When you’re feeling stressed and anxiety is creeping up, all you want is to feel better fast. Unfortunately, many of us tend to get fixated on the future and get lost in the wave of “what ifs” like what if I fail, what if it doesn’t work, what if I make a fool of myself, what if they laugh at me?  I have got five tips for you to cope with your feelings and start feeling back in control.

• Take A Deep Breath

Inhale to the count of 5, filling your belly and then your chest. Hold to the count of 5, and then slowly exhale to the count of 5. Repeat several times to allow your body to kick in its natural relaxation response.

• Accept That You’re Anxious

Remind yourself that anxiety is just a feeling – and feelings pass! You don’t have to like it, but you do need to understand that when you accept that anxiety is just a temporary emotional response, you’ll be able to move on more quickly from the emotion.

• Use Positive Self Talk

Repeat out loud or to yourself a positive self talk mantra like “This anxiety feels bad, but I can use strategies to manage it and move through it quickly like I have before.” You can combine this with your deep breathing to combat the sea of “what ifs”.

• Focus On The Present

Stop, take a breath and focus on what is going on right now in this moment. If you’re not sure how to focus on the present moment and keep getting swept up into the negative self talk or “what ifs”, then go back to deep breathing and focus only on your breath.

• Focus On Meaningful Activity

Another way to focus on the present moment is to do whatever meaningful activity you would have been doing had you not started experiencing anxiousness. Take some sort of action to move out of your head and get back to living your life. 

When you’re feeling anxious, try to remind yourself be self-compassionate. Girl, you know these feelings will pass. You’ve made it through before, and you will right now. What kinds of tools do you use to help you pass through the feelings of anxiety? Leave me a comment below, and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter!