Hereâs an easy 5 step process: Grab 2 pieces of paper (fold them so they fit in your pocket), a pen, and hereâs something that will really shock you.
1.Every time that something makes you feel stressed or anxious, write it down.
Watching the news, seeing specific things on Instagram, having a meeting with a specific coworker, texts from an old boyfriend/girfriend, having conversations with a certain relative on the phoneâ¦all of it.
2. Do this for a few days.
Replenish the paper if you need to, but carry it everywhereâ¦I donât want you to miss a thing!
3. At the end of those days, look at your papers. Youâll have a pretty detailed list of all the things that make you feel stressed or anxious.
Some of the things might be repetitive (if you are tracking for 3 days, you might have the same meetings, etc..).
4. Put all your stressors or things that cause you anxiety, onto one âmaster sheet,â and then decide how you will reduce, eliminate or avoidâ¦.(or âtackleâ) each one.
That right:
Reduce - sometimes, you canât eliminate the stressful thing. For example, itâs a parent you still want to talk to or a necessary work meeting. But, can you reduce the contact you have with this person? Maybe use email instead of Zoom (face-to-face) and reduce the stressor? Think of solutions.
Eliminate - sometimes, you can cut things altogether. Is Instagram making you feel stressed and terrible about your life? Delete it.
Avoid - sometimes, you can just avoid certain things and bring down your stress load. Avoid talking about politics (or reading about it), avoid the news on television and choose something elseâ¦
âTackleâ - If you are feeling very braveâ¦you can also add this element, and how youâll address it! For example: Have that hard conversation with your spouse, etc. [Note: No pressure on this oneâ¦put to later if necessary]
5. Put your plan into Action!
Actually stick to the plans you have around changing some of the things above.
Understand that this will not be perfect, and sometimes people have a type of anxiety that doesnât involve triggers (panic attacks, etc.).
The hope is that you use this to give you a massive head start in understanding what your stressors areâ¦what makes you anxiousâ¦and begin to take more control in the things you *can* control.
Start the process!!
The key is, you have to know what stresses you out before you can take action, and this gives you a clear way to do just that!
Answered2021-09-11 06:39:26
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