Anxiety can come in different forms, and affect people in different ways. There are many situations that can bring on anxiety, or worsen existing cases of anxiety. New situations and situations of stress can often bring on new anxieties, making it hard to focus and deal with challenges. Medication is an option for many people with diagnosed cases, but there are also things we can do ourselves to try to cope with anxiety. There are ways to change our perspective and look at the world around us differently that allow us to reduce feelings of anxiety.Â
Release fear of failure. One effective way to cope with anxiety is to let go of fear. It is natural for some people to fear failure, or have an intense desire for perfection in all areas of their life. This crippling fear of inadequacy can keep us from trying new things, or interacting with new people because our minds tell us it is better not to try than to try, and fail. Changing our mindset around failure is an important way of coping with anxiety. If we attempt to jump in without worries, and fully accept that we may do something badly, then we can learn to let go of these kinds of fears and build new skills. It is important to realize that everyone starts somewhere.Â
Forgive yourself for your flaws. Another mindset change that can help you cope with anxiety is actively working to forgive yourself for flaws and imperfections. Release yourself from guilt and obsession with perfection. Liberating ourselves from what we see is wrong with us is how we can learn to be kind and have compassion for ourselves.Â
Stay busy. Keeping yourself occupied is a great way to stay out of your head, and refresh your own perspective so that the next time you look at a problem, it is much smaller. Ways of doing this are by staying busy with some sort of purpose: a job, schoolwork, learning to play an instrument, etc.