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Mental Health HomepageConditions LibraryConditions CategoryConditions Category7 Effective Thought-Stopping Techniques for Anxiety
Table of Contents:OverviewHow do I stop worrying so much?1. Scattered Counting2. Verbal Interruption3. Positive Self-talk4. What’s the Worst that Could Happen?5. Auditory Distraction6. Muscle Isolation7. Meditation (It Really Does Work!)
Anxiety DisorderRead Time: 5 Minutes
Published On: April 11, 2019
Reviewed On: April 11, 2019
Updated On: May 21, 2024
OverviewAnxiety is one of the most common issues I hear about from my clients, one that many people have on a regular, sometimes daily, basis. Of course, anxiety is a normal part of the human experience, and it can be ahealthy, biological reaction to environmental stressors.The problem is when that reaction switches from one of manageable, temporary worry or stress to heightened, intolerable panic. The latter can interfere with work, social activities, and personal relationships. Sometimes anxiety can make it incredibly difficult to function as we normally do, and this is a very scary and uncomfortable feeling.
Overview
Anxiety is one of the most common issues I hear about from my clients, one that many people have on a regular, sometimes daily, basis. Of course, anxiety is a normal part of the human experience, and it can be ahealthy, biological reaction to environmental stressors.
The problem is when that reaction switches from one of manageable, temporary worry or stress to heightened, intolerable panic. The latter can interfere with work, social activities, and personal relationships. Sometimes anxiety can make it incredibly difficult to function as we normally do, and this is a very scary and uncomfortable feeling.
How do I stop worrying so much?It is important to understand that overcoming anxiety is an incremental process that won’t happen overnight. Avoiding your worries will only reinforce your fears, so try and manage them instead. One thing you can start doing is trying to think about the facts rather than worrying about the possibilities. This adjustment in thought will simplify your angst and inform your action. Your goal should be to tolerate your anxiety rather than eliminate it, learning tocope with your worrieswill deduce them to actionable issues.One of the most effective ways to curb anxiety in the moment is thought-stopping — a strategy that interruptscatastrophic thinkingto allow our minds a few moments of clarity to thinkthroughthe anxiety. Here are seven ways to do it:
How do I stop worrying so much?
It is important to understand that overcoming anxiety is an incremental process that won’t happen overnight. Avoiding your worries will only reinforce your fears, so try and manage them instead. One thing you can start doing is trying to think about the facts rather than worrying about the possibilities. This adjustment in thought will simplify your angst and inform your action. Your goal should be to tolerate your anxiety rather than eliminate it, learning tocope with your worrieswill deduce them to actionable issues.
One of the most effective ways to curb anxiety in the moment is thought-stopping — a strategy that interruptscatastrophic thinkingto allow our minds a few moments of clarity to thinkthroughthe anxiety. Here are seven ways to do it:
1. Scattered CountingCounting up (or down) to 10 is a great wayto handle anger, but it’s not as effective for anxiety because the process is so automatic. While we’re counting chronologically, our minds still have the capacity to ruminate on whatever is causing our anxiety. A better technique is scattered counting. Start with any number and then jump around — 14, 89, 30, 57, etc. It takes more concentration to come up with the next number when you have to think about what it will be, and this helps take your mind off the thoughts that are troubling you.
1. Scattered Counting
Counting up (or down) to 10 is a great wayto handle anger, but it’s not as effective for anxiety because the process is so automatic. While we’re counting chronologically, our minds still have the capacity to ruminate on whatever is causing our anxiety. A better technique is scattered counting. Start with any number and then jump around — 14, 89, 30, 57, etc. It takes more concentration to come up with the next number when you have to think about what it will be, and this helps take your mind off the thoughts that are troubling you.
Online therapy for anxiety
- Verbal InterruptionThe traditional way to stop thoughts in their tracks is with a verbal interruption. This could be literally spoken out loud, if you feel comfortable doing so, or spoken to yourself in your head. Shouting “stop!” or “enough!” or “not now!” when your worries begin to take over, forces you to take a pause. This can be done as many times as you need to calm your mind.
2. Verbal Interruption
The traditional way to stop thoughts in their tracks is with a verbal interruption. This could be literally spoken out loud, if you feel comfortable doing so, or spoken to yourself in your head. Shouting “stop!” or “enough!” or “not now!” when your worries begin to take over, forces you to take a pause. This can be done as many times as you need to calm your mind.
- Positive Self-talkIf your thoughts are particularly negative or scary, try restructuring them into ones that empower you. Instead of thinking “I’m so nervous about bombing this presentation at work,” try thinking “it’s okay to be nervous and I can deal with this.” Coach yourself through each anxious thought until your anxiety subsides, and then congratulate yourself on getting through it.
3. Positive Self-talk
If your thoughts are particularly negative or scary, try restructuring them into ones that empower you. Instead of thinking “I’m so nervous about bombing this presentation at work,” try thinking “it’s okay to be nervous and I can deal with this.” Coach yourself through each anxious thought until your anxiety subsides, and then congratulate yourself on getting through it.
- What’s the Worst that Could Happen?Anxiety often takes us to the worst-case scenario. We go from feeling nervous about a presentation at work to worrying about performing badly to worrying about losing our job entirely. If you’re able, imagine going to that worst-case scenario. What would happen if you didlose your job? How would you handle it? What kind of plan would you make to revamp your resume, network with other people in your industry, and apply for new positions? Picturing yourself tackling the imagined worst possibility often gives us confidence thateven ifthe worst were to happen, we would still be able to handle it.Another exercise to try to decrease catastrophic thinking is to make a list in regards to the scenario you’re anxious about: 1. what’s the best thing that could happen, 2. what’s the worst thing that could happen, and 3. what’s most likely to happen. Generally after thinking through it and practicing this exercise over time, you can train your mind not to believe so strongly in the worst-case scenario.
4. What’s the Worst that Could Happen?
Anxiety often takes us to the worst-case scenario. We go from feeling nervous about a presentation at work to worrying about performing badly to worrying about losing our job entirely. If you’re able, imagine going to that worst-case scenario. What would happen if you didlose your job? How would you handle it? What kind of plan would you make to revamp your resume, network with other people in your industry, and apply for new positions? Picturing yourself tackling the imagined worst possibility often gives us confidence thateven ifthe worst were to happen, we would still be able to handle it.
Another exercise to try to decrease catastrophic thinking is to make a list in regards to the scenario you’re anxious about: 1. what’s the best thing that could happen, 2. what’s the worst thing that could happen, and 3. what’s most likely to happen. Generally after thinking through it and practicing this exercise over time, you can train your mind not to believe so strongly in the worst-case scenario.
5. Auditory Distraction
6. Muscle Isolation
Anxiety clogs our minds with unwanted thoughts and obsessions, and keeps us stuck in our heads. By feeling our body intentionally through muscle isolation, we can draw the attention away from our brain and into different parts of our body.
7. Meditation (It Really Does Work!)
When anxiety strikes, it can be difficult not to give in to the obsessive “what-if” thoughts that consume your attention. It’s an uncomfortable experience that is hard to ignore, but with a little practice using thought-stopping exercises, those worries might seem a little less frightening.
Melissa StangerMelissa Stanger, LMSW is a writer and licensed therapist practicing in New York City. She specializes in eating disorders, relationships, and gender/sexuality/LGBTQ issues.
Melissa Stanger, LMSW is a writer and licensed therapist practicing in New York City. She specializes in eating disorders, relationships, and gender/sexuality/LGBTQ issues.
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