Understanding your anxiety is important

Understanding where your anxiety comes from can help you find effective ways on how to manage it. 

Identifying the original root of your anxiety consist of two processes: 

• Identifying what you’re really afraid of

• Understanding why you’re afraid of it

• This understanding can help you identify and work on hurtful patterns 

How to explore the root of your anxiety:

• Can be better done with the support of a mental health professional, who specializes in anxiety disorders

• Starts with managing your current anxiety symptoms so that you can think clearly and reflect

• Keeping a kind mindset:

• Listen to yourself with compassion, curiosity, and patience

• Getting to know with your anxiety:

• Understanding how your anxiety functions

• Noting:

• When your anxiety happens

• Where it happens

• What’s happening at that time physically and mentally

• How long the anxiety symptoms last

• Listing your fears:

• Making a list with “I am scared of…” 

• Ask questions about the list such as “when do I remember first having this fear?” or “what was going on at that time?”

• Diving into the anxiety- provoking situation:

• To stop fixating on the fear, try “fact checking” the consequences (ask yourself if this will really happen?)

• Exposure therapy can be an effective approach for treating anxiety

• Exploring the home life:

• Helpful to reflect on childhood

• Acknowledging, not blaming, your loved ones for the actions that might’ve hurt you

• Habits:

• Habits like alcohol use can worsen anxiety

• Noting if any new habits or sleep schedules changed 

Figuring out the root of your anxiety is a hard self- reflective process, but will be worth it in managing it and getting treatment for it.