Hello!

I feel you on this, and I always ask myself the same question on days where I’m experiencing high levels of Anxiety. How am I supposed to manage this when I don’t want to be on medication?

The first step that helps me is acknowledging my Anxiety levels each day. I rate my Anxiety on a scale of 1-10 by using a chart, then I sit down.

The second step, I have a few options. I can sit or lay down for a few minutes to clear my mind and breathe, particularly doing a ‘mindfulness’ or progressive muscle relaxation exercise and notice my body sensations. Or, I can set a thirty minute timer for ‘worry time’ and jot my thoughts down. But I have to stop when that timer goes off and either take action on it, or I have to wait until the next day to add more to those thoughts. Lastly, I can call a non-crisis line or friend/ family member and talk with someone if I feel that’s what I need. Some people aren’t professionals so they may not have answers or may react differently than how you want them to, so make sure it’s someone who’s capable of helping you.

Another option, I google the thought/ feeling I’m struggling with, and I read about it. Reddit, Psych Central, etc. Sometimes the advice isn’t good, but it helps you identify what’s helpful advice, and what’s going to be detrimental to your mental health.

The bottom line is to realize what you’re feeling, and what method will you use to address it without avoiding the Anxiety/ allowing it to control you.

Sometimes, I start trying to change my thought process on my own after I mediate, write, etc.

“Yes, this situation is out of my control right now, and that’s okay. BUT I can choose how I feel, and I can choose to think of alternative thoughts.”

I also have the power to act in healthy and non healthy ways, and think about what actions ai can do to help improve my situation.

Ex. “I’m going to fail the semester at school because my college professor hates me and gave me an ‘F’. I hate this class, I’m not going anymore!”

In this situation, I can acknowledge I got an ‘F’, but I also can choose to perceive it in a different way. Maybe it wasn’t because the instructor hates me, but rather, I’m struggling to concentrate in class and I did not grasp the material.

I can choose to avoid class because it causes me Anxiety, or I can choose to talk with the instructor after the next class and ask for a retake quiz, or ask to make the grade up somehow. If I can’t do either of those things, I will find a third solution by advocating to my instructor that I want a better grade, and negotiate how to get there. Sometimes that means disability accommodations, other times that means tutoring. But don’t tell yourself your Anxiety is excuse of why you can’t do things, otherwise it will manifest itself in so many other ways. I did this, it’s hard to snap out of.

Anxiety isn’t easy, it’s frustrating. These things will take time and you will have slip ups but you’re in control🙂