In Ripping Off the Band-Aid, I discussed the need for confronting your anxiety. It’s not easy. Anxiety can be a pretty scary opponent. In this post, I will discuss ways to motivate yourself to a point where you are ready to confront your anxiety. I will also discuss things that we do to psych ourselves out and how to avoid them.

Psyching Yourself Up

1. Focus on the positive. There is a reason you want to face your anxiety. You know that if you can cope with it effectively it will lead to a better outcome. You need to focus on all the good that can come from your confrontation. Replay the positive consequences in your head.

2. Visualize your success. Picture yourself confronting your anxiety in a successful way.

3. Picture anxiety as an enemy. Anxiety is trying to bring you down. You must destroy anxiety, much as a superhero wants to destroy a villain. You are the superhero, by the way.

4. What does not destroy you makes you stronger. You can cope with the worst possible outcome. There is the possibility that it may not be all perfume and roses. That does not mean you can’t handle it. No matter what happens you will live to fight another day and be better for it.

5. Let someone help motivate you. Friends and family are your biggest cheerleaders. You will be doing the hard work, they will just help you get there.

6. Self-Affirmation. You are good enough. This is a focus on you the person rather than the situation. Think of yourself as The Little Engine That Could.

7. Create a Mantra. This works in tandem with self-affirmation. Think up a motivational saying that pertains to your situation. It should be relatively short and catchy. Repeat.

8. Practice tools for dealing with anxiety, such as deep breathing, relaxation exercises, meditation, and calming imagery.

Psyching Yourself Out-What To Avoid

1. Get off the negative train. Negative thoughts can snowball. You need to cut yourself off, distract yourself, etc., if you feel you are starting to bash yourself unnecessarily. There is always the possibility of a poor outcome but that doesn’t mean everything is negative.

2. Remain calm. Don’t allow yourself to get too physically agitated. A tense body equals an unsettled mind. Do some relaxation exercises to keep your body (and mind) calm.

3. Refrain from using alcohol, recreational drugs, or medication. Some people have such bad anxiety that they need medication just to function. This piece of advice is not for them. If you use drugs, alcohol, or medication to get you through anxious moments, you begin to rely on them. In addition, you are not empowered because you credit the drugs, not yourself, for your success. Are you really confronting anxiety if you use marijuana to get you through it? Instead of drugs develop other coping skills, such as meditation or visualization.

4. I’ll do it tomorrow. Putting off what you need to do just gives power to anxiety. The more you put it off, the easier it is to keep avoiding it. If a task seems overwhelming, just take a first step toward completing it instead of trying to tackle it all at once.

5. Giving up. Avoidance is bad. Giving up is worse. There will be no positive outcome if you give up. Sometimes it seems easier (and more comfortable) to give up. You may not succeed right away, but you will never succeed if you give up.