How to manage anxiety while you are grieving?
Grief is a difficult and complex process. It can be overwhelming, and it can also cause anxiety.
It's normal to have anxiety while grieving. After all, you're going through a really difficult time! Grief and anxiety often go hand in hand. While you are grieving you can manage your anxiety so that it doesn't get in the way of your healing process. Here are some tips on how to manage your anxiety during this time.
Know Your Anxiety Triggers
Know your anxiety triggers. What makes you feel nervous? Is it being around people? Is it being alone? Make a list of the things that tend to trigger your feelings of anxiety, so that when they come up in the future, you'll know what to do about them. Anxiety can be triggered by many different things. For example, if you're grieving the loss of a loved one, anxiety may be triggered by certain sights or sounds that remind you of that person. If you are anxious about losing a job, anxiety may be triggered by being around other people who seem to have jobs. Knowing what triggers your anxiety will help you prepare for when it happens again so that it doesn't catch you off guard.
Be Prepared
Take some time to think about what helps calm your nerves when they start feeling frazzled. Some people like listening to music or reading a book; others prefer taking a walk outside or meditating on their thoughts until they feel better again! Some will open up scripture and pray with God’s words. Whatever works for you, take steps now so that when things get tough later on down the road, at least there will be something available for us should we need it most!
Have a plan
If you're able to, try to make plans with friends or family members who can help distract you from your feelings of anxiety. If there's no way around this, try calling someone on the phone or chatting online with a friend who doesn't live nearby—and then try not to think about anything else but that conversation for at least 15 minutes! That will help distract your brain from worrying about other things.
Remember it's okay to feel anxious while grieving
Grief is a process. It's not just a phase, it's a journey. And, like any journey, it has its ups and downs.
Sometimes the downs are really hard. Sometimes you feel like you can't get out of bed because you're so overwhelmed with anxiety about your loved one and how life will never be the same without them.
That's okay. You're allowed to feel anxious. Having these feelings isn't going to ruin your life or make you ungrateful for what you had before—it's just part of the process of mourning someone, and it's okay!
The best thing to do when you're experiencing grief-related anxiety is to remember that it will pass, and that you have a plan to help yourself through it: talk with friends and family members who will listen without judgment; join a support group; talk with a therapist or counselor; exercise regularly; eat healthily; keep a journal or blog where you can talk about your feelings; write letters or emails that you don't send (and maybe never send); draw pictures or create art that encapsulates what you're feeling; spend time outdoors in nature; take up new hobbies and activities that helps to distract from the overwhelmed feelings you are having.
