It’s a hard time, so I want to share with you one of the most important tools of how to deal with anxiety and uncertainty.
I love this equation that sums up anxiety from Dr. Becky Kennedy: Anxiety = Uncertainty + Our underestimation of our ability to cope.
Most of the time we try to deal with the uncertainty side of the equation. When we get anxious our bodies want information and our brain tricks us into thinking that we’ll feel better if we get it.
We do a bunch of research, we Google, we try to find the answers. But as we all know, it doesn’t work because we can’t confirm anything about the future.
The more we try to solve the equation from the uncertainty side, the higher anxiety spikes, because we are ignoring the other side which is our underestimation of our ability to cope.
Anxiety makes us forget that we are strong people. So, let me remind you: You can do hard things, you’ve done them before, and you’ll do it again.
This week in the Mindfulness For Moms course we are talking about emotions. One of the tools in I teach is that when your kid is having a meltdown to name the emotion and allow it to run its course.
Each mom tried it with their own kids and was amazed at how quickly it prevented a melt down how quickly it settled it down.
We all want to be seen, heard, and understood, and that includes our emotions.
So, if you’re feeling anxious right now, try this:
- Name the emotion and accept it as it is.
Say to yourself, “I’m experiencing anxiety. Everyone gets anxious about things that might happen or we think are going to happen in the future.”
- Remind yourself of your strength and resiliency.
Tell yourself, “I have done things when I didn’t know how it would be, I have done hard things, and I can do it again. I am strong and I can do this.”
You have the capacity. You are stronger than you know.
If you want a quick way to relieve anxiety, click here to download my FREE Mindfulness for Stress, Panic and Anxiety here now!