Do something positive instead of worrying. Action is the antidote for anxiety.

/ Inspiration, Problems/Challenges, Productivity, Success/Achievement, Well-being / By

Last night I couldn’t sleep. Well, I got to sleep ok. Getting to sleep is never usually a problem for me. Staying asleep on the other hand is my issue. Last night I woke up at 2:09 am and did not get back to sleep after that. I was careful not to put on any lights when I got up to go to the loo. For me putting on a light can ruin any chance of getting back to sleep. I hopped straight back into my warm spot in the bed and snuggled back down but it didn’t do any good. The longer I lay there the more awake I became.

I wasn’t particularly worried about any one thing but my mind was full of ideas about things I could do regarding some projects I’ve been working on and thinking about lately. I tried listening to podcasts but that just fed the ideas. In the end, I decided to just get up and take action on some of the tasks I was thinking about. So, at 4:09, exactly two hours after trying to get back to sleep I got up and started putting down all my thoughts into an action plan on trello.com.

It got me thinking about action being a remedy for anxiety. I was talking to a loved one about this very thing over the weekend just gone. Anxiety can take many forms and sometimes we can’t even pinpoint what exactly our fear is. Or, sometimes the fear is so big or there are so many we feel totally overwhelmed.

I have always found that taking some sort of positive step, even the tiniest one, towards the problem can help lower my anxiety level. Doing something, even if it is just writing down a list of possible actions, gives me comfort in that I am actually doing something to solve the problem or prevent it from happening.

Next time you feel your anxiety levels start to rise try some deep box breathing and think about where your fear is coming from. Ask yourself if there are any actions that you could take to help you feel that you are taking some positive steps. Even making a list, like I do, is helpful. Just remember, as I remind myself, that once you’ve made the list you actually have to take action and do something to start crossing things off it. If you don’t then you end up with more anxiety. But it only takes one small step at a time to get to where you want to go. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Megan Ruffino
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