Oust the obsessions
Dramaturgy is over …
If you have an interview for a job, stop torturing yourself: “If I couldn’t find a place to park, I would be late …”. Instead, congratulate yourself on having achieved this victory among all the candidates. Do not try to control everything and to foresee everything: “Admit that an unforeseen does not mean danger or catastrophe, but can just be an incident of course”, underlines the Dr Christophe André, psychiatrist.
Obsessions … in the closet
“Clear the space by concentrating on a candle. Fix it. When you blow out the flame, take a new start in your day, the anxiety will be extinguished with it”, advises Marielle Jimenez Destefanis, psychologist. Immerse yourself in a book or watch a movie. By translating your worries onto a character, you release your emotional overflow.
On positive
I’m not perfect, so what!
You are entitled to error or clumsiness like everyone else. Your value does not depend on it. Don’t confuse what you do with who you are. “Turn your attention outward and not on your signs of inner discomfort,” adds Dr. André.
Good times don’t count for plums
“Remember when you are good, think about what you have achieved. Feel this well-being physically and emotionally. Your body has a sensory memory of positive emotions, use it,” suggests Marielle Jimenez.
No need to make a mountain of it
“I’m worried, but is my hypothesis really correct? Will my child really end up in the hospital because he is coughing?” Take a step back! Anxiety is auto-intoxication by a systematically worried reading of events “, specifies Dr. André. Do not treat a worry as a disaster:” If I fail my exam, will my whole life be ruined or only that -this ?”.
We reconnect with our senses
And Gertrude, what would she do for me?
Take a model from the less worried among us, observe how they react to situations that distress you and be inspired by them. Ask yourself what they would do for you.
Writing your ailments, it feels good
Putting your concerns into words on paper allows you to get rid of them. By writing in the evening, you will establish a closing ritual, a way of closing the door to your worries.
Let’s focus on our feelings …
When anxiety builds, “focus on each part of your body and then on what you see and hear, what you feel and experience. How warm is the room? Where is the light coming from? In contact with your senses, it will be easier for you to deal with your stray thoughts. Watch them happen, be aware of their presence, and let them pass. Do not hold back any. Imagine them as a cloud in the sky. chasing the other, ”advises Marielle Jimenez.
We express ourselves
Confiding in, it relieves
Alone, we put our heads together. Say your discomfort. Dialogue offers the advantage of avoiding imposing on oneself a question-answer that is as demoralizing as it is distressing.
I breathe, I breathe …
By learning to control your breathing, you better control your emotions. Several times a day: “Put your attention in your breath, suggests Marielle Jimenez. With your feet on the ground, your back straight, your eyes closed. Imagine that the pure and regenerating air arrives in your lungs like the sap of the tree of the interior of the earth. Breathe through your stomach. Take a break, breathe out, breathe out: you get rid of what encumbers you. “
Long live self-mockery!
Follow the lead of filmmaker Woody Allen. He is a model of the genre and does not hesitate to laugh at his crazy anxieties.
We comfort each other
Just look on the bright side of the spyglass
Instead of seeing what is bothering you, focus on what can give you pleasure. You go on vacation, and inevitably the litany of anguish returns: “What if we were robbed? As for an accident on the road …”. Stop! Think rather of the lounging around you, the joy of making friends, your family around you. When all is well, forbid yourself: “It will not last!”. If necessary, say “Stop!” out loud.
Become your best friend
If you tend to belittle yourself – which increases anxiety – think of yourself as a friend. Would you dare to treat her like you do to yourself? Certainly not. Mentally adopt the same comforting tone you used to support her if she was yours.
We sleep
The arms of Morpheus, we have found nothing better!
This is crucial. Lack of sleep increases sensitivity. In addition, it is during deep slow sleep that the body rebuilds its energy reserves.
What if I adopted a pet?
A very serious study, carried out at the University of Buffalo (United States), shows that living with a dog or a cat soothes, to the point of reducing by half the peaks in blood pressure during flushes of anxiety.
To read
“A golden mind”, Marielle Jimenez Destefanis, ed. Jean-Claude Lattès, 15 euros.
“Small anxieties and big phobias”, Dr Christophe André, ed. du Seuil, 19.50 euros.
