Check your self-talk
When we are upset and anxious we sometimes say negative things to ourselves. Unhelpful self-talk might include things like, “I’m hopeless”, “I’m going to be terrible at this” or “I’ll never get this done”. Negative self-talk gets us down, can increase anxiety and can get in the way of us achieving our goals. Notice what you say to yourself and work on more helpful, calming and encouraging self-talk, such as, “I am coping well given what I have on my plate”, “This stressful time will pass” or “I got through it last time”.

Keep things in perspective
When we are worried and upset it is easy to see things as worse than they really are, and to start anticipating all sorts of problems down the track. Take a step back and look at one of your worries in the bigger scheme of your life. Ask yourself: am I getting ahead of myself, assuming something bad will happen when I really don’t know the outcome? is the outcome certain to happen, possible or quite unlikely? if the worst were to happen, what could I do about it? Sometimes thinking about how you would cope, even if the worst were to happen, puts things into perspective.

Don’t let anxiety stop you from doing things
Try not to avoid situations which trigger your anxiety, but work on facing these situations. If this seems too difficult, get the help from a counsellor to work out a plan for facing your fears and increasing your confidence, step-by-step.

Practise relaxation, meditation or mindfulness
Practising relaxation, meditation and mindfulness on a regular basis will allow your body and nervous system the opportunity to routinely settle and readjust to a calm state.

Look after your health
Exercise, diet and other health behaviours can help support you to manage anxiety, so it is important to: make sure you are eating well get regular exercise avoid using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs to cope when you are finding things difficult.
How different would your life be if you were less anxious?