6 Powerful Brain Hacks to Cope with Anxiety Every Day

Ever suffered from anxiety? I have and it’s no picnic. About ten years ago, I checked into the ER before a speaking engagement thinking I was having a heart attack. The electrocardiogram test showed that my heart was still strong as ever. What happened? I had a panic attack, which is a sudden surge of overwhelming anxiety and fear.that mimics a heart attack. Doctors told me it was induced by stress. That made sense, it was one of the most stressful periods of my life.

Numerous speaking engagements later, I learned to control feelings that commonly led to anxiety. I learned that anxiety is often the result of fears (mostly based on things that haven’t happened yet) that you may have about uncertain situations, places, and even people in your life.

This is a serious issue. A study by Dr. Michael Freeman, a clinical professor at University of California, San Francisco, found that nearly half of 242 entrepreneurs surveyed reported having one or more lifetime mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, a whopping 18% of the population.

If anxiety is beating up on you, you can reduce it by coping with these helpful hacks.

1. Convince your brain that you’re safe.

The most commonly suggested way to manage anxiety is to calm the nervous system by using diaphragmatic breathing (deep breathing). Doing it for a few minutes sends the brain the message that you’re not actually in any danger, and in return it will kick your body into relaxation mode instead of fight-or-flight. If any part of your brain is sending signals that you’re under threat (and in reality, you’re not), kick the fear by gently talking yourself out of it. Convince that part of your brain sending you into fight or flight mode that you are just fine.

2. Practice positive thinking.

If you’re feeling anxious, move. Literally move — go outside and get fresh air, put on your ear buds and start listening to your favorite relaxing music (give the speed metal or gangsta rap a break) while going for a brisk walk. On your walk, try to take your mind away from the source that’s bothering you, and focus on positive thoughts that will make you feel safe, accepted, loved, and honored. When you’re at homeostasis, reflect on how fortune and blessed you actually are.

3. Journal to release your emotions.

Journaling about your fears and worries helps to process how you really feel, which can be healing. Use a notebook and write these headings at the top: 1) Situation; 2) Thoughts/What am I telling myself?; 3) How anxious do I feel? Jot down a short sentence about the situation and the date so you can monitor your progress. Most importantly, write down any thoughts you’re having either in anticipation of or during a situation that causes anxiety. What are you telling yourself? Is it true or are you acting out of irrational fear? In the third column, rank how you feel on a scale of 1 – 10, or write a few words to describe how you feel. Once you get clarity on the situation, you can look at what actions to take to move you forward.

4. Accept that you can’t control everything.

Often, worry is the direct result of trying to control people, things, and certain situations that are actually well beyond your control. Understanding that you can’t and shouldn’t control everything, and releasing your worries will help you manage your emotions better. Focus on the things that are in your control, slow down, and take one thing at a time. Now you can refocus on what’s immediately in front of you, and go from there. Releasing control will help to ease some of the discomfort you experience from your anxiety.

5. Habituate yourself to fear.

By exposing yourself to whatever you fear, it loses its power and control over you. The one thing that was your greatest detriment now becomes your greatest strength. No matter what it is that you fear, if you literally just submerge yourself in it for a long-enough period of time, the illusion of fear (because there’s no such thing as fear–it’s an illusion we make up in our minds) will eventually be gone. That weakness becomes your great strength. When you figure out the thing that you fear–it’s usually the most important thing that you need to make yourself or your business successful.

6. Try mindfulness.

A growing body of research in neuroscience suggest that mindfulness is one of the best-kept secrets to help people to deal with anxiety. You can practice it by intentionally putting the focus on your emotions, accepting in a nonjudgmental way whatever thoughts and sensations you’re experiencing in the moment. Matt Tenney, author of The Mindfulness Edge, summarizes it like this: “We train our awareness so that we become less distracted by our own thinking, which allows us to enjoy our lives more, to be more present with people, and to see our world, both inner and outer, with greater clarity.”