When you’re feeling anxious, take a sip of this

Sometimes, it comes in the wee hours of morning. But it can come anytime: that anxious feeling in your gut. When it does, take a sip.

It’s too much.

The problem is too much happening too fast — with no relief in sight. The essence of anxiety is too much flow without the ability to control the flow. So what happens? It overflows all over you, leaving you with a mess in your lap. And who likes that?

Let it go.

Trying to control the entire situation is where we most often go wrong. For example: Let’s say you’re in a relationship that isn’t working out, whether at work or at home. What do you try to do? You try to control it — either by putting a stopper in yourself or actually trying to control a person you are struggling with. Good luck with that. Why? Because if you clam up, you will eventually explode, usually at the wrong moment. And if you try to control that person who is driving you crazy, you’ll end up pissing them off and have a condition in the end that is worse than it was originally.

What’s the answer?

Take a sip. Meaning, take on one small part of the whole overwhelming flow and work on that, rather than trying to control the whole person or situation. But which sip? That’s the question.

Prioritize.

Easy choice — hard life. When you don’t take the time to prioritize, you end up anxious. But when you do prioritize, you follow an old addage that makes your life much easier: Hard choice — easy life. But how do you decide what is most important? How do you make the hard choice?

Start here.

Please watch this brief (about 12 minute) talk by Laura Vanderkam, then come right back for today’s takeaway.

Key point:

Get your priorities in order, so when the moment of overwhelm comes, you will know better which sip to take — which one small part to deal with first — based upon what is most important to you.

Read more.

I can help you reduce anxiety, by getting your priorities in order.