As a Therapist, Here Are 5 Habits That Could Be Making Your Anxiety Way Worse

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsStaying SedentaryOveridentifying With Your WorkClocking in Too Much Screen TimeAvoiding BoredomCoping Through Substances

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Staying Sedentary

Overidentifying With Your Work

Clocking in Too Much Screen Time

Avoiding Boredom

Coping Through Substances

It’s already February, which means you’ve likely been inundated withself-improvement contentad nauseum. In the midst of chatter about how to become a better version of yourself, there can be a heavy emphasis onresolutions. While that is well and good, resolutions that focus on avoiding negative outcomes set us up for failure.

It turns out, according to recent research, goals that focus on achieving positive outcomes are far more successful.

Keeping this in mind, I mused on my work with clients in mypsychotherapy practice, considering what patterns I see spike the most anxiety among the folks I work with. Alas, I discovered five key habits that seem to cause the most issues. Let’s dig in,decrease our cortisol levels, and find some inner peace.

It is also increasingly common to have asedentary lifestyle, with a 2020 study stating that about a third of the world’s population does not engage in substantial movement on a daily basis.Another recent study found a correlation between sedentary lifestyles, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

As a Therapist, Here Are 5 Habits That Could Be Making Your Anxiety Way Worse

Work consumes most of our time throughout the week, so the thought of finding ways to understand yourself outside of your work can feel like yet another task. The best way to step more into your authentic identity is to begin trying new things.

…it is important to remember that you are much more than what you do for others.

Go to a ceramics class or join a book club. Take up watercoloring with a YouTube class. Consider reconnecting with your younger self, too.What did you love as a kid? How can you return to it as an adult?

For example, if you loved animals growing up, perhaps you could set aside an hour or two one weekend to volunteer at an animal shelter. Finally, you can keep things simple and begin romanticizing your life. Pay attention to the details of making your coffee in the morning—how it smells, tastes, and sounds when it percolates. Relish in the process of sipping it from your mug on your way to work. Tap into the quiet details of your daily life and come back home to yourself.

Current research indicates high amounts ofscreen timecan be correlated toanxiety and depression.Yet, many of us depend on screens to accomplish our jobs and responsibilities. So, what gives? Replace a negative habit with a better habit.

If your relaxation routine includes scrolling social media on the couch after work, see if you can replace it with sitting outside for 10 minutes and simply breathing. If you tend to have movie marathons on the weekends, see if you can replace watching a film hiking, walking to a local garden, or eating lunch outside.

How Nature Therapy Helps Your Mental Health

Boredomgets a bad rap, but it is pretty important. Experiencing boredom can lend us deep insights, like realizing we’re pretty unsatisfied with our daily lives and are seeking stimulation to distract ourselves from it. With such an insight, boredom can also motivate us to make significant changes.Though our current culture prioritizes constant stimulation and fears boredom, we can lean in and feel its power.

Alcohol, cannabis, and recreational drugs are all ways individuals may choose to cope withanxiety. Though using substances may provide momentary relief, they also can increase general feelings of anxiety.However, this doesn’t mean that complete sobriety is right for everyone. Let me introduce you to the concept ofsober curiosity.

While various forms of substance use are accepted and even celebrated, the sober-curious movement encourages individuals toobserve and question their desire to use substances. Typically focused on exploring why one drinks alcohol, the concept of sober curiosity can be applied to all substances. Allowing yourself to be present and sober in the here and now may feel anxiety-inducing at first. But, over time, you may learn you like yourself more when you’re not trying to cover up your anxiety with things that only inflame it.

What This Means For YouWhen starting any new habit, I encourage all my clients to be gentle and open-minded with themselves. When you change your habits, you change yourself. May you meet and fall in love with your most authentic self in the process.

What This Means For You

When starting any new habit, I encourage all my clients to be gentle and open-minded with themselves. When you change your habits, you change yourself. May you meet and fall in love with your most authentic self in the process.

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Oscarsson M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Rozental A.A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals.PLOS ONE. 2020;15(12):e0234097. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234097Park JH, Moon JH, Kim HJ, Kong MH, Oh YH.Sedentary lifestyle: overview of updated evidence of potential health risks.Korean J Fam Med. 2020;41(6):365-373. doi:10.4082/kjfm.20.0165Khouja JN, Munafò MR, Tilling K, et al.Is screen time associated with anxiety or depression in young people? Results from a UK birth cohort.BMC Public Health.2019;19:82. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6321-9Elpidorou A. The bright side of boredom.Front Psychol.2014;5:1245. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01245Smith JP, Book SW.Anxiety and substance use disorders: a review.Psychiatr Times. 2008;25(10):19-23.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Oscarsson M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Rozental A.A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals.PLOS ONE. 2020;15(12):e0234097. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234097Park JH, Moon JH, Kim HJ, Kong MH, Oh YH.Sedentary lifestyle: overview of updated evidence of potential health risks.Korean J Fam Med. 2020;41(6):365-373. doi:10.4082/kjfm.20.0165Khouja JN, Munafò MR, Tilling K, et al.Is screen time associated with anxiety or depression in young people? Results from a UK birth cohort.BMC Public Health.2019;19:82. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6321-9Elpidorou A. The bright side of boredom.Front Psychol.2014;5:1245. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01245Smith JP, Book SW.Anxiety and substance use disorders: a review.Psychiatr Times. 2008;25(10):19-23.

Oscarsson M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Rozental A.A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals.PLOS ONE. 2020;15(12):e0234097. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234097Park JH, Moon JH, Kim HJ, Kong MH, Oh YH.Sedentary lifestyle: overview of updated evidence of potential health risks.Korean J Fam Med. 2020;41(6):365-373. doi:10.4082/kjfm.20.0165Khouja JN, Munafò MR, Tilling K, et al.Is screen time associated with anxiety or depression in young people? Results from a UK birth cohort.BMC Public Health.2019;19:82. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6321-9Elpidorou A. The bright side of boredom.Front Psychol.2014;5:1245. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01245Smith JP, Book SW.Anxiety and substance use disorders: a review.Psychiatr Times. 2008;25(10):19-23.

Park JH, Moon JH, Kim HJ, Kong MH, Oh YH.Sedentary lifestyle: overview of updated evidence of potential health risks.Korean J Fam Med. 2020;41(6):365-373. doi:10.4082/kjfm.20.0165

Khouja JN, Munafò MR, Tilling K, et al.Is screen time associated with anxiety or depression in young people? Results from a UK birth cohort.BMC Public Health.2019;19:82. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6321-9

Elpidorou A. The bright side of boredom.Front Psychol.2014;5:1245. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01245

Smith JP, Book SW.Anxiety and substance use disorders: a review.Psychiatr Times. 2008;25(10):19-23.

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?

What This Means For You#

What This Means For You