How do you get those anxious thoughts out of your head? In this brief post, we will look at a great way to get to the root of what’s making you anxious and instantly calm your anxious mind, so you can get back to living your best confident life. 

First of all, what is anxiety?

It’s a future threat you can’t quite get your hands on.

When you feel a threat to your well-being or to the well-being of those you care about, what follows can be fear, dread, or at a minimum uneasiness. You might sweat, feel restless or tense, or have a rapid heartbeat.

Sometimes anxiety is simply a normal reaction to stress.

But anxiety can also be overwhelming.

What can you do about it?

Let’s do a little exercise together, shall we? This will only take a moment.

Ready?

Ask yourself, “What am I anxious about right now?” You will undoubtedly come up with several interesting and compelling scenarios. 

Choose one of them. It could be something like, “How am I going to get to the grocery store after work and still be on time to pick up the kids?” Or, “When am I going to ask for that raise?”

Okay. Got a specific scenario in mind? 

Good! Get ready to feel better soon.

Writing is key.

Follow these five easy steps.

1. Write down what you’re anxious about.

2. Next, write out what is the worst thing that might happen if you can’t do something about whatever it is you’re anxious about. For example: “What’s the worst thing that might happen if I can’t get to the grocery store after work and still be on time to pick up the kids?” Write your answer to that question. 

3. Assess your worst case scenario in writing. Something like, “Well, let’s see: If I don’t get to the grocery store in time, we won’t have lettuce for the salad.” Or, “The kids will have to wait on the curb after soccer practice all alone if I’m late.” 

4. Write out a plan to address your anxious concern. For example: “Forget it. I don’t have time to get to the store tonight. It’s just not that important.” Or, “I’m going to ask Rhonda to give the kids a ride home.”

5. Follow through on your written plan.

Is it really that simple?

Yes. It’s really that simple.

But why does writing work?

Writing works because it makes the intangible tangible.

The major factor with anxiety is that it is an intangible threat stuck in your head. As soon as you write it down, it goes from being an intangible threat to being something solid you can actually work on and solve.

Make this one of your atomic habits.

Atomic habits are small, powerful habits that change us from the inside out. 

Plan to take at least one small step today and tomorrow and the next day to write down your anxieties and follow through on what you’ve written.

You have enough time for this, even if you don’t think you do. The risk? Minimal. The benefits? Huge for you and for everyone who needs the improved energy you will bring to the game when you’re not wasting your precious time with unresolved anxiety.

And when you do focus on this new habit to calm your anxious mind, you will realize (perhaps for the first time) that this is how confidence grows. One small step at a time. Because you’ll finally understand how much time you’ve ben wasting on those anxious thoughts and how you can recapture that energy whenever those anxious thoughts present themselves again.

Calm your anxious mind by writing down what you’re anxious about, writing out a concrete plan of action, and following through on your written plan.