Breaking Free of the Cycle of Anxiety: Step Three
April 6, 2022
Returning to “Normal”
April 20, 2022
***The content in this post is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional mental health treatment.***
How will you remember to use your tools?
For a month now I have been posting about Breaking Free of the Cycle of Anxiety. In each post there are strategies or tools listed. I have had feedback that these are great ideas, people have shared them with others they care about, and have discussed ways they will use them. But what about next week? Next month? There will always be cause for anxiety – it is there to protect us after all.
How can you remember the ideas that are helpful to you? What can you do so that they are there when you need them? Here are a few ideas:
Read the Post Again
If there is a post that you think, “I could use that,” send yourself a reminder. Email it to yourself so you read it again in a week or a month. Go to the LearnModelTeach blog and bookmark it so you can find it when you need it. Make a screen shot of the section that makes the most sense to you.
Print Out a Tool
Look in the tool section to see if there is a related tool you can print out and hang up. Or take a screen shot of the tool you like. (Note: there is not a matching tool for every post. We are working on increasing this. If there is an idea you would really like to see as a tool, send an email. We can make that a priority.)
Teach It to Someone Else
This is a powerful way to remind yourself of something, and to encourage you to use it. As you explain the idea to someone, you are building a deeper record of it in your own brain and are more likely to recall it when you need it. Also, having people around you that use healthy coping skills means they may talk you through it when you need it.
Use It Often
Pick one strategy that seems the most helpful and use it often. I am currently practicing this: “If your brain is imagining terrible outcomes (with no supporting evidence), imagine the exact opposite.” Instead of imagining all the ways an event might go wrong, I am practicing imagining all the ways it might be great. Using one idea often allows it to become a helpful habit.
What tools or ideas have been most helpful for you right now? How will you remember to use them? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Peace,
Laura A. Gaines
