If you’re reading this article, then it’s likely you are experiencing anxiety, have in the past, or know someone who is.
Whatever your reasons for being here, we know how challenging anxiety can be.
Anxiety can feel like that unexpected visitor that won’t leave, outstaying its welcome and impacting various aspects of your life such as your sleep, relationships, quality of life and self-esteem.
As well as the above, anxiety can cause many other symptoms too, such as:
- Uncontrollable worry and distress
- Worrying about various things, including your job, health, relationships and household tasks
- Feeling irritable, restless or on edge
- Exhaustion and fatigue
- Tense or achy muscles
- Trouble focusing or concentrating on tasks or activities
The good news is that anxiety is a highly treatable condition.
Various therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness therapy, and trauma-informed treatment can help you understand anxiety better, helping you manage your symptoms and get to the underlying cause of your struggles.
As well as having treatment, it can also be helpful to try and build a better relationship with anxiety instead of chastising yourself for not being able to eliminate it entirely from your life.
That said, having various tools in your armour can help you cope with your anxious thoughts and feelings, especially when anxiety decides to rear its ugly head, and all you want is for it to take a hike so you can get on with your day!
This article explores five ways to deal with anxiety that won’t go away, including various treatments that can help you deal with your condition instead of it taking control of your life and holding you back.
In the meantime, if you are struggling with anxious symptoms and would like help managing them, our friendly team at White River Manor can help.
Anxiety treatment in South Africa: How White River Manor can help
We provide various addiction and mental health treatment programs to clients with a wide range of emotional issues, including substance addiction, trauma, depression, and anxiety.
Our luxurious inpatient treatment facility is based in South Africa, the ideal location for relaxing and unwinding far away from the hustle and bustle of distractions and triggers that may cause or worsen your condition.
Contact our compassionate team today to learn more about our anxiety disorder treatment program, who will happily lend a warm, friendly ear.
Remember: we are always available to answer any questions about your mental health—help and support are just a phone call away.
Okay, let’s dive in!
Five ways to deal with anxiety that won’t go away
Anxiety is sometimes described as a monster of the mind – you versus this horrible beast that tells you something terrible will happen or that disaster is looming around the corner.
However, as unpleasant as anxiety can be, there are some strategies you can use to help you manage this unwelcome visitor, particularly when it doesn’t go away despite your best efforts.
The below five strategies can help.
1. Don’t resist anxiety – welcome it in
This can be tricky, as none of us enjoy feeling anxious or keyed up and would do almost anything for these feelings to disappear and never return.
So, inviting anxiety in without resistance can feel counterintuitive – however, you must remember the monster analogy. It wants to linger around and have tea with you, so why not try letting it?
You don’t have to like how your anxiety makes you feel, but in our experience, resisting anxious thoughts and feelings tends to make them worse, fueling the anxiety cycle and feeding the monster within.
Cognitive behavioural therapy experts recommend that those with anxiety disorders should practise using specific phrases or mantras to help them manage their symptoms.
This involves communicating with your anxiety in a manner that steers away from fear-based thinking, cultivating more of a “bring it on” attitude.
Some helpful phrases to manage anxious, fearful thoughts include:
- Hey, you’re back! Stay as long as you want.
- Thanks for the opportunity to rewire my brain.
- Okay, you’re boring me now. I’m going to get on with the rest of my day.
- Bring it on!
- Do your worst.
2. Divert your attention
Remember what we said about feeding the anxiety monster?
Anxiety is a hungry beast that likes its victims to do certain things to keep it alive.
This may include ruminating over scary thoughts and outcomes, engaging in safety behaviours such as scanning your body for signs of pain or illness or giving into anxious thoughts by avoiding specific activities, places, or people.
It can be challenging not to engage in these behaviours because, in the short term, they can give you a feeling of safety and certainty.
However, doing them keeps the anxiety monster alive, nourishing its capacity to keep you stuck, anxious, and afraid.
To be free from anxiety, you must resist the urge to engage in safety behaviours and ruminating thoughts. For example, if your anxiety tells you not to go out with your friends, try and do what you can to show up and be social.
If it tells you to scan your body for symptoms, try and resist the urge to do so.
Bottom line?
To overcome this disorder, you must do the opposite of what your anxiety tells you to do.
Starving the anxiety monster can take time, but persevering will eventually lead to a reduction in your symptoms, helping you break the anxious cycle and live the life you are meant to lead.
3. Stay active
Another way to deal with anxiety that won’t go away is to stay active.
Studies show that regular exercise can help reduce anxiety.
Exercise allows our bodies to release endorphins. These are “feel-good” chemicals that can help alleviate anxious symptoms.
Also, exercise provides a healthy distraction from negative thoughts and feelings, giving you agency over your emotional state instead of the other way around.
4. Cultivate a supportive network of friends and family
Another way to deal with stubborn anxiety is to stay socially connected to those who make you feel good about yourself.
Having compassionate friends and family around you who support and understand your struggles can be helpful, particularly during the more challenging moments when you feel overwhelmed by worry and stress.
5. Stay in the body
The phrase” stay in the body” has become increasingly popular over the years, but what does it mean?
If you think about how anxiety works, it tends to bully your thoughts, which, in turn, makes you feel bad and disconnects you from your body.
Mental health professionals call this “dissociation“, a state in which you feel disconnected from yourself and the world.
Dissociation can show up in the following ways:
- Feeling overwhelmed by your thoughts and emotions
- Feeling empty or emotionally numb
- Feeling out of touch with those around you
- Feeling as though your life lacks purpose or meaning
- Feeling uncertain about yourself and your decisions
- Feeling constantly stressed or worried
Trauma experts say that one key to alleviating anxious thoughts and worries is returning to the body, which involves reconnecting with one’s body.
Various strategies and techniques can help you do this, including deep breathing and meditation.
These practices teach you to observe any thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations that arise without judgement or criticism.
Trauma treatments such as EMDR (eye movement desensitisation reprocessing), somatic experiencing, and mind-body practices such as breathwork and yoga can also help you reconnect with your body, releasing any “stored” trauma from your nervous system, thus alleviating your anxiety symptoms.
What else can you do to deal with anxiety that won’t go away?
Other ways to deal with anxiety that won’t go away include:
- Establishing a consistent daily routine
- Challenging your negative thoughts – cognitive behavioural techniques can teach you how to do this effectively, helping you to challenge any negative or irrational thoughts that cause or worsen your anxiety
- Limiting your exposure to stressors
- Seeking professional help from a counsellor or therapist, preferably someone who is experienced in providing holistic approaches to recovery and can offer you a combination of treatments, such as trauma-informed therapy and CBT. Having a holistic approach to recovery can help you understand the root cause of your anxiety and learn to manage it effectively.
The different types of anxiety disorder
Anxiety symptoms can be a sign of an anxiety disorder.
There are several types of anxiety disorders, each with its own symptoms, causes, and treatments. They include:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Social anxiety disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Panic disorder
- Phobias
If you suspect you have an anxiety disorder, you must speak to a mental health professional for a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan as soon as possible.
Contact our friendly team in South Africa today, who can help answer any questions or concerns about your anxiety symptoms and recommend a treatment plan based on your history and preferences.
Anxiety treatment at White River Manor
At White River Manor, our approach to addressing anxiety disorders is comprehensive and personalised, tailored to meet your needs and preferences.
We integrate a blend of conventional methods, ancient wisdom, and modern scientific advancements to treat not just the symptoms of anxiety but the person as a whole, fostering profound healing and complete recovery.
Recognising that overcoming anxiety is a journey that extends beyond the treatment period, we provide a thorough aftercare plan to support you in sustaining positive habits, maintaining mental wellness, and navigating potential triggers.
Our team remains dedicated to guiding and assisting you and your loved ones throughout recovery.
For more information on our anxiety disorder treatments or assistance with dual diagnosis, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Take the initial step towards enhancing your mental well-being and enriching your quality of life today!
We are here and ready to help.
Additional resources
- What to Do When Your Anxiety Won’t Go Away, Psychology Today, Linda Esposito, LCSW, 18 May 2015
- Signs You’re Disconnected From Your Body + What To Do About It, MBG mindfulness, Marissa Hakansson, 15 October 2020
