– Tips for Managing Anxiety (Part 10 of 10): Make a Plan and have Worry Take a Hike

Last Updated on May 4, 2023 by Chris Roberts

USE PLANNING SKILLS TO ALLEVIATE ANXIETY

References- “10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques” an article on Psychotherapy Networker by Margaret Wehrenberg

Even though worry can masquerade as an endless planning and brainstorming session, there is a proper way to plan and a helpful way to ameliorate the anxiety through adequate execution.  It will take time to begin to discover the distinction between anxiety and planning, but it is a skill worth mastering.  In a wonder article by Margaret Wehrenberg, she succintley states, “A big different between planning and worrying is that a good plan doesn’t need constant review.”

In a previous post about rumination, it was detailed how the anxious brain goes over and over a worry to the extent that the person doesn’t believe they have the controls to turn the worry off.  The worry seems automatic, incessant, and intrusive.  Even though no one wants to be in a constant state of anxiety, oftentimes people with anxiety unconsciously justify the worrying as an attempt to effectively resolve a problem. Wehrenberg posits a powerful distinction of how a proper plan will not need to be readdressed over and over again.  A good tip for an anxious person is to start to notice how often you think about the plan and how often you second guess it.  If you have thought about reworking the plan more than once in an hour, then it’s a pretty good bet you are in a state of anxiety and not actually in a healthy place of planning.

Of course, knowing how to plan in a healthy and productive manner when you are well-versed in experiencing anxiety is another matter.  Wehrenberg gives a clear, 4-step process for planning when you are attempting to address a legitimate worry or concern.  She writes,

(1) concretely identifying a problem; (2) listing the problem-solving options; (3) picking one of the options; and (4) writing out a plan of action.

As with all the previous recommendations for managing anxiety, a person will need to be patient with themselves and recognize that becoming effective at planning will take some time.  Anxiety is a master at making a person second-guess themselves.  Anxiety has one singular goal: To provide a 100% guarantee that the worry or concern will not or cannot happen.  Obviously, while you are planning you will come face-to-face with these two pressures of anxiety.  In the beginning, as you are working to become more proficient at planning, you made need to make a worry date to limit the amount of time you use for planning.  It is very possible to get stuck in the planning stage as well.  But whatever you do, don’t get discouraged.  Allow yourself grace and space to get stuck, to not finish the plan, or take a break during the planning process.

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If you find yourself worrying for a significant amount of your day, and if it seems you plan and plan and plan, but cannot get out of the cycle, it may be helpful to meet with an anxiety counselor.  A therapist can help you distinguish between planning and worrying and walk you through a healthy pattern for addressing the anxiety.  There are many qualified therapists in Nashville, TN, and we at Two Trees Counseling Nashville would love the opportunity to work with you or point you in the direction of someone who can best meet your needs.