Anxiety

Some anxiety can be good!

• Anxiety over the big math test coming up may cause you to study more!

• Anxiety over getting to the bus on time may cause you to set your alarm for an earlier time.

• Anxiety over staying safe may cause you to be more aware of your surroundings.

Anxiety is not good when:

• It effects your normal activities.

  • you can't study

  • you pull away from family and friends

  • you can't sleep well at night

  • You become overly irritable

What can you do when your anxiety is effecting your life negatively?

• Locate the trigger that is causing you to feel anxious:

  • Negative thinking? Do you find yourself thinking a lot of negative thoughts? Are you being too hard on yourself? Are you struggling with fear?

  • Lack of sleep? Are you choosing to stay up too late?

  • Social media? Are your activities on social media causing you to feel anxious?

    • Are you comparing your life to that of the lives you see on social media?

    • Are you judging your self-worth by how many likes or views you receive on social media?

  • A specific topic sets the worry ball in motion.

    • A relationship is strained (mom, dad, sibling, friend, etc)

When you locate the trigger of your anxiety, problem solve to alleviate your anxious feelings.

• Examples:

  • Negative thinking: practice thinking positively. Every time you find yourself thinking negatively stop and deliberately replace the negative thought with a positive one. If you are thinking about a weakness you see in yourself, make it a point to think about something you're good at. If you find yourself in a fearful state, make a list of the reasons you are afraid and a list of reasons to not be afraid. Usually, the list of reasons to not be afraid is longer and more substantial. If it isn't, find a trusted adult to talk over your fears with.

  • Lack of sleep? Go to bed earlier.

  • Social media: Make it a goal to stay away from social media. Enjoy the life you are actually living. Remember that the lives you see on social media aren't necessarily real. Your self-worth cannot be measured in views and likes!

  • Specific topic: If you discover a specific topic causes you to feel anxious, write out a plan to solve the issue. If a relationship is strained brainstorm ways you can work towards restoring it to a healthy relationship.