Redefine Your Rhythm: Mastering Anxiety Management

As we journey together towards mental wellness and personal growth, each newsletter edition will feature one affirmation, one article, and one actionable tip to transform your Sunday evenings from a time of anxiety to one of calm and rejuvenation.

‍

Affirmation Of The Week

“Challenges are opportunities for growth and I embrace them.”

An example thought process showing how thoughts lead to concerns that may reinforce a bleak thought loop.”

Article Of The Week

‍

How To Beat Worry (Lawrence Yeo at More to That)

This article from Lawrence Yeo from his blog More To That, delves into the nature of worry and provides insights into how one can effectively deal with it.

‍

And don’t worry, we know you’ve had a long week, so there’s a summary below as well:

‍

Address Worry:

• It’s not enough to be passively aware of worry; proactive steps are required to mitigate it.

The Worry Loop:

• For habitual “worriers”, thoughts become entwined with concerns, forming a self-reinforcing loop of negative thinking.

Post-Worry Analysis:

• Both “worriers” and “non-worriers” often ponder if their worries could have been prevented.

Potential Outcomes:

• Yes, It Could Have Been Prevented: This can lead “worriers” into an avalanche of self-questioning, causing self-doubt and inducing ‘analysis paralysis’.
• No, It Couldn’t Have Been Prevented: This can cause “worriers” to become stuck in the present, heightening stress as time seems to stand still.

The 3D’s System:

• A possible solution to breaking this negative thought loop involves three steps – Decide, Do Nothing, and Decide.
• Decide: Identify a potential action to address a concern.
• Do Nothing: Take 24 hours off to refrain from taking action.
• Decide Again: Reflect on whether the concern remains a concern.

Reframing Concerns as challenges:

• View concerns as challenges to overcome, shifting perspective to identify potential solutions.

Bonus – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):

• This therapeutic approach focuses on understanding and altering negative thought patterns to create balanced, realistic, and evidence-based thinking.
• For example, transforming “I always mess up” to “Sometimes I make mistakes, but I also have many successes.”

‍

Actionable Tip Of The Week

Box Breathing:

• This is also known as four-square breathing. Inhale slowly to a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale to a count of four, then wait at the end of the exhale for a count of four before breathing in again.

‍

May your week be filled with growth and tranquility,

‍

The Rising Anchor Therapy Team