Five Ways to Manage Thoughts That Make You Anxious

When you're feeling anxious or overwhelmed, it's easy to get caught up in negative thoughts that can make the situation worse! However, there are steps you can take to challenge these thoughts and break the cycle. Here are five tips to help:

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1. Notice your negative or anxious thoughts: The first step is to become aware of your negative or anxious thoughts and the impact they're having on you. Try to identify patterns or triggers that cause you to have anxious thoughts. This might be through monitoring your mood in MoodyTunes.

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2. Challenge your thoughts: Once you recognise your negative thoughts, challenge them by asking yourself how true they are. Is there any evidence to support these thoughts or are they just assumptions? Are they exaggerating the circumstances or making them seem worse than they really are?

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3. Reframe your thoughts: Try to look at the situation from a different perspective. Instead of seeing a situation as a threat, try to see it as a challenge or an opportunity to learn and grow. You could ask yourself, if a friend said they were thinking this, what would I say to them? Or you could ask yourself, what is another way to see this situation?

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4. It also helps to practice mindfulness when you recognise that you're having thoughts that are making you overwhelmed or anxious. Mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing or meditation can help you stay present and let go of the negative or anxious thoughts when they arise!

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5. Ask for help: Talking to someone you trust about your anxious or negative thoughts can help you gain a fresh perspective and challenge negative thinking patterns.

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By practicing these steps, you can learn to challenge your anxious or negative thoughts and improve your mood! Remember it takes time and effort to break cycles of negative or anxious thinking, but with practice, you can develop new ways of thinking that will support your wellbeing.