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Anxious thoughts seem to plague many, many people these days. Pretty much everyone has worrisome thoughts from time to time. After all, life is complicated! Some will suffer more than others. What one person might see as a minor inconvenience, another might react much more strongly, whereby strong emotions and anxious thoughts stay with them for days.
Anxious thoughts arise for a wide array of reasons. We might have failed at something when our expectations were very high. An seemingly insignificant event might trigger a memory of something that happened in the past that was deeply embarrassing or traumatizing, or both. Such a trigger can create a strong reaction that carries on for the remainder of the day, or longer.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to calm our anxious thoughts. With practice and repetition we can learn new habits of thought that acquire useful tools that will help us deal with anxious thoughts for the remainder of our lives. Here are a few ideas:
Talk With Friends Or Family Members
When dealing with anxious thoughts, it can be very helpful to talk things over with a good friend or trusted family member. Talking about problems may not immediately solve things, but it helps us process our thoughts and ease our emotions. Getting feedback from others helps us find our way to solutions, while clearing emotional debris helps us think more clearly.
Keep Yourself Energized Each Day
Focusing our mind on positive, or practical endeavors, keeps it occupied so that it doesn’t have time to revisit anxious thoughts again and again. Our minds like to think! It’s what they do. But, we can choose what our minds think about. Putting it to work learning something, problem solving, or creating will keep it busy and happy. We often think about feeding ourselves, drinking water, and resting in order to stay healthy – the mind needs activity too.
Seek Out Professional Help for Anxious Thoughts
In recent decades, great advances have been made in the field of neuropsychology and a plethora of tools have been developed to help those of us who find ourselves dealing with an abundance of anxious thoughts. It only makes sense to avail ourselves of professional support. EMDR is one such tool that is being widely used by therapists and psychologists that can work wonders for those dealing with anxiety and depression. See here what an EMDR therapist can do for one’s anxious thoughts. In addition to talk therapy, and tools such as EMDR, medications are available and a possible avenue of help.
Practice Positive Thoughts
This can be annoying to hear, but it’s something that works. Simply practicing positive thoughts can literally make you into a more positive and happy person. The trick is to think them and say them, even when you don’t feel them! Reciting “positive affirmations” and expressing gratitude can absolutely change how we feel. Prove it to yourself right now by writing down as many things that you are grateful for as you can. When you’re finished ask yourself, “Do I feel better?”. Even a little lift, when one has been suffering with anxious thoughts, can be a great relief.
Look For Ways To Actively Solve The Problems
Some problems seem to defy a solution. If, however, there is an action we can take toward a solution, doing so is in our best interest. Avoidance, on the other hand, can keep a resolution at bay for years and fill us with anxious thoughts. Taking action will not only help relieve frustration and anxious thoughts but helps us grow as a people. Acting on our problems helps us learn new life skills and practice them in real time. This can serves us well in the future.
