Write down your worries. Keep a pad and pencil on
you, or type on a laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
When you experience anxiety, write down your
worries. Writing down is harder work than simply
thinking them, so your negative thoughts are
likely to disappear sooner.
Create an anxiety worry period. Choose one or two
10 minute worry periods each day, time you can
devote to anxiety. During your worry period, focus
only on negative, anxious thoughts without trying
to correct them. The rest of the day, however, is
to be designated free of anxiety. When anxious
thoughts come into your head during the day, write
them down and postpone them to your worry period.
Accept uncertainty. Unfortunately, worrying about
all the things that could go wrong doesn’t make
life any more predictable it only keeps you from
enjoying the good things happening in the present.
Learn to accept uncertainty and not require
immediate solutions to life’s problems.
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A variety of medications, including
benzodiazepines and antidepressants, are used in
the treatment of anxiety disorders. But medication
is most effective when combined with behavioral
therapy and anxiety self help strategies.
Medication may sometimes be used in the short term
to relieve severe anxiety symptoms so that other
forms of therapy can be pursued.
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