Relieve your anxiety symptoms by reframing your thoughts

1st April 2022
by Yvonne Yates

Emotions

Even if you’re not in the situation that’s triggering your anxiety, imagining what will happen can lead to uncertainty and lots of ‘what if?’ questions. Trying not to overthink is easier said than done.

When you can feel the onset of anxiety, it can sometimes feel like it’s spiralling out of your control. If you’re having trouble getting out of the cycle before an important presentation or big job interview, reframing can help to relieve your anxiety and keep your focus on getting prepared. This way, you’ll have the best chance of success.

We’ll explore what reframing is and how it has the power to subdue your anxiety symptoms.

What is reframing?

Reframing is all about changing our perspective, which in turn creates a different meaning for the situation. With cognitive reframing, we interrupt negative or anxious thoughts by questioning them and looking at the benefits and upsides, thus changing and ‘reframing’ the experience.

What are you reframing?

The first step is to identify the thoughts you want to reframe. Is there a pattern? Having an awareness of what the negative thoughts are and why they’re occurring can help you to make the connection. At this stage, it’s important not to invalidate your anxious thoughts. Remind yourself that they are real and valid, but not necessarily true and so need to be reframed to soothe your symptoms.

Looking at life through a different lens

So, how can you reframe your thoughts?

The power of journaling

The simple act of writing out your thoughts allows you to work through the situation and your feelings from a distance. You could try freewriting, which is a technique where you write a stream of consciousness. If you run out of things to say, write ‘I don’t know what to write’ until something else comes to mind. This method of journaling can help you to push past the pressure of ‘not being a writer’.

Journaling gives you an objective perspective and permission to ask yourself tough questions without fear of judgement. You might find journal prompts useful to start you off, or you could write down any thoughts that come to mind, freeing them onto the paper.

Not a fan of pen and paper? Our Membership journaling feature, which makes it quick and easy to record, save and track your entries. It even lets you look back on your days and spot patterns in your thought process.

What’s the alternative?

If your friend came to you with the same worries, what would you say to them? Put yourself on the opposite side of the coin and think about the alternative.

Can you turn a problem into an opportunity?
Can you match a negative thought with a positive thought?
Can you challenge an irrational thought with a logical explanation?

Focus on what you do have control of

Lastly, shift your attention from what you can’t control to what you can control. For example, if you’re feeling anxious about something that has already happened, you might be thinking:

I didn’t do a good enough job. I wish I could change what I did…

Instead, try reframing this thought by changing your perspective and thinking about what you can control:

I can’t go back and change anything, it’s already happened. I will get some valuable feedback from this so I can do better next time.

This reframing of the situation seizes back some of the control we feel like we lose when we’re overwhelmed by anxious thoughts.

It’s time to calm your anxieties…

If you’d like to learn how to relieve your anxious physical and mental symptoms and reset them, this course can help you do that! It will enable you to see the situations that make you anxious as less threatening and teach you techniques from relaxation to thought reframing.

With this Gold Membership course, you’ll access expert guidance to help you give anxiety the heave-ho so you can focus on your goals and reach your potential. By the end of the eight lessons, expect to see yourself with a renewed sense of calm. You’ll take life in your stride, accept that anxiety is a state of mind, and approach challenges with improved focus, helping you make better decisions.