Whenever you struggle with your anxiety, it is often from fearful thoughts. This can happen at any time, but a lot of people have noticed that it is worse in the fall season.
You might even start noticing it near the end of summer when your vacation is winding down and you start working on changing your routine.
If during this time, you are struggling with your anxiety, and feel like your negative thoughts are only making it worse, it might be time to turn them into positive thoughts.
Recognizing Irrational Thoughts
The easiest way to start turning your negative thoughts into positive ones to reduce anxiety is by recognizing and rationalizing your irrational thoughts. Everyone has these types of thoughts, but people with anxiety tend to really focus on them, and often turn them into something they’re not.
Irrational thoughts are ones that are based more on your fears and worries, and less on what could (or has) realistically happened.
For example, if you keep getting panic attacks when thinking about your kids going off to school in the fall, where are those negative thoughts coming from? Are you really concerned something is going to happen to them, or is your anxiety creating something irrational?
Sometimes it helps to write down everything that is giving you anxiety, highlighting all the negative thoughts, then deciding whether it is a rational thought or not.
Finding the Worst Case Scenario
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip, as people with anxiety are often seeing the worst case scenario. Instead of looking at all the possible options, you are only focusing on the negative. Not just regular negative situations, but ones you have created in your mind.
Think of something that gives you a lot of anxiety, such as going in for a job interview. It is normal to feel a little nervous and anxious, but if you have such bad anxiety that you are getting panic attacks and can’t go to your interview, it is time to figure out why that is.
What is the worst possible thing that could happen? In most cases, you might end up saying the wrong thing, and have to correct yourself.
You might not get the job, but think about it like this: If an interviewer takes one thing you said out of nervousness instead of really looking at your qualifications and what you bring to this job, do you really want that job? Probably not.
The worst case scenario is that you don’t get the job, but if you don’t go to your interview, you’re not getting it anyway.
Your anxiety has completely sabotaged your chances by convincing you the worst case scenario has already happened.
What is Something Good Right Now?
Another way to reverse your negative thoughts and make them positive is to think of good things in your life right now. If you are struggling with fall anxiety, don’t think about your worries this season, but what you are looking forward to.
Maybe you are happy to have a little more time during the day with your kids back in school, you love the warm fall décor that comes out this time of year, or you are one step closer to your favorite holiday: Christmas.
