What to Do If You ’ re Feeling Anxious Right Now

You have a big presentation. You’re taking an important exam for your license. You’re defending your master’s thesis. You need to talk to your best friend about something that’s been bothering you. You need to talk to your boss. Or you’re about to do something else that’s making you nervous. Either way, whatever the activity, task, or situation, the anxiety feels like it’s coursing through your veins. It feels big and overpowering and dramatic. And all you want is for it to go away. Understandably. Because anxiety is very uncomfortable. And who likes to feel uncomfortable? According to Kimberley Quinlan, a marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Calabasas, Calif., anxiety “tends to show up around the things we value the most in our lives.” It’s common for anxiety to arise in our relationships with family and friends, and in places where we’re forced to face our fears (because of our values), such as flying to visit a friend or giving a talk at work, said Quinlan, owner of CBTschool.com, an online education resource for anxiety and depression. Many of Sheva Rajaee’s clients “get anxious about situations they fear will cause them social rejection, whether that be a fear they will mess something important up and be looked at differently, do something that makes them unlovable, or act in a way that gets them kicked out of the proverbial tribe.” Rajaee is the founder of The Center for Anxiety and OCD in Irvine, ...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Anxiety Career Disorders General Self-Help Stress Work Issues Achievement Anticipatory Anxiety anxiety tips Cbt Courage Managing Stress navigating anxiety self-compassion Stress Relief Source Type: news