Four Simple Steps to Let go of Anxiety

Anxiety gets the best of us some of the time. It even gets to me! I am the type of person the likes to control everything: I hate it when I don't know what the outcome of an event will be. Maybe that is why I chose to become an entrepreneur. There is a certain level of control I have over my life that I didn't have before. Don't get me wrong, there are many things that I do not have control over, but I have started to accept that. I still get anxiety about things, but it isn't as bad as before.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

How can you deal with anxiety?

1. Identify anxious thoughts

Maybe you are up at night wondering what will happen if you don't do this, or if someone else does that. Your mind is racing and you don't even realize it!

Stop for a moment and realize that you are indulging in anxious thoughts. That is really the first step: acknowledging that you have a problem!

2. Question your anxious thoughts

• What is the likelihood that this worrying thought will happen?
• Has this happened before?
• Is the outcome really all that bad?
• Will it matter in a week, a month, a year, ten years?
• Why are you thinking this?

Answering these questions and questions similar to this will help you understand why you are thinking the way you are. Identifying the questions to these answers will allow you to see what you have control over and what you do not.

3. Let go of what you can't control

This one was a big one for me! I used to make 5 year plans that were detailed to a T. How ridiculous is that? No one know what will happen tomorrow or what the reaction of another human being will be.

I got used to the fact that there are only certain things that I can control. The biggest ones are: how prepared I am for a situation and how I react to a situation. I realized I cannot control what other people do or what other people think. I can't spend my day worrying about all the potential outcomes of an event. I am not a supercomputer after all! 

This little piece of advice is important, but it is the hardest one to implement. It took me months, if not years, to let go of the things I cannot control. 

4. Keep yourself busy

Part of letting go of what you cannot control is keeping busy with the things you CAN control. When you are busy doing your best at the task at hand, you don't have time to indulge in worrying, anxiety ridden thoughts. 

What are your tips for dealing with anxiety?