Learn how to free yourself from anxieties with these 8 easy steps

Anxieties stem from worrying and holding onto fears. We suffer from anxiety because our self talk is negative. We convince ourselves that this is the only way of seeing things. Often it is a life long habit, and one that we cannot get out of, unless life jolts us into thinking about finding another way. And life usually will. Here are some ideas to begin to find your way out of the normal thinking patterns which take place in our brains.

Spirituality may be the final frontier for dealing with deep seated anxieties once and for all. Taking medication or resigning yourself to living in this less than satisfying way is no longer acceptable. Will it take effort? Yes it necessarily does, just as in life anything else you want, you will have to go after. Anxiety, stress, tension, worry, fear and pain are all different words but in effect are in the same category.

1. Take some time out to consider things from a spiritual perspective. Psychological perspectives will offer many different ideas, some of them may work for you. However if you are looking for more permanent longer term solutions then you may need some different answers. Spend 5 - 15 minutes each day, early in the morning first thing if you can. If you are able to spend time in silence you will find yourself more connected to your own intuition which holds all your answers. When the answers come, they will be simple and accessible and you may be pleasantly surprised just how easy you can apply your solutions.

2. Write down your worst anxieties. The act of writing them down is already a step towards moving towards ridding yourself of negative thoughts as you start to realise how easy it will be to change your thinking about some of these worries which plague your mind. When they do come, write those down as well.

3. Put photos up of times when you were really confident and handled things well. Aim to try to stay in the energy, thought and feeling of your confident self especially before you know you have an anxious time ahead.

4. Positive self talk. Ask yourself how reasonable you are being with the predictions you are making about the future. They are only predictions. They are not reality. How many times do the worst case scenario situations occur that you feel are coming? If you were to actually count how many times you will probably find that the number is very low - between 0 and 3. Change to doom and gloom scenarios to other perspectives which get gradually better in scale. If you practice doing this enough you will find that you can choose on of the better scenarios to think about.

5. Write down your best qualities. Think about all the nice things people have said about you over the years such as 'You are such a kind person, you are generous, you have always been very considerate, thank you for always wanting to help" and any other positive comments you can think of. Imagine those scenarios again and again. Remind yourself how good it feels to be strong and capable and use affirmations to feel like that more and more. Try not to say them in the past tense. Say them as they are happening now. "I am strong, I deal with situations in a positive way, I know I have the answers" and so on.

6. Use your imagination to see other potential outcomes. Use the list you wrote down earlier and attempt to see in your mind's eye as much as possible the other outcomes. Look at yourself in the mirror and say positive words to yourself. Tell yourself you can do this. You have what it takes to make positive changes in your life.

7. Think about others you know who deal with life's stresses with relative ease. Ask yourself what it is they do that helps them with life's difficulties. Ask yourself what is it they say to themselves that help them. You will be surprised how answers come to you without actually asking them. There is no shame in asking them if you need to. There is a reason why 'No man is an island.' We were put together in communities to help each other. You may be surprised to find how helpful people are when they realise that you need help.

8. Ask friends to help directly. Choose one or two close trusted friends. Share with them what you have written down and the alternative choices you are making to feel less anxious. Set up times and situations where they may be on hand to remind you of the alternative and more positive ways of thinking you have thought of. Even it doesn't work for the first number of times, just tell them that you really need their help and ask them to be patient with you.

Of course there may be hundreds of other ways. If you venture down the spiritual path you can come to realise that there is an eternal part of you that never dies. You are here to have an experience. Your essence is always the deeper part of you that is not reliant on your physical body. That is why you know things that you don't know how you know. Your brighter, lighter life is waiting for you. Deep down you know this to be true. Fasten your seat belt. You are in for the ride of your life!