Early in the morning, you open your eyes and feel a tightness in your belly. Your worries from yesterday haven’t left, and you can already tell today might be challenging.
Why do these worried feelings keep returning, even when you try hard to make them go away?
Now is the time to look into the habits that make us feel more anxious without knowing. Let’s think about what we do every day.
Then, imagine discovering four habits you didn’t realize made you more anxious.
These habits have been quietly making your stress worse without you noticing.
We will learn about them now so you can start feeling better.
Finding out about these habits is a big step to feeling less anxious.
Once you know these habits, you can start changing them.
The good news is you don’t have to change everything at once. It’s about small changes in how you think and what you do that can make a big difference.
It’s your time to learn about these habits, change them, and start feeling more peaceful and happy.
By the end of reading this, you’ll know more about how to handle anxiety and feel more at peace inside.
1. Constant Self-Criticism
As we move through life, it’s common to have a voice inside us that often tells us we’re not doing things right or could be doing them better.
This voice that keeps telling us we could do better can make us feel worried, lower how we think about ourselves, and make it hard for us to be happy.
But we don’t have to let this voice make us feel bad. We can learn to be kinder to ourselves and replace these harsh words with kindness.
I’ve learned over time that constantly telling ourselves we’re not good enough can trap us in a cycle of feeling inadequate and doubting ourselves. This can make us more anxious and feel less valuable.
But, if we notice this pattern and try to change our thoughts, we can escape it.
When you listen to your thoughts, you start to see when you’re being hard on yourself. Try to notice these thoughts without thinking they’re right or wrong.
Understand that these thoughts are just thoughts and might not be true.
By paying attention this way, you give yourself room to think differently about the voice that’s hard on you.
The good thing about this is that you can decide to be kinder to yourself when feeling down.
Be as kind and understanding to yourself as you would be to a good friend or someone you care about a lot. Instead of being hard on yourself, try to encourage yourself gently.
Tell yourself it’s okay to make mistakes and face challenges because everyone does. These don’t show your true value or what you’re capable of.
If we’re honest with ourselves about what we’d like to hear from others, we can start saying those same kind and supportive things to ourselves.
Think about how you would comfort a friend who is struggling. Use that same kindness when you talk to yourself.
Decide to change the way you talk to yourself inside your head.
When you have thoughts that are hard on you, think of positive things to say instead.
Be around people who make you feel good and do things that help you be kinder to yourself.
Remember, being kind to yourself is something you learn over time, and it takes work to improve.
By being kinder to yourself and not always being so hard on yourself, you can feel less anxious and build a better relationship with yourself.
Stop thinking you need to be perfect and accept how valuable you are just the way you are.
Accept yourself and feel good about your steps to get better.
Let being kind to yourself be an essential part of your life, and see how it changes how you feel and your view of the world.
2. Seeking Certainty
Yes, understanding our need for certainty and control is key.
We often look for steadiness and things we can count on in our day-to-day lives, wanting to feel safe and avoid worrying about what we don’t know.
But, interestingly, this constant chase for certainty can make us more anxious because it’s impossible to control everything in our lives.
Yes, it’s normal to want to feel safe and have things go smoothly.
We try to avoid problems and ensure we follow a clear path.
But life is full of surprises.
No matter how much we plan or try to make things certain, things we didn’t expect can happen, making us feel worried and unsure.
If you notice you’re always looking for certainty and control, seeing how this might affect your feelings is essential.
Wanting to be sure about everything and not liking surprises can lead to feeling on edge, as you always look for what might go wrong next.
Learning to be okay with not knowing everything can help you feel less worried.
It’s good to have plans, but know it’s okay when things don’t go as expected.
Understand that surprises are a part of life, and being okay with this can help you feel calmer.
Changing how you think about not knowing makes you feel less anxious and more open to new experiences.
Instead of trying to make everything certain, work on being more flexible and able to deal with changes.
Pay attention to what’s happening right now and do things that make you feel relaxed and happy.
Believe in your ability to handle challenges, even when unsure of what will happen.
What good can come from being okay with uncertainty and accepting things as they are? Being open to not knowing helps us grow. It makes us more adaptable, better at solving problems, and able to handle changes.
Being okay with not having all the answers lowers our worry, makes us feel more at peace, and lets us enjoy life more.
If this sounds like you, think about being mindful, meditating, or talking to someone who can help you be more okay with uncertainty and accept life as it comes.
It’s OK to stop trying to make sure everything is okay. Being open to the unknown can help you grow stronger, feel better, and live happier lives.
Choose to see uncertainty as just a part of life. Let go of the need to control everything and find comfort in knowing that some things are out of your hands.
This way, you can lower your anxiety and make room for a more peaceful and rewarding life.
3. Social Media Overconsumption
This isn’t about saying social media is all bad or not seeing how it helps people connect worldwide.
It’s about noticing how using social media too much can hurt our mental health, especially by making us feel more anxious.
Things like constantly looking at our phones, comparing ourselves to others, and worrying about missing out can make us feel more anxious and less happy.
Then, we start comparing ourselves to others. Social media shows us a perfect world of great moments from other people’s lives.
It’s easy to start thinking we’re not as good when seeing these perfect pictures and stories. This can make us feel bad about ourselves and more anxious.
Seeing everyone else’s successes and great moments all the time can make us feel like we’re not doing as well, which makes us doubt ourselves.
Why do we need to be careful with how we use social media?
Our happiness and mental health are at risk. Spending too much time on social media has been linked to feeling more anxious, sad, and wrong about ourselves.
It’s essential to see how it affects our mental health and do something to lessen those harmful effects.
Are you looking for friendship, respect, or love? Why do you use social media? Thinking about why you use it and if it’s helping can show you if it’s good for your mental health.
Knowing what’s good for you and when it’s too much helps you use social media more healthily.
Limit how much you use it, take breaks from your phone, spend time with friends, and do things you like in real life.
Try to look at things that make you feel good and inspired, not things that make you compare yourself to others and feel anxious.
Let’s ensure we’re taking care of our mental health by using social media better.
Set boundaries, make your social media positive and meaningful, and do things that make you feel good.
Now that you know how too much social media can make you feel more anxious, decide to manage how much you use it.
Be aware of how it makes you feel, and choose to spend your time and energy wisely.
Social media can be great for staying in touch and finding inspiration, but finding a balance that keeps you feeling good is important.
It might take time to find the right balance, but by making small changes to how you use social media, you can feel less anxious and have more room for what matters in your life.
Look after your mental health, value time with people face-to-face, and find a way to enjoy social media without letting it get in the way of your happiness.
