Fear of the Unknown: 4 Steps to Decrease Anxiety

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It can stop you from achieving your goals, connecting with people, and altering your thoughts and feelings. According to research, 31 % of people have anxiety at some point in their lives. The fear of the unknown can lead to intense feelings of anxiety and may cause panic. Many people do not even know why they are worrying about things that are out of their control and believe that there is no way to decrease anxiety associated with the unknown.

This article will explore four powerful ways to decrease anxiety, provide four steps to decrease anxiety and dive into the helpful resources that Restoration Recovery has to offer.

Where Does My Anxiety Come From?

Every person has a different experience of anxiety; therefore, it is difficult to know where it comes from. There are many factors involved to determine specific root causes of anxiety. Anxiety is the fear of common everyday situations that can cause physical responses. For example, maybe you have to give a presentation, and your palms are sweaty, and your voice is shaking. In this scenario, the thought of engaging in a scary activity gave you a physical reaction.

There is a difference between experiencing anxiety and having an anxiety disorder. Every person has experienced anxiety, whether you call it feeling nervous or having butterflies. Sometimes, you may experience anxiety due to thinking about things that you have no control over. Other times, you may be scared of doing something you have never done before. No matter what the case, the following are helpful tips to decrease anxiety and explore your fear of the unknown.

#1. Decrease Anxiety by Acceptance

Understanding the whole scope of your anxiety may be filled with confusion and disappointment. Unfortunately, there is no cure to eliminate all anxiety and never experience it again. However, you can understand why your body responds to a given situation in that manner. Understanding body responses can make a world of difference and help you move forward in your recovery.

Acceptance is fully accepting the facts of a circumstance and not fixating on how it should not be that way. Understand the event and recognize that you have no control over what happened. Acceptance decreases anxiety because you allow yourself to be in the present moment and not allow your mind to ruminate on the different scenarios.

#2. Talk to a Therapist to Decrease Anxiety

The fear of the unknown can create intense feelings of fear and/or anxiety. Talking to a professional therapist may be the key to unlocking healthy coping skills to help you overcome anxious thought processes. An objective point of view can sometimes guide you to link parallels between your thought processes. This is one of the many reasons individual therapy can be a beneficial tool in recovery.

Restoration Recovery Center has professional therapists who specialize in understanding the root of the fear of the unknown. We understand that you may be scared to learn how to decrease anxiety; however, this is why we will meet you right where you are with no pressure from you.

#3. Redirect Your Feelings/Emotions to Decrease Anxiety

Redirection may sound simple and easy. For many people who are struggling with ways to decrease anxiety, redirecting thoughts/feelings can be difficult. However, learning how to do this trick can be an enormous game-changer to decrease anxiety. It may take some time before these techniques work well for you, but it’s important not to give up.

There are many ways to redirect thoughts/feelings to decrease anxiety. These are simple things that you can do with no one even noticing that you are redirecting. Here are several things to try to decrease anxiety:

• Counting: This is an easy way to distract your mind and focus on another area. You can count anything that is near to you.
• Journal: All you need is a pen and paper to let your fear of the unknown out. It is just you and the paper to decrease anxiety. You become your therapist when you are not able to meet with yours to decrease anxiety.
• Talk a walk: Sometimes, all you need to do is change the environment that you are in. A change of scenery can do wonders to decrease anxiety.
• Just breathe: It is easy to get caught up in the moment and hold your breath. Take a moment and inhale a deep breath. Hold for several seconds and exhale with control.

#4. Calm Yourself

Anxiety can happen out of the middle of nowhere. That is why it is so important for you to be mindful of how your body is feeling and ways to calm yourself when anxiety occurs. For example, one way to practice calming yourself is yoga/meditation. Before you get scared, you do not have to be flexible to enjoy several minutes of yoga. All you need is to be present and try. 

Another way to decrease anxiety is to acknowledge where you can feel anxious within your body. Take several minutes and do a body scan to recognize if anxiety is preventing your physical body from completing tasks.

At Restoration Recovery, we believe in holistic modalities to meet clients where they are, help them decrease anxiety, and support them in their recovery. 

Anxiety is a real thing that can paralyze you from taking one step forward. Understanding that you have options and do not have to live this way can be music to the ears. Being afraid of the unknown prevents you from engaging in activities and being your best self. At Restoration Recovery Center, we understand anxiety and how that can affect a person’s recovery. We respect where each of our clients is at in their recovery. If you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, please do not hesitate and give us a call at (888) 290-0925. We will meet you where you are and guide you to get to where you want to be.