Managing Anxiety with Daily Practices

Written By: Jill Di Donato

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports one in 13 people worldwide experience an anxiety disorder, which also happens to be the most common mental illness in the U.S. But you don’t need statistics to convince you that anxiety is a thing, because most of us experience it on some level. Managing anxiety is a daily practice for most who don’t believe in quick fixes to chronic concerns. Understanding causes of anxiety can help people make room for it in their lives as they strive to lessen its uncomfortable manifestations. 

The Slow Beauty Journal reached out to mental wellness experts to explain how to manage anxiety with daily practices. 

We tapped Adrianne Fiala, LCSW, a mental health counselor at a private high school in New York, and therapist in private practice to help us understand how to manage anxiety. We also reached out to  Akua Boateng, Ph.D, a licensed psychotherapist with over 13 years of experience in clinical practice and education and Shameka Green, LMFT, a best selling author, motivational speaker. Boateng and Green are part of the  DRK Beauty Healing network, a mental health and wellness non-profit organization that supports women and non-binary people of color. 

What Causes Anxiety?

We all know the gnawing feeling, but how do you put it into words? “Anxiety will cause you to miss the beauty of the present moment just so you can focus on the what if’s of tomorrow,” explains Green. She calls it the “sibling to depression. It feels like they are both operating under one hub,” she explains. “Anxiety is the belief that something bad or negative is about to occur,” she continues.”It challenges the mind to focus on beliefs (real or unrealistic) and turn them into something catastrophic. Anxiety wants you to worry about the unknown. Depression wants you to stay with those thoughts.”

Boateng explains that “anxiety is sourced in the gap between the perceived demands we have and our ability to fulfill those demands. When we feel that our ability is lacking in light of what is ahead of us we worry.” In this way, anxiety turns up like a big question mark in our journey, and rather than feeling exciting, it feels scary. 

When “excessive worry,” as Fiala notes, “impacts your functioning,” anxiety can feel incredibly uncomfortable. “Everybody has these feelings sometimes, it’s a primitive response and being nervous about things can help you prepare. But when thoughts take a turn, and you start ruminating, then it’s time to make a shift.” 

How to Shift Your Perspective Away from Anxiety

When anxiety feels like it’s taking hold of you, you should actively try, Fiala notes to “take ownership and do something different to counteract these thoughts.”

That begins with a clear plan to map out what you’re experiencing. According to Green, “Navigating through anxiety causes you to look at the map. Identify the where, how, and then move in grace.” But it all begins with some introspection, she explains. “Where are these thoughts stemming from?”

It’s important to move through these thoughts with patience, and as Green notes, “grace.” Be gentle with yourself when shifting your perspective and treat yourself with kindness. Boateng explains the shifting process in three steps. “Take time to understand the emotion,” she says. “Then identify the lack of ability that connects to your worry. Finally, address the feeling of inadequacy through reframing the stressor, breaking it into smaller parts.” She suggests you enlist the support of your “tribe to tackle it,” so don’t feel like you have to shift your perspective all on your own.

“Move gracefully towards the faith and conquer the fear.”

Daily Practices to Manage Anxiety 

Green advocates a faith based approach to manage anxiety on a daily basis. Again, a faith based practice begins with some simple introspection. Green says to ask yourself, “Is this faith or fear? If you can understand where it's coming from, then you can understand how to navigate. You move gracefully towards the faith and conquer the fear.”

[SLOW BEAUTY TIP: Think about the brain as having an upstairs and a downstairs. Each part of the brain is linked by a metaphorical staircase which supports the transfer of info from upstairs to downstairs and vice-versa. This function allows the orderly upstairs brain to regulate the strong impulses and emotions of the downstairs brain.]

The notion of the upstairs and downstairs brain is useful in starting self-talk. Once you begin a daily dialogue with yourself, you are actively engaging logic to counter worry or as Fiala explains, “the upstairs brain or thinking brain can manage the feelings of the downstairs brain.” She says it’s important to “find ways to self-talk” not only to attack ruminations or worry, but because this practice helps regulate internal conflict. 

As Boateng emphasizes above, self-talk is only the beginning when it comes to managing anxiety on a daily basis. Connecting with others is critical to feeling less uncomfortable with anxiety. ”If you're always on your own and always thinking to yourself, this can feel overwhelming,” notes Fiala. “It's helpful to have someone else.” So, it’s important to know when to lean into others for support in your daily practices.