How to Ease Your Fear and Anxiety Around the Unknown

We are currently in a state of fear and anxiety as events unfold around us. But as

our emotions start to rise, ways must be found to control these feelings, lest they

trigger chronic stress that can lead to depression. We have compiled five steps to

ease your fear and anxiety, and take back control where you feel you have

none.

You might feel shell-shocked by the events unfolding around you. Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Also, it’s totally typical to feel dismayed about the circumstances

we are in right now. Harboring such emotions, however, is unhealthy, especially in the long term. To help you, here are five tips we recommend to ease your fear and anxiety, so you can focus only on what is necessary.

Have a plan

Your first step is to have a plan in place. This could be to ensure the health and safety of you and your family.

Avoid taking notice of the mass media: listen to the updates from trustworthy health institutions. Try not to become overwhelmed by news broadcasted, as all this will do is trigger your natural right or fight response. You may be tempted to see yourself in a life or death struggle. Rather take a measured approach when

creating your plan. It is preferable to plan in a calm and collected mind, free from irrational fears and a disturbed mindset.

Reassess and review your goals

During uncertain times such as those we are currently facing, it’s key to reinforce our belief that we can overcome adversity. View problems as hurdles in your

way. Don’t let difficulties be a pretext for you to surrender. Instead, let the task of confronting problems help you to rise up and keep going. For if ever there has

been a reason for you to control your focus, this is it. Set out now the important goals, those which you can focus on later.

Keep visualizing

A professional athlete will use visualizing techniques to win a race. Such techniques aid with overcoming challenges while building up confidence. Each time you master a challenge, you come closer to your goals. Here you need to let your subconscious mind direct you. Visualize your future being revealed, and as you do so, you trick your subconscious mind into believing that you are there already: you have overcome your current circumstances and are free from fear. You will then be propelled into action since you have a roadmap to success. Don’t be like people who throw cards into the air and then look down at all the scattered cards on the ground. That’s the majority of people right now. Instead, visualize what you need to do so your brain remains focused. If you don’t, you will suffer from internal chaos. Therefore teach your brain to focus. This is similar to training your body in the gym: you will then control external influences.

Stick to your daily schedule

True, your life has changed. However, this doesn’t mean that everything around you has stopped. In the mornings, check your journal, and establish what needs to be done. Following this routine will motivate you to remain on track, distracting you from events around you. The alternative is to remain in limbo, overtaken by events happening to you. Be creative! It’s not about resources right now; instead, it’s about being resourceful.

Consider your physical health.

Poor diet, toxins, nutritional deficiencies, and inflammation can all contribute to psychological symptoms. When your health is below par, this will simply magnify existing emotions. So look after your health. Stay away from processed food, and eat a healthy diet.

Focus on the nutrition your body needs. Feed your brain with beneficial nutrients, giving you the energy you need to do your work successfully. Remember that we might not be in the same boat, but we are on the same seas. We need to steer our boat and not let it take control. Instead, knuckle down; take control, and ignore what you can’t control.