The 21-Day Anxiety Challenge: Take Control of Your Nerves
Understanding Why You Get Nervous
Are you feeling a little nervous? Are your palms sweating? Is your chest thumping? Are your hands shaking? Okay, great… so what’s the big deal? Everyone gets nervous. Feeling nervous is just a natural and normal part of life, right? In fact, our nervous responses take us back to our caveman days where nervousness helped keep us alert and vigilant when confronted with uncertainty or something unfamiliar.
Nerves often arise while you’re facing something you’re unsure about or while facing intimidating circumstances. They can arise while you’re thinking about what you don’t want, what could potentially go wrong, what people may think, or about what you fear. In fact, nerves often arise when you indulge in bringing up past memories of mistakes and failure into the present moment.
With this in mind your nerves are nothing more than interpretations you make about your life and circumstances. So in actuality they aren’t even real, but rather vivid imaginings you concoct in your head. However, as humans we are not always very rational creatures. As such nerves can often get the better of us even if things don’t quite make sense. But maybe nerves aren’t all that bad. Just maybe there is a little value in feeling nervous that we can potentially take advantage of.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Nervousness
It’s common knowledge that feeling nervous can bring about uncontrollable shaking and trembling. This can likewise lead to a lack of clarity of thought where you have difficulty concentrating on the task at hand. Moreover, being nervous can also cause you to feel restless, agitated and tense. All of these symptoms can lead to poor decision-making, hesitation and reluctance when it comes time to taking action. These are all of course disadvantages of nervousness. But as mentioned before, nerves aren’t all bad, it just depends on how you interpret them.
For instance, when you’re feeling nervous what if it simply means that you’re expanding your awareness and understanding of a situation. And because you are feeling somewhat uncomfortable it also means that you’re growing and maybe even about to learn something new and interesting that will gain you valuable experience. With this in mind, stepping outside your comfort zone is often a positive learning experience that can bring about long-term benefit.
Day 1: Fill in a coloring book. Taking some time out of your day to color has been scientifically proven to calm nerves.
Day 2: Try breathing exercises. Breathe in and out slowly, holding in your breath for a few seconds after each inhale. Try doing this for five to 10 minutes when anxiety kicks in.
Day 3: Listen to mood-boosting music. Whether it be your favorite playlist or an upbeat band you love, put your headphones in and turn up the volume when your worries creep up on you.
Day 4: Meditate. Take 15 minutes out of your morning to sit in a quiet place and focus on meditation.
Day 5: Get on the phone. One of the most effective ways to combat anxiety is distraction, so call a good friend or family member and catch up when you're feeling nervous.
Day 6: Go for a jog. It's proven that exercise, especially running or jogging, can put you at ease.
Day 7: Say positive affirmations to yourself. Choosing a phrase and reminding yourself of it when you get nervous can help to keep you calm. Here are some great affirming phrases to use.
Day 8: Let it all come out. For some people, suppressing anxiety can make it worse. When you're nervous, try letting it all out. Punch a pillow or scream — seriously.
Day 9: Write in a journal. Write down everything you're feeling as the nerves come on. You don't even have to keep your writing when you're done — just put it down in words.
Day 10: Do a crossword puzzle. Games that require lots of brainpower and concentration are shown to help people with anxiety.
Day 11: Remove caffeine from your life. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it can trigger anxiety attacks. You may see a big difference if you cut it out.
Day 12: Dance like nobody is watching. Dance it out, dance as much as you can when you start to feel worried. Dancing alleviates stress and nerves, so even if you're alone in your family room, give it a try.
Day 13: Use a stress ball. Get your hands on a stress ball and repeatedly squeeze it. It's known to relieve tension.
Day 14: Take a hot bath. For more immediate relief, taking a hot bath will cause your body to relax, calming you down.
Day 15: Laugh. Occupying your brain with humor not only improves your mood, it distracts your mind. Watch some funny videos when you have worries.
Day 16: Work on an art project. Studies show that doing arts and crafts projects can significantly lower anxiety levels.
Day 17: Try yoga. Whether you take a class or follow an online video, give stress-relieving yoga a try.
Day 18: Go on a digital detox. Alleviate your stress by leaving your work behind at the office when you go home. Don't look at your smart phone for any emails or work updates.
Day 19: Step outside and take a walk. A change of scenery somewhere secluded can calm your nerves. Whether you are at work or home, take a moment to get some fresh air and take in your surroundings.
Day 20: Schedule your worrying. Many psychologists recommend scheduling an hour out of your day for worry time. That way, your stress is not open-minded; you're only allowed to worry in that time period.
Day 21: Accept your feelings. It's OK to have anxiety. Once you recognize your symptoms and nervousness, you can then learn how to control it.
Are you feeling a little nervous? Are your palms sweating? Is your chest thumping? Are your hands shaking? Okay, great… so what’s the big deal? Everyone gets nervous. Feeling nervous is just a natural and normal part of life, right? In fact, our nervous responses take us back to our caveman days where nervousness helped keep us alert and vigilant when confronted with uncertainty or something unfamiliar.
Nerves often arise while you’re facing something you’re unsure about or while facing intimidating circumstances. They can arise while you’re thinking about what you don’t want, what could potentially go wrong, what people may think, or about what you fear. In fact, nerves often arise when you indulge in bringing up past memories of mistakes and failure into the present moment.
With this in mind your nerves are nothing more than interpretations you make about your life and circumstances. So in actuality they aren’t even real, but rather vivid imaginings you concoct in your head. However, as humans we are not always very rational creatures. As such nerves can often get the better of us even if things don’t quite make sense. But maybe nerves aren’t all that bad. Just maybe there is a little value in feeling nervous that we can potentially take advantage of.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Nervousness
It’s common knowledge that feeling nervous can bring about uncontrollable shaking and trembling. This can likewise lead to a lack of clarity of thought where you have difficulty concentrating on the task at hand. Moreover, being nervous can also cause you to feel restless, agitated and tense. All of these symptoms can lead to poor decision-making, hesitation and reluctance when it comes time to taking action. These are all of course disadvantages of nervousness. But as mentioned before, nerves aren’t all bad, it just depends on how you interpret them.
For instance, when you’re feeling nervous what if it simply means that you’re expanding your awareness and understanding of a situation. And because you are feeling somewhat uncomfortable it also means that you’re growing and maybe even about to learn something new and interesting that will gain you valuable experience. With this in mind, stepping outside your comfort zone is often a positive learning experience that can bring about long-term benefit.
The 21-Day Anxiety Challenge
Day 1: Fill in a coloring book. Taking some time out of your day to color has been scientifically proven to calm nerves.
Day 2: Try breathing exercises. Breathe in and out slowly, holding in your breath for a few seconds after each inhale. Try doing this for five to 10 minutes when anxiety kicks in.
Day 3: Listen to mood-boosting music. Whether it be your favorite playlist or an upbeat band you love, put your headphones in and turn up the volume when your worries creep up on you.
Day 4: Meditate. Take 15 minutes out of your morning to sit in a quiet place and focus on meditation.
Day 5: Get on the phone. One of the most effective ways to combat anxiety is distraction, so call a good friend or family member and catch up when you're feeling nervous.
Day 6: Go for a jog. It's proven that exercise, especially running or jogging, can put you at ease.
Day 7: Say positive affirmations to yourself. Choosing a phrase and reminding yourself of it when you get nervous can help to keep you calm. Here are some great affirming phrases to use.
Day 8: Let it all come out. For some people, suppressing anxiety can make it worse. When you're nervous, try letting it all out. Punch a pillow or scream — seriously.
Day 9: Write in a journal. Write down everything you're feeling as the nerves come on. You don't even have to keep your writing when you're done — just put it down in words.
Day 10: Do a crossword puzzle. Games that require lots of brainpower and concentration are shown to help people with anxiety.
Day 11: Remove caffeine from your life. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it can trigger anxiety attacks. You may see a big difference if you cut it out.
Day 12: Dance like nobody is watching. Dance it out, dance as much as you can when you start to feel worried. Dancing alleviates stress and nerves, so even if you're alone in your family room, give it a try.
Day 13: Use a stress ball. Get your hands on a stress ball and repeatedly squeeze it. It's known to relieve tension.
Day 14: Take a hot bath. For more immediate relief, taking a hot bath will cause your body to relax, calming you down.
Day 15: Laugh. Occupying your brain with humor not only improves your mood, it distracts your mind. Watch some funny videos when you have worries.
Day 16: Work on an art project. Studies show that doing arts and crafts projects can significantly lower anxiety levels.
Day 17: Try yoga. Whether you take a class or follow an online video, give stress-relieving yoga a try.
Day 18: Go on a digital detox. Alleviate your stress by leaving your work behind at the office when you go home. Don't look at your smart phone for any emails or work updates.
Day 19: Step outside and take a walk. A change of scenery somewhere secluded can calm your nerves. Whether you are at work or home, take a moment to get some fresh air and take in your surroundings.
Day 20: Schedule your worrying. Many psychologists recommend scheduling an hour out of your day for worry time. That way, your stress is not open-minded; you're only allowed to worry in that time period.
Day 21: Accept your feelings. It's OK to have anxiety. Once you recognize your symptoms and nervousness, you can then learn how to control it.
