure, I’ll fail again this time,” turn it into “I’ve been there before—I’ll be better this time!”

“I’m not the right guy for this kind of work” can be “Another great opportunity to learn—I’ll do my best!”

“There’s no hope left in this world” will be “Every day is another chance for me to make a difference!”

Aren’t you sick of worrying? Do you realize it keeps you from being great that you already are? Turn your mindset toward positivity—always.

Moreover, laugh. You can always laugh at your troubles. Your troubles are already taking place, and they’re there only to test you. You don’t have much of a choice but to overcome them anyway. So instead of letting them drag and crush you down, why not simply laugh at them? Happiness is a universal feeling, state of mind—whatever your situation is.

3. Take care of yourself.

Don’t forget your basic needs. And don’t fight anxiety if it meant not meeting those needs.

Eat well. Avoid sugar-rich foods, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol and chips. These are known foods that can aggravate anxiety.

Get enough sleep. Sleep enhances memory retention and lowers stress levels.

Exercise daily. Not only is it good for your physical body, but also for your mental health. Most of the time, your anxiety starts in your head. Keeping up through exercise will definitely help.

Get involved in your local community. Practicing sympathy and building rapport with other people bring positive vibes; they can preoccupy you for a good reason and keep you from entertaining anxiety, which doesn’t really help. Learning how to conquer anxiety also means going out there and getting social.

4. Now is the time.

Don’t torture yourself with things you can’t control. Sounds familiar? It’s anxiety after all.

Maybe you’re only overthinking. It might be about time to finally start letting go of things you can’t control.

Stop looking for signs or the perfect timing—that’s not how to conquer anxiety. You’re already experiencing it and chances are you’ve been experiencing it for too long now. If you let more time pass thinking how or when you’ll start facing your anxiety, you might only lose the courage to even start.

Drop your excuses. You may not get it right today, but you’ll be better tomorrow, and much better on the day after that—I guarantee it.

5. Expose yourself to your fears.

Many studies show that exposing yourself to what you fear helps you overcome that fear.

Do you have fear of dogs? Visit a dog park. Fear of heights? Try looking down the window at 10th Floor. Fear of public speaking? Prepare a good speech, practice it in front of the mirror, believe in yourself, get on that stage, then see where that fear goes.

Challenge yourself reasonably. You know what would terrify you—don’t come face to face with your ultimate fear right away—look for settings below that degree first. Keep up with your pace. The key here is to challenge yourself—it’s a way to overcome your fears.

If you can’t physically experience your fear (think taking a flight once a week), then try to imagine it. A good practice is to take a comfortable seat and then imagine you’re in front of your fear. Even imagine it getting worse.

Expose yourself to your fears—whether in the flesh or in your head.

6. Set small goals.

Admit it, you wouldn’t want to set big goals for now. They may only mean nothing or impossible to you.

Break down your goals into small and achievable goals. Make sure you can envision accomplishing them within a specific period of time, the shorter the better. Set something that will surely be within your reach.

The purpose of this exercise is to remind you of the reality that if you make plans to accomplish a goal—no matter how small or big—and follow those plans, you will get results.

The catch with achieving smaller goals is you see results faster. The only thing left to do is to find similarities between attacking smaller goals and attacking bigger and long-term goals. Think that, in reality, they are but the same. They may only differ in terms of their impact or consequences. But pushing forward on any undertaking requires almost the same wits, courage, persistence and self-control.

Needless to say, you need to set small goals to achieve the big goals they support.

7. Be open to any kind of help.

Start from your home. Then your friends. And don’t be embarrassed if you do need professional help. People can only give you what they think is best advice, but I’d always consider professional help. Those professionals must have found their passion to help people through their chosen field; have some faith in them.

Know that you’re not alone. What actually bothers me is that many people don’t realize, or admit, that they might already be experiencing anxiety, and that they need help. Some will never know how to conquer anxiety because they don’t acknowledge its presence in the first place.

You’re in a good place if you do recognize, or are at least open to the possibility, that you, or other people around you, are going through anxiety.

If managing anxiety means seeking help, be wise—step up.

Think About It

Learning how to conquer anxiety is sort of a mind game, a nice way to see it. Anxiety sits on your head, doesn’t want to leave, and patiently waits for the times you’ll let your guard down.

These are seven timeless pieces of advice you can use wherever you are. The human mind can do wonders, but it can also stop you from moving freely when in reality, you are free.

Fight anxiety. You are greater than that—the power of your decisions alone attests to that. Think: You decided to give in to anxiety. Now you can decide to live in the moment, do your best in what you do, and not unreasonably worry about your future.

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