Stacy Davis

Anxiety affects millions of people in the United States annually. Extreme anxiety can lead to physical and mental conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stomach issues, headaches, panic attacks, and unexplained aches and pains. Extreme anxiety can interfere with your job and relationships. It can keep you from taking action on good opportunities or attending special events. Anxiety can rob you of your confidence and self-esteem. God created your body to react to stress to protect you from danger and predators. Unfortunately, our minds perceive danger to also include stressful events or late mortgage payments. Other factors, like brain structure or function, brain chemical imbalance, genetics, family history, trauma, or environmental factors, contribute to increased levels of anxiety. You can learn to control extreme anxiety through lifestyle changes, professional treatment, and support. Tips for Overcoming Extreme Anxiety Overcoming extreme anxiety means looking at the condition from all angles. You need an approach that addresses physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. If you rely solely on one, you risk neglecting other areas. For example, if you concentrate on using exercise to fight anxiety and depression without addressing negative thoughts and challenging old beliefs, the thoughts will continue and fuel your anxiety. Think of your brain like a giant computer. Anxiety is like an open tab running in the background. Perhaps you are not working on that screen currently, but it is still running and consuming power and resources from your computer. Anxiety is like that underlying tab, leaving you feeling worried, on edge, and mentally frazzled. The following are several tips for overcoming extreme anxiety. Seek counseling Counseling provides the opportunity for a safe space to delve into the root of your anxiety, identify anxious thoughts, challenge negative beliefs, and learn how to reframe thoughts to result in positive [...]

Anxiety can often be attributed to feeling out of control. If you are a Type-A personality, like things organized, and control much of what is around you, then having your world turned upside down can bring on severe anxiety and panic attacks. Although you cannot control every aspect of your life and must remember that God has much better plans for you than you could have ever had, setting goals and finding ways to make them happen can open doors and give you a sense of control. A New Year does not have to feel like all the past years – everyone else is accomplishing goals while you are struggling with overwhelming anxiety. Learning how to overcome anxiety using goal-setting principles can serve you for the rest of your life. New Year Anxiety For some people, starting a New Year brings out more anxiety. They have tried to tackle big goals only to get overwhelmed and quit, or they press on while anxiety gets the better of them with full-blown panic attacks, which slow them down and result in fear. You can manage anxiety by giving yourself a sense of control over your future and feelings of accomplishment. You may have never considered how to overcome anxiety by tackling it head-on through goal-setting principles, but having a plan boosts confidence, and watching yourself accomplish goals will raise your self-esteem. Let’s make this your best year yet. Why Setting Goals Can Help Anxiety There is a difference between setting a resolution and creating goals and a plan. A resolution is a statement. For example, “This year, I am not going to eat a bite of sugar.” Although noble and health-conscious, this resolution will probably set you up for failure. It is specific, but if you have been eating added sugars [...]