How to turn anxiety into a superpower

Five mind games to stop you feeling frazzled, by a leading neuroscientist

FROM daily pandemic fears to getting everything done by Christmas, we have plenty of fully justifiable reasons to feel anxious. But it’s not all bad. My studies have shown anxiety can be used to strengthen your physical and emotional resilience, enhance your social intelligence and improve your creative skills.

Here’s how:

KNOW WHAT THE TRIGGERS ARE

WHEN you are fully aware of what makes you anxious, you can better channel the energy that’s stimulated. 1) Write down your top five anxiety triggers in order of concern. 2) Next to each write down the most recent situation, thought or memory that caused anxiety. Then, for each trigger, write how it makes you feel. 3) Think about why you have each of those anxieties. Did you inherit anxiety over money from your parents? Does your social anxiety stem from an incident at school? 4) Now reframe that negative event or belief. Can you accept that the episode with the school bully was a one-off event? Can you cultivate the belief that money is plentiful?

RECAST YOUR WORRIES

MOST of us have a cache of worries that gnaw at us. But studies show that visualising a positive outcome gives you an increased perceived ability to cope.

Try doing this once a day: 1) Bring to mind one of your common worries (‘I’m rubbish at public speaking’). 2) Spend five minutes focusing solely on your breathing. 3) Close your eyes and visualise a positive outcome to the worry (everyone telling you it was the best speech they’ve ever heard). 4) Say out loud what the positive outcome is (‘after my talk everyone will congratulate me’).

ACTION PLAN EACH EVENTUALITY

INSTEAD of feeling roadblocked by anxiety, try channelling your worries into action. Think about a goal and write down your fears about it, listing any possible pitfalls and negative scenarios.

List the actions you can take to address each item — this becomes your ‘to do’ list. Work through it, ticking off each action as you accomplish it.

You should get to the point where you welcome the nervous jitters because you know exactly what you can do in any event.

USE THE FEELING TO BOOST CREATIVITY

BAD anxiety can shut down creativity. A classic example would be writer’s block. However, painful emotions can often fuel creativity, forcing you to dig deeper to find solutions.

Try to focus on how the anxiety is making you feel. If you deny anxiety, you will be missing out on the opportunity to use it for good. Sitting with your anxious feeling and leaning into the discomfort allows you to get used to the feeling and recognise you can survive it. You can then decide how to act.

FIND COMPASSION: YOUR SUPERPOWER

USE the heightened feeling caused by anxiety to help you connect with others. Better still, you can convert empathy into the all-time anxiety superpower — compassion. Here’s how:

■ IF YOUR anxiety is triggered by a bad memory, remind yourself about someone you are grateful for. Send a note saying why you are grateful to them. It can be very short, but it will be appreciated and strengthen your relationship with that person.

■ PUT your money worries in perspective by donating to a good cause.

■ SEND three friendly texts to say hello or to ask a question. Do you know how good it feels to get an unexpected text from a friend? Pay attention to how you feel if you get a response.

■ CALM your job worries by asking someone more senior to be your mentor and adviser.

EIGHT WAYS TO HANDLE ANXIETY

■ BREATHING exercises — slowly breathe in for four seconds, hold for six, breath out for eight and repeat.

■ DIVERT your attention from whatever is triggering you — count the ceiling tiles or try to remember the names of everyone in the room.

■ REHEARSE a stressful situation — the fewer unknowns you are facing the more control you will have.

■ FUEL your brain with nutritious food — dieting creates a sense of scarcity which diminishes a sense of self-control.

■ PRIORITISE sleep — cut down on alcohol and spend a full eight hours in bed.

■ EXERCISE — find the form of physical activity that gives you the biggest mood boost.

■ JOY conditioning — when your anxiety is high, use a scent which evokes a warm memory to instigate feelings of happiness.

■ BE KIND — do something simple to help a friend. Studies show altruism packs a huge dopamine punch. Adapted by Louise Atkinsaon from Anxiety Is Your Superpower by dr Wendy Suzuki (£14.99, Yellow Kite) © dr Wendy Suzuki 2021.