Your 7-Point Anxiety Management Plan

Overwhelm. Overthinking. Anxiety. Worry. If these describe your mental state as you head into the holidays (or any busy season), this episode is your lifeline.

I'm giving you a comprehensive 7-point plan to manage anxiety and emotional upheaval before they manage you. From learning to watch your "yeses" and understanding how dehydration affects your stress levels, to discovering the power of "Take 15"—a simple 15-second pause that can change everything—you'll walk away with practical, evidence-based tools you can use immediately.

You can't run on empty. This episode will help you fill your tank so you can actually enjoy the season ahead.

Find me on Facebook - Terri Hutchinson or YouTube - Anchored Not Anxious

Transcript

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an anxiety management plan at your fingertips? Especially with holidays coming alongside the other stressors in your life.

I have your 7 point plan for overwhelm, anxiety, overthinking, and worry.

Point 1. Ensure you do not over-commit. 

Every yes is a mark on your calendar. Multiple yeses from your mouth buy you a ticket to overwhelm and self-sabotage. My tendency to say yes had be double and triple booked on almost all day. 

Yes, I can be at the church for ServPro to clean the floors.

Yes, I can watch your dog. 

Yes, you can spend the night before you leave for Ohio.

Yes, I can be at a meeting while I’m watching an anxious dog, and be at the church.

Yes, I need a vet appointment for my dog’s ear infection 

I never stopped saying yes. I felt obligated to the meeting. I wanted to cook dinner and have my friends overnight. Watching the dog is a nice thing to do. And, of course, I had no idea my dog would have an ear infection. 

The calendar looks so clear until its not.

Watch your yeses.

Point 2. Drink your water. 

Did you know dehydration increases cortisol levels in turn increasing your stress. Low water volume affects your hormones causing depression and anxiety or low mood.

Your brain is 80% water so a decrease in water volume causes a neurochemical imbalance affecting your memory and slows processing.

Coffee, alcohol, and sodas are not hydrating. Juice, tea, and energy drinks are better but the best choice is water. Even slight dehydration causes micro changes in brain function, mood, and puts you at risk for emotional imbalance.

Drink!

Point 3. Take 15 seconds can make all the difference in an outcome.

Recently, I wrote about this in my Anchored Not Anxious CareLetter. 

Take 15 means you stop before proceeding. You apply “take 15” before you respond, act, choose, or think. In 15 seconds you can reset, slow down, step back, or breathe deeply.

For instance:

Take 15 before you speak with anger, sarcasm, or judgment.

15 before you make a choice that could end a friendship, make you vulnerable, or cause regret.

15 to think about what you’re thinking. This helps you select a different thought track away from what-ifs and overthinking. 

15 to determine if you need to walk away from something or someone.

Take 15 if anxiety or pre-panic symptoms are starting. Do your focused breath, say aloud your coping statement or stabilizer verse. Get out that vial of essential oil and take your 5 inhales.

You’ve got 15 seconds to spare. Use it.

Point 4. Have a coping statement. 

A coping statement is a self-soother. The statement emphasizes you are okay, capable, or is a reminder of what is true in that moment.

Here are some sample coping statements: “Thoughts are not facts”. “This emotion will pass by”, or “God is with me in this”, or “I am anchored to God”. Another is “I can do this moment and the next”, or “I can do this”, or “I have the strength to calm the fear”.

My coping statement is derived from the scene in Luke 10:42 where Mary is sitting at the Lord’s feet as Martha complains. Jesus says to Martha and Mary, “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it.” 

My coping statement is “Stay focused on Jesus and let go of what I cannot control.” 

You can Google coping statements, find one, and alter it according to your individual needs.

Point 5. Get a stabilizer verse. 

You’re coping statement and stabilizer verse can be the same if you like. 

You might be weary of me reciting Jeremiah 17:7-8, but it is my stabilizer. “Blessed are those who trust in God and make Him their hope and confidence. I am like a tree planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.”

This verse creates a mental image, making it even easier to remember the verse. As I say the words, I envision myself as rooted in God, in trust. I won’t get blown over. I won’t break. I’ll weather the storm. Jesus provides the strength, and my body-mind finds calm.

Another verse is from Psalm 112:7. It says, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” You can tweak this to say, “I reject worry or fear because I confidently trust the Lord to care for me.”

Point 6. Never underestimate the power of calming yourself with breathing.

I posted a video on YouTube and Facebook about a physiological breath. Its something your body does automatically if you're holding too much carbon dioxide in your lungs. Stanford Medical Researchers studied the effect a physiological breath could have on reducing anxiety and overwhelm. And it is used in mindfulness and mental health sessions.

Basically, you inhale to fill your lungs and then take an extra short inhale to further expand the air sacs in the lower region of your lungs lobes. That short inhale pushes oxygen further into your lungs which in turn lowers your heart rate. Your exhale is slow and controlled. Repeat up to five times to get the full effect.

Point 7. Schedule “off-limit” days. 

This is a day you are not available to anyone. If you can’t do a whole day, do 4 or 6 hours. Your off-limit day is a chance to connect with God, administer self-compassion, and nurture your soul. 

It should meet at least of the following criteria. It’s creative, fun, enjoyable, unrushed, soothing, causes laughter, restful, nurturing, relaxing, keeps you present in the present, helps you unplug, or restorative. If your off-limit time entails any of these, then do it and enjoy.

It's essential to get your off-limit days scheduled before the holidays ramp up. Just as you have to submit for time-off at work, you submit to your calendar time-off for you. Otherwise, every day will fill with something to do or somewhere to be. 

For those of us who have been over-booked and continue to be, you might think about cancelling some things. And making those days your off limit time. You cannot run on empty. Cancelling a few might prevent you from having to cancel many commitments because you are tapped out, your immunity is low, and sickness takes you out.

That’s your seven point anxiety management plan. Use two or three or all seven. I hope you feel confident you can go into the holidays and beyond with a plan to handle any mental or emotional upheaval that comes at you.

Thank you for listening,