12 Tools To Calm The Anxious Mind (#8 Works Every Time)

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No matter who you are, everyone goes through difficult times where anxious thoughts and worries overwhelm you. Sometimes, your mind is so filled with these thoughts that you can’t even make a decision and deal with the problem! Anxious feelings can lead to overthinking, which only makes you more anxious, which leads to more thinking …How do you get off this merry-go-round?! Trying to forget about it will only work for an hour or two at best.

So what can you do to stop that over-anxious mind so you can deal with the problem? We have 12 of the best tools you can whip out anytime you find your mind is racing, and you can’t stop it. If one of these tools doesn’t work, try another one. You can conquer those thoughts if you know what to do. Keep reading! You will sleep better tonight when you aren’t plagued by those anxious thoughts and feelings.

1. Decide if These Thoughts are Helpful

Simply because something is true doesn’t mean that it is helpful to you to be thinking about constantly. For example, if someone told you that your chance of getting that promotion was only 50 percent, even if those odds were true, would you change anything by dwelling on that number? In fact, it can do you a great deal of harm if you allow that thought to ruin your motivation so much that you don’t even throw your hat in the ring. Focus on a thought that is helpful to you, such as, “I’m going to be in the top 50 percent!” If a thought is not helpful to you, drop it and choose another one.

2. Broaden Your View

Many times, anxious people focus narrowly on the threatening or bad parts of a situation, rather than looking at the entire picture. When we feel anxious, it’s easy to look at the threat, but why not look up and consider the whole picture? Ok, so you accidentally accepted two dinner dates with two prospective clients. Rather than figuring that no matter who you choose to cancel on will leave and possibly take your job with them, why not see that this gives you an opportunity to let these clients meet or to try a different venue instead of dinner, making you look creative? If there are tons of ways to see things, why focus on the most negative aspect?

3. Distance Yourself

Imagine that your anxious thoughts are guesses or worst case scenarios, not facts. Your mind will try to protect you by imagining what could happen. This means that just because it could happen doesn’t mean that it will. Try to look at objective facts instead. Imagine that someone else is telling you about this problem: what would you suggest to them?

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