Managing Anxiety for All Ages
Feelings of anxiety can hit a person at any time on any given day. Anxiety doesn’t always wait for an anxiety provoking event to occur, it can appear thinking about a past event, a present situation, or a future anticipated event. Anxiety can actually appear out of nowhere just by your brain linking a similar situation or seeing a person that reminds you of someone that caused feelings of anxiety.I have found that there are three strategies that have been successful in managing anxiety. In the event you experience anxiety, especially in a public place that warrants a quick strategy to manage it, this first strategy may be helpful…
AAMO. I created this acronym that represents “ammunition”. The first A stands for Acknowledge. Acknowledge that anxious thought. Do not try to push it out no matter how uncomfortable it feels. When trying to force certain thoughts out of your mind, it actually can have a reverse effect, The anxious thought most times comes back with a vengeance. Instead acknowledge it.
The second A stands for Acceptance. Accept that you are feeling anxious. Instead of saying “I am anxious” Tell yourself, ” I am having a thought that I am anxious”. In the case of fear, instead of saying “I am scared to death”, Say to yourself, “I am having a thought that I am really scared”. How does this help? When you talk in absolutes, you own the thought and label it as permanent. When you change your language to “I am having a thought she does not like me” It tells your brain that it is just a thought, and we have thousands of thoughts in a day, therefore this thought will pass along through like the many other thoughts we have.
The M, stands for Move, and the O stands for On.. Move on. Move on after you acknowledge and accept the thought. Chances are the thought that is bringing you anxiety will move on out of your mind because you are accepting it and not forcing it to leave. It reinforces to your brain, and self, that it is safe to have these thoughts, they are not going to harm you, and you can safely send them on their way in other words, you are MOVING ON!
Coming up next week, I will introduce the second strategy that you can practice to be more at peace, and be in control of anxiety at any time, anywhere!
Clinician
Ann macfadyen, lpc
“When trying to force certain thoughts out of your mind, it actually can have a reverse effect. The anxious thought most times comes back with a vengeance. Instead, acknowledge it.”