Comments to: crs@uvm.eduReviewed as of 4/20/98
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EXERCISE 4
Anxiety Management
You know what anxiety is, or at least you can identify when someone
else is anxious. Take a few minutes and write down a list of all
the things you can identify happening to you when you start feeling
anxious. Describe both feelings and thoughts you have when some-
thing happens to make you feel anxious.
Different people will have different ways that they "make
themselves anxious"; many things people do in crisis only make them
feel worse. Some of the things people do are physical (shallow
breathing, unusual tense poses with the neck and shoulders,
frowning and general facial tension, biting the lip), while some
are psychological thought patterns that create more tension ("I
can't do this," "It won't work," "Why did this have to happen to
me?").
Notice all the things on your list that are under your control.
Unconsciously, we all do things that will make us feel more anxious
in a bad situation. We have no control over the bad situation, but
we do have control over how we respond to it. You have a great
deal of power over your psychological reaction to an event; you can
react in a positive way, even if it is not a particularly positive
event.
Use the following example as the beginning of a group discussion.
Two people receive a letter from the Internal Revenue Service about
an audit. One person might say "Why are they doing this to me?
They'll ruin me! I don't have the time for this..." and otherwise
create an enormous catastrophe. Another person might say "I wonder
why I was selected? This is interesting, but I hope it doesn't
take much time..." and otherwise acknowledge it as another of
life's little surprises.
One basic difference between these two people is in their coping
styles. The first person assumed that the IRS was in control, that
he was already judged guilty, and that this would be an enormous
problem. The second person assumed nothing, and stayed in control
of the situation while accommodating it. When we perceive that we
are in control of our lives, it's much easier to avoid anxiety.
When a problem situation arises, take a moment to be very clear
about what is and what is not under your control. The way that you
perceive problems shapes the experience of that problem.
If you immediately assume that something is impossible, you will
have a very low chance of success. You cannot achieve something
you do not believe possible. Before you jump to any catastrophic
conclusions, carefully think about all the options available to
you. Get used to the idea of responding to crisis with the
attitude: "OK, what needs to be done." Psychologically positive
attitudes are the most effective way of preventing anxiety.
Other ways of reducing anxiety are physical. Doing slow but deep
breathing is one excellent way to quell the anxiety of public
speaking. Regular exercise helps some people feel more confident
about their ability to respond with energy to a crisis or sudden
problem. Some people know that they can't do anything well if they
haven't eaten good food. Mention other things that have worked to
reduce anxiety for you.
Various stress management techniques are good to remember when you
are actually feeling anxious and need to feel centered again.
Refer to the section on Stress Management in this unit.
This exercise is essentially a discussion and brainstorming session
about ways to reduce general anxiety in surprise or crisis
situations. If participants are so inclined, the discussion can be
focused on a specific type of anxiety.
One embellishment could be an exercise in which each participant
has to get up before the group to deliver an impromptu speech. The
speech itself is not as important as having the speaker try some
breathing exercises and take a little time to calm down before the
presentation. Observers would give feedback about how relaxed the
presentation was, rather than on content or continuity of the
subject.
> Time: 2 to 4 minutes for each person to make a list; 10 to 15
minutes for basic group discussion.
Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed as of 4/20/98