Right now on a scale from 0 to 10 where a “0” is completely relaxed and a “10” is a full-blown panic attack, how anxious are you? Whatever your rating is, what do you think it was an hour ago? Lower? Higher? The same? It’s important to rate your anxiety for three main reasons:
Catching Anxiety Early
If you are going to learn how to control your anxiety, you need to develop a keen awareness of when it starts to escalate. Granted, sometimes anxiety escalates at break-neck speed, but the more sensitive you become to your changing level of anxiety, the better you’ll be able to “catch it” before it becomes a panic attack.
The higher our emotions (not just anxiety), the more difficult it is to think. You are going to be able to calm yourself down from a “6” much more easily than from an “8” or “9.” And if your anxiety reaches a “10”? A ten for most people is the “point of no return,” meaning that it is a panic attack. If you reach this point, just remember that panic attacks don’t last forever, they last 10-15 minutes. You can try again to calm yourself once the panic attack is over.
Finding Triggers Of Anxiety
Once you become more aware of the changing experience of anxiety in your body and mind, you can start to look for the things that trigger it. Keep in mind that there’s innumerable things that trigger anxiety and some of them are very subtle. Subtle triggers might range from merely being too hot, hungry, or tired all the way to thoughts, images, and memories that are floating in our mind just outside of our awareness. Sometimes triggers are linked together–meaning a body sensation might lead to a memory which leads to a thought that raises anxiety. It may sound complicated, but with a little detective work most people can pinpoint most of the triggers that are leading to their rising anxiety. But first things first, you cannot look for triggers unless you are aware that you are anxious. This is why rating your anxiety is so important!
Taking Action
If you know your anxiety is rising and what might be triggering it, it’s time to un-trap yourself from that trigger! Anytime your anxiety reaches a “5” it’s time to do something meaning, you want to bring it down below a “5.” Even if you can only bring it down to a “3” or “4” it’s movement in the right direction.
So what can you do? What normally calms you down? What would “un-trap” you from the trigger? If you’re too hot, take off your jacket. If you are hungry, eat. If you are agitated while standing in line at the grocery store, talk to the person behind you or read the magazine covers. Other things such as abdominal breathing, prayer, visualization, and self-talk are effective for lowering anxiety. Read more about ways to stop mind chatter here.
If you are interested in learning ways to identify what your specific triggers are and how to bring your anxiety levels down more quickly, we can help. Book a free consultation with one of our certified therapists here.
