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How to manage anxiety during stressful times

Body language expert Blanca Cobb shares ways to deal with anxiety during stressful times.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — We’re at the end of the first month of the new year, and we have new economic concerns. 

With the egg prices soaring and massive tech job cuts, many people are wondering how they’re going to make ends meet.

With worry comes anxiety for many people. Feeling anxious is normal during stressful times. Anxiety becomes problematic when your fear interferes with your desire, motivation, and action. If your anxiety paralyzes you from taking action that will help you, then it’s problematic.

Before you can manage anxiety, it’s important to know how it impacts you. Some people have a sense of fear when they’re anxious. They feel scared. Others have faster heart rates or start to breathe faster or louder. Others can’t concentrate on anything, but the source of anxiety. 

When you can identify the physiological signs of anxiety, then you can do box breathing, which is deep breathing to the count of four. Take a deep breath through your nose with your mouth closed to the count of four. Then hold your breath for four counts. Next, exhale through your mouth to the count of four. Finally, hold your breath for four counts. And repeat as needed.

Once you identify what’s causing your anxiety, then develop a short-term plan with a few action steps, that will give you momentum and success. This important because a long draw out plan without immediate wins or gains, you’ll abandon. And the anxiety cycle repeats. 

Remember to give yourself grace if you give up on your plan and have to try it again after several times. It’s natural to avoid what causes you angst. It’s finding an effective way to deal with it that will help you tame your anxiety.

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