The hardest part of freelancing so far has been working through all new kinds of anxiety that I hadn’t really faced before. I’ve tested out just about every self help method (and a few “professional” ones) for anxiety in my life too. I’ve allowed myself to be me and get to know my reactions during high anxiety moments which I know a lot of people don’t really give themselves time to do. Being so self reflective (INFJ, okay?) has helped me find methods to work through it on a constant journey of self improvement. When you’re self employed or just super busy, feeling anxious about anything (let alone everything) can completely hinder your ability to be productive.
Do something routine. Last month I crocheted a couple scarves. They were some of my favorite designs, textured and cozy but super basic. It’s when I realized how much I missed this practice—it calms me completely. It’s familiar and no stakes. And because the type A part of me needs to constantly produce, having a finished product was perfect. Find your routine and use it when needed.
Listen to music + walk. I take walks almost daily and a lot of times without music, but that can lead to lots of over analyzing and being “in your own head”. Lately I’ve put on a random album of an artist I haven’t listen to in years—picking new music is already somewhat stressful for me… so hard to choose!—and just got out. Let me tell you it can be super forced. Even on nice days, if I’m filled with anxiety or just unmotivated, it’s hard to leave the house. If I’m busy it’s especially hard to convince myself to stop what I’m doing, but once I force it—it really helps.
Turn worries into reasonable thoughts. This is a pretty basic way of managing anxiety that I started doing recently, and it’s helped a lot especially with social anxiety. Which is channeling all the thoughts and debunking them by replacing them with more helpful ones. If you decide to do something new, for example, a common thought is, but what if I look stupid? If you realize that you can’t predict the future, nor read other people’s minds (it helps to know that anxiety is often way less visible than you think it is—no one is noticing your insecurities but you), then you see how this is an unhelpful thought. Catching yourself in the act is a great way to tear yourself away from doubt.
Dive right in. It pains me to say this but it’s also so true. Sometimes the way to work through anxiety is to actually work through it. There are days my to do list sends panicky feelings through my body but anxiety wants me to procrastinate. Obviously that only makes things worse. If I dive in I at least make progress. This can be true for meetings or events too. I won’t stop feeling anxious until I’m actually there, working through it. Just a thought for when you’re convincing yourself you should put certain things off…
Cross off a “for me” item. I read this thing awhile back on how to support someone with anxiety and I was thinking of how Kevin helps me in my most anxious moments. He does all the right things, it just depends if I’m receptive. One thing is that if getting scary things done is too overwhelming at the moment, I should take a break and instead do something for me that’s still an action. Reading, writing, or working on something I’d been pushing aside for lack of time. It’s less pressure and still helps accomplish something. It’s so easy when you’re feeling anxious to not do anything at all, but it leads to stress later. The other day I added a portfolio page to this blog, something I’d been meaning to for months. I ended up crossing a major list item off in about an hour, and felt so much better.
What hurdles did you run into last year?
This is so perfect for me right now. I’m in the process of finding a new full-time job, and sometimes it gets so overwhelming I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep forever. But that doesn’t help my situation at all!
These strategies will definitely come in handy—especially listening to music+walking. I’m trying to get myself to walk a little bit more. Sometimes I’ll feel like staying cooped up in my apartment all day without leaving even once. No bueno.
Thanks for sharing!
Been there, it’s so stressful! Sounds like you have a ton going on too. I think you’ll find you’re so much happier when you incorporate walking. At least that’s for me. Even though I know it, I tend to forget when I get busy. Good luck with the job hunt!