Anxiety can be debilitating. And feeling anxiety about something can cause us to avoid not just the anxiety, but whatever it is causing us anxiety to begin with.

While not all anxiety is resolvable (some is just brain biology or mental illness), there is a wonderful Communication Theory based on the idea that increasing communication decreases anxiety. That means that if you’re feeling anxious about something, increasing the communication around it can help. What might increasing communication look like? And how can we use this tool if what we’re anxious about lives inside our heads? Well, there are a few things to consider.

Let’s reframe & reclaim this communication, shall we?

Old Thought:

“Feeling anxiety means I have to avoid what I’m feeling anxious about.”

Reframe:

“If talking about things can help me feel less anxiety, talking to myself can help decrease my internal anxiety, too.”

If you’re feeling anxious about something in your head or in your present/future, talking to yourself can help. How does that work, though?

You talk to yourself by journaling and planning. When you journal, you write out your emotions and thoughts. And when you plan, you write out the elements of upcoming events and appointments. Doing either of these things in a personal journal or planner helps you keep the information safe. Safety is a context you can create anytime by increasing communication with yourself.

Reclaim:

Create safety by keeping a private spot for your thoughts, feelings, dreams, plans, and hopes. This is your space and can be used however you’d like to use it. Draw, write, record, use color, swatches, clippings – go digital or analog, record as little or as much as you like.

Reclaiming Mantra:

“I can create safety by communicating with myself.”