Tax time stress – How to stop worry

Tax Time – Anxiety & Worry

It seems that no matter where you go you will hear people talking about how stressed they are about getting their taxes ready. Have you ever thought about how amazing it would be if you could create a calm, tranquil state no matter what the stressors?

It is interesting that we can create emotional and physical distress just with our thoughts.  For most people what is causing the distress isn’t actually the taxes, but the thoughts and worries about doing them.

Our thoughts have power. What we think can create physical symptoms. Just thinking about having to prepare for tax day can cause the stomach to feel upset, and the heart to pound. Some people run to the fridge in the hopes that food will sooth uncomfortable feelings.  Others find that the anxiety and stress makes it difficult to focus.  And the more anxiety we feel the more difficult focusing on the task becomes.

I’m here to tell you there is good news.   There are ways to stop the anxiety cycle.  No matter what your real life stress is, you can learn to create feelings of serenity and calm.  Even if you have to approach a task that isn’t pleasant, there are ways of using your mind to you benefit.

Worry and anxiety can be stopped in its tracks.  There are numerous techniques that you can use. Some work with the conscious part of the mind and others on the unconscious programs that get in our way.

The first step is to start with a cognitive (conscious) technique.  When you change the thoughts that go through your mind you will have a very powerful technique. This is a good place to start but the down side is that working on the cognitive level is can be difficult.  We start with the cognitive exercises and the move to the quickest way by changing the underlying programs, that really are at the root of stress reactions.

For this exercise we will start by recognizing the thoughts that cause the fear, and worry. In the next articles I’ll give other exercises and talk about ways to work on the unconscious level.

Conscious (Cognitive) Technique to stop worry.

The first steps for changing stress reactions:
1.  When feeling stressed stop for a moment.  Just say, “STOP” and imagine a big stop sign.
2.  Pay attention and notice where you feel the tension in your body.
3.  Think back a few moments before you felt stressed.
4.  Be curious and notice any thoughts are going through your mind.
5.  Once you are aware of the thoughts, you can begin to evaluate if they are true.
6.  If thoughts start with the words “what if” you are creating negative outcomes.
7.  You can use your mind in a different way. Change “what if ” thoughts
8.  Start right now by coming up with at least 2 other possible outcomes. (Make them positive.)
9. Use these two positive possible outcomes to replace the negative thoughts any time they come up.

There are also techniques you can use to stop the stress cycle on the physical and emotional level. Want to get a jump on the process of quieting the mind using a physical technique? Get the Calming Breath Video guide. It gives you  a powerful way to creating calm and serenity. Audrey Sussman PhD began her quest to find a way to get relief from anxiety and panic after suffering with panic for years. Now she is a nationally recognized seminar leader and author. Years of study and practice lead to her creating the Transformation System for the relief of panic, phobias, migraines and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.