Time To Take Back Control
The past few years have been stressful for all of us. From COVID and the ensuing lockdowns, job uncertainty and the current political state of affairs to the cost of living crisis and soaring inflation – there are so many things to feel worried and anxious about. You might feel like you’re constantly playing catch-up and this is tiring. This tiredness then has the effect of dragging you down even further exacerbating the process making us feel even more anxious and burned out than we were before. So how can we feel like we’re in control?
The past few years have been stressful for all of us.
From COVID and the ensuing lockdowns, job uncertainty and the current political state of affairs to the cost of living crisis and soaring inflation – there are so many things to feel worried and anxious about.
You might feel like you’re constantly playing catch-up and this is tiring. This tiredness then has the effect of dragging you down even further exacerbating the process making us feel even more anxious and burned out than we were before.
So how can we feel like we’re in control?
Sit With It
Acknowledging you’re feeling these things is the first step to accepting them. Once we understand that we’re having these feelings and know that they’re happening we can begin to accept that they are valid and deserve our attention.
It’s easy for you to listen to friends or colleagues who might say “you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill”, “you’ll get over it” or “everyone feels that way at some time”.
Your feelings are not the feelings of others. They’re your own and no one has the right to dictate how you feel or how long you need to get over something.
Ground Yourself
When you’ve realised you’re feeling anxious you need to lean into it so you can ground yourself.
Different things will work for different people.
For some it’s mediation techniques like breathing, for others it’s getting out into the fresh air and for others it’s smelling something soothing like lavender. You can check out this Healthline article for some great techniques to help you ground yourself.
Clear Your Mind
Anxious thoughts, if left unchecked, can build and build until that’s all you can think about.
Try to find a technique that allows you to address these thoughts so you can move past them.
For some it might be answering them directly: “What’s the worst that can happen? We fail but we can start again.”
For others it might be mentally putting them away in a little box.
For someone else it might be a physical activity like running or boxing.
For me? I like to imagine blowing them up. It’s a bit extreme, I give you that, but what works works, right?
Seek Help
If you find yourself thinking about the same things over and over, stressing about the same things day after day or getting caught up on smaller issues that you realise shouldn’t be having this much impact and it’s affecting how you live your life then please reach out to someone, there’s no shame in it.
Whether it is someone at work or school, a trusted family member, a friend or a professional like a GP or therapist, sometimes just talking can begin the process of working through your issues.
I’m obviously not a medical professional so I would strongly suggest you consult with one if you can but I’d be interested to hear from you about your grounding techniques or how you talk to your friends about things that are making you anxious so leave a comment and let me know.
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