Calming anxiety can seem impossible, and while mediation for anxiety can be effective, sometimes an alternative to meditation is necessary. After all, when our anxious brains race with worries and fears and what-ifs, it can be incredibly difficult to sit still with our eyes closed and clear the mind. Yet our brains need a break. We need a break. It is exhausting and even painful to sustain anxious, racing thoughts. We can give our brains this break even when we can't meditate. There is an alternative to meditation that works wonders in calming anxiety. 

To be anxious in an uncomfortable silence can create an unbearable quiet zone where all eyes could be on you. Anxiety, especially social anxiety, can flare when we're in a room full of people. Noisy chatter, clanking objects, clicking shoes, slamming doors, and all other background noise is amplified by anxiety. In turn, anxiety revs up, and all of this commotion can make us tense, shaky, dizzy, and fearful that we're doing something wrong. As miserable as a noisy room can make the anxiety-sufferer, when things go quiet and silence descends, it is often then that anxiety spirals out of control. Being anxious in an uncomfortable silence is common in social anxiety, but it doesn't have to forever plague us.

Living with anxiety can mean a life full of challenges, and the challenges of living with with anxiety can be significant. Anxiety can range from mild to debilitating; further, it comes in many forms and types of anxiety disorders. Despite the differences in degrees of severity and the way anxiety is experienced, there is a common thread: anxiety can make life difficult. Add to this the fact that the experience of anxiety can be hard for "outsiders" to understand, and the frustration level skyrockets. Indeed, the challenges of living with anxiety can be daunting, but we all have the power to overcome them. 

To reason with anxiety and the anxious thoughts that accompany it can seem not only ridiculous but downright impossible. Picture a toddler in the throes of a spirited temper tantrum. Said toddler is, at that moment, irrational and emotional and not quite capable of discussing the matter at hand over a cup of tea. Anxiety can be like that toddler. The difference between anxiety and a toddler, though, is that a toddler isn't developmentally capable of reasoning. We, on the other hand, are capable of rationalizing; by default, we can reason with anxiety because it's (temporarily) part of us. As far-fetched as it may seem, it is quite possible to reason away our anxiety and anxious thoughts. 

Unconditional positive regard reduces anxiety. When we experience anxiety, how can we stop bullying ourselves and give ourselves unconditional positive regard?

Paralyzing anxiety is a very descriptive term. Anxiety can be paralyzing, almost completely shutting us down. Any type of anxiety can insidiously take over our thoughts, increasing our fears to the point where we want to shut down and hole up. Worries can make us feel as though we are stuck and can’t go on. However, there are ways we can move despite this paralyzing anxiety.

It's not surprising that a great number of human beings fear change and experience significant anxiety when it comes to the unknown. It makes sense, actually. From  infancy to old age, people need predictable routines in order to thrive. We strive to create routines so we feel safe and secure, organized, in control, and confident in who and what is in our lives. Isn't it annoying and anxiety-provoking when change comes along and messes with us? While we won't be able to stop change from happening throughout our lives, happily we can do something about how we handle it. There are surprising ways to decrease the fear of change and quiet anxiety of the unknown. 

Existential anxiety is an all-encompassing form of anxiety and stress that is present in a nagging way when we try to make meaning in life simply because, as humans, we exist. That’s a fun concept, isn’t it? We experience anxiety, stress, strife, worry, and even panic simply because we are alive. Being alive is certainly a wonderful thing, but existential anxiety can put a damper on it (this might be an understatement). Why does mere existence cause us dissonance and different kinds of stress, and can it go away? Can we make meaning in our lives despite this existential anxiety and stress?

Anxiety can be overwhelming, and it can be hard to picture yourself free from anxiety. However, sometimes picturing ourselves free from anxiety is exactly what will help get rid of it.

If you have an anxiety disorder and are paranoid, is your anxiety real? Most people with anxiety are intimately familiar with the statement, “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t out to get you.” It has been said to the people around us to explain that, while we fully acknowledge our anxiety issues, it doesn’t mean that what we are worried about isn’t worthy of anxiety. Anxiety isn’t just a disorder; after all, it serves a purpose. But when you do have an anxiety disorder and are paranoid, how do you decide if your anxiety is real?