Your head hits the pillow at night and it begins.

As your breath gets deeper and your racing thoughts start circling your head like a swarm of bees.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Anxious thoughts about today, what you could have done better, different, and what you didn’t get done.

You are thinking about tomorrow, all you need to do, and how you are going to do it all.

Furthermore, you wonder when you will fall asleep, how much sleep you will get, and if it will be enough to make it through the day.

Therefore, you think about your backup plan, just in case you don’t complete your lengthy to-do list.

You are busy. Maybe you go to school, work, or both. Additionally, you take care of the house, children, your partner, family.

Consequently, you were and are barely managing.

Then Covid hit like a Tsunami and you feel like you are drowning.

Who would have thought that life could get more overwhelming?

Moreover, you feel panic, fear, and alone.

Your heart is always thumping out of your chest.

The fear that this feeling will never go away is real.

Therefore, you begin to avoid the things that make you feel this way because you are afraid that you will begin to panic.

Procrastination has become far too common.

Does this sound like you? It doesn’t have to be.

We all worry, but when our constant worry starts to interfere with our life, that’s when it’s time to get help.

Read on to learn how to deal with anxiety in all facets of your life. And most importantly, tips on how to

Help for Anxiety Symptoms and Work-Life

The alarm clock goes off and it’s time to get up.

Another day of work. Meetings, reports, calls, and now Zoom.

Your phone rings over and over again.

There are no boundaries between work and home with colleagues commanding your attention from early morning to the evening hours.

Basically, your daily agenda is jam-packed, with nearly no time for a lunch break.

Nevertheless, deadlines are to be met.

You aren’t sure whether you even like your job or not, but that’s not even the point.

Undeniably, you are on the verge of BURNOUT.

Anxious and worried thoughts consume you all the time. The anxiety is debilitating and you feel numb.

Your heart beats faster and faster and you hope others cannot see the pain you feel inside.

Sometimes the panic is so bad that you feel like you aren’t even attached to your own body.

These feelings have gotten so bad. You wonder if you are going “crazy.”

Although you aren’t sure how you got to this place, you know you want out.

You want to feel like you are achieving your goals.

In fact, you want to feel a balance between work life and home life.

It’s OK to worry and to have anxious thoughts and feelings.

However, we must not allow our worried thoughts to consume us.

You don’t have to control your thoughts, you just have to stop letting your thoughts control you.

A thought is JUST A THOUGHT. It doesn’t define you and thought isn’t actually a real-life event.

Separating the two can be quite helpful.

Here are 10 tips you can take to help you regain control of your life.

10 TIPS on Help for Anxiety Symptoms at Work

Deep Breathing –As simple as it sounds, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Hold your breath and then slowly exhale like you are blowing into a straw. This will help to slow down your breathing and ease your anxiety.

Meditation–Try it in the morning before you start your day or before bedtime and anytime you can in between. There are many free videos you can search for from progressive muscle relaxation, imagery, and deep breathing.

Use Grounding techniques- You can touch objects with different textures, listen to music, taste something sweet and/or salty, smell something like a candle or a flower, and look around to count a variety of different objects in the room.

This can be especially helpful during bouts of panic.

Abandon an all-or-nothing way of thinking. Be flexible in your mindset.

Make your to-do list achievable. Try not to over-extend yourself.

Set boundaries with yourself and others. Be honest and ask for help when necessary.

Sometimes, it’s OK to say “no.”

Prioritize your projects, calls, and meetings. Be honest with yourself with time management. Will that call only take 30 minutes, or will it probably go for 1 hour. Leave room for error.

Let go of or at least ease up on perfectionistic standards.

Set realistic goals. Recognize tomorrow is another day.

Help for Anxiety Symptoms and Home Life

Without a doubt, you are overwhelmed. There’s cooking, cleaning, laundry to be done.

Dishes pile up and laundry is spilling out of the hamper.

You want to be a good mom and partner to your spouse.

At this point, you constantly worry about everyone and everything.

Is everyone eating healthy enough? Is everyone feeling ok?

Are the kids doing OK in school?

Will they be OK from an online school? Or will they be OK because they don’t see their friends?

The “What ifs” go on and on….

What if someone gets hurt or sick?

Or what if I can’t get it all done?

As a result, you judge yourself and you worry others are judging you.

You used to have it all together.

In fact, you were organized and on top of it all.

But the to-do list just got longer and longer.

You are pulled in every different direction.

Basically, you laugh when others tell you that you need to take time for yourself.

Time? What is that? You have no time.

All you know is that you are tired, have headaches, and can’t sleep.

Sometimes your heart feels like it’s jumping out of your chest.

You wake up in a panic because you think you forgot to do something.

The minutes click on by but time feels as though it’s at a standstill.

Without a doubt, you used to be able to manage your anxiety.

You wonder, “What happened to me?

Why can’t I get it together?

Self-blame is par for the course.

You feel guilty and ashamed that you are struggling.

Consequently, you don’t know how to curb those feelings of excessive worry and anxiety anymore.

It’s just gotten to be too much.

Additionally, you used to have some help from grandparents, neighbors, and friends.

But those days are gone right now due to the pandemic.

Moments alone for a short break are limited, if not nonexistent.

The guilt goes on and on.

You know you are lucky and feel you shouldn’t “complain.”

Although you count your blessings and tell yourself others would trade places with you in a second, you are still struggling.

You know this to be true but that doesn’t mean that your life is easy.

Anxiety and excessive worry have taken over your life.

Without a doubt, you want to feel better about yourself.

You don’t have to control your thoughts, you just have to stop letting your thoughts control you. Here are 10 tips for help for anxiety at home.

10 TIPS on Dealing with Anxiety at Home

As simple as it sounds – close your eyes and take a deep breath. Hold your breath and then slowly exhale like you are blowing into a straw. This will help to slow down your breathing.

Meditation. Try it in the morning before you start your day or before bedtime and anytime you can in between. There are many free videos you can search for from progressive muscle relaxation, imagery, and deep breathing.

Conduct grounding techniques utilizing your 5 senses. You can touch objects with different textures, listen to music, taste something sweet and/or salty, smell something like a candle or a flower, and look around to count a variety of different objects in the room. This can be especially helpful during bouts of panic.

Abandon an all-or-nothing way of thinking. Be flexible in your mindset. The dishwasher does not need to be emptied this second. All of the laundries do not need to get done today. If your home is anything like mine, the minute that hampers is empty, it fills right back up.

Make your to-do list achievable. Try not to over-extend yourself. Allow for extra time to complete tasks.

Set a block of time for yourself. Even if it’s 15-30 minutes to yourself to watch a TV show, read a book, meditate, sit in the quiet, listen to music, take a drive. Silence your phone. Make that time your own to do something that you enjoy. Everyone will survive that short time without you.

Recognize that tomorrow is another day and it’s ok if all the dusting and sweeping didn’t get done today or that you ordered pizza for dinner. There is a balance between holding yourself accountable and being so hard on yourself because things didn’t go as planned.

Exercise. Even if it’s for a short walk around the block. Small increments count. Parking further away at the grocery store or while picking up your children from school.

Quality time with the people you love can be relaxing and good for the soul. A trip to the park, watching a TV show or movie while eating popcorn, and taking a family walk.

Reach out to your friends and family members. A quick phone call and playing “catch up” can be helpful. Make these exchanges as positive as possible.

Help for Anxiety Symptoms and School Life

Reading, writing, math, essays, projects, exams….the list goes on and on.

Overwhelm and stress have taken over your life.

Undoubtedly you are tired and you don’t know where to begin and what to do first.

You want your work to reflect you, to be your best, but there’s just too much.

Although you want to cut corners when you have done that in the past, it hasn’t worked out.

Undeniably, you want to have good grades not only for today, this marking period, or trimester but for your future.

There is a lot riding on that English paper, at least that’s what you tell yourself.

You don’t like getting the answer wrong. It’s a reflection on you. You think, “Maybe, I’m not as smart as I think I am.”

The thoughts in your head ramble on and they don’t stop. “What if I fail my exam? “Or what if I don’t get into a good college?” “And what if I get a bad grade and I don’t have the career that I want?”

The teacher calls on you and your heart starts beating out of your chest. What if I get the answer wrong? And what if everyone laughs at me and thinks I’m dumb.

Sometimes you sit down to do work and you stare at a blank piece of paper because the right thoughts and answers just don’t come to you.

Maybe, you also have other responsibilities. Sports, taking care of a sibling, helping around the house with chores. There just isn’t enough time in a day to do it all.

It’s frustrating, overwhelming, and depressing.

Therefore, you procrastinate, and the work piles up. Sometimes you submit your work late.

Perhaps, you’re so tired that you decide that you will take naps in the afternoon after school. Then you are up half the night and exhausted during the day.

This cycle continues on and on.

This isn’t the student you used to be. You think, “What happened to me?” “Why am I struggling?”

Sometimes, symptoms of anxiety can get the best of us. There is a lot of pressure to do well in this world, so it isn’t just you. You are not alone.

However, you can take steps to lessen your worry and get help for anxiety. You can learn to take better care of yourself and therefore, become a more

productive student and person. Here are 10 tips to help ease your school anxiety.

10 TIPS to Help Ease Symptoms of Anxiety at School

As simple as it sounds – close your eyes and take a deep breath. Hold your breath and then slowly exhale like you are blowing into a straw. This will help to slow down your breathing.

Meditation. Try it in the morning before you start your day or before bedtime and anytime you can in between. There are many free videos you can search for from progressive muscle relaxation, imagery, and deep breathing.

Conduct grounding techniques utilizing your 5 senses. You can touch objects with different textures, listen to music, taste something sweet and/or salty, smell something like a candle or a flower, and look around to count a variety of different objects in the room. This can be especially helpful during bouts of panic.

Abandon an all-or-nothing way of thinking. “If I don’t get a 100% on my test, I won’t get into a good college.” Be flexible in your mindset. Recognize that one exam, paper, or project is not the end all-be all.

Make your to-do list achievable. Don’t do all your work in one day. Make a schedule and break things down. Try not to over-extend yourself. Allow for extra time to complete tasks.

Do your work in chunks and take a short 5-10 minute break. Read a chapter, take a break, write a paragraph or two and take a short break. Just be sure to be true to yourself and stick to your schedule. Slowly, you will chip away and complete each assignment.

Make a sleep schedule and stick to it. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and forego napping during the day. It will take a few days to get used to your new schedule. Stick with it.

Set a block of time for yourself. Even if it’s 15-30 minutes to yourself to watch a TV show or text/call a friend, or surf the web. Silence your phone. Make that time your own to do something that you enjoy.

Exercise and drink plenty of (non-caffeinated) fluids. Even if it’s for a short walk around the block. Walk to a friend’s house or to the corner store. Small increments count.

Ask for help when you need it. From a teacher, parent, or friend. They are there to help you. Take advantage of the resources provided to you.

You are not alone. We all worry. If after following these tips you still are not feeling better. Then maybe it’s time to get some help. You don’t have to live your

life with racing thoughts, fear, and panic. As an anxiety therapist in Ridgewood, New Jersey, I am here to help.

Counseling for Anxiety Treatment in Ridgewood, NJ Can Help

If you’re dealing with anxiety, and constant worry, and are ready to reduce symptoms of anxiety, you’ve come to the right place. Here you will be working with a skilled anxiety therapist, Dr. Maria Staropoli-Hafner, who specializes in counseling for anxiety treatment.

To begin your therapy journey in my Ridgewood, New Jersey Therapy Practice, schedule your 20-minute free consultation and begin treatment for anxiety today!

Other Mental Health Services at Total Insight Psychotherapy Services

Other services Dr. Maria Staropoli-Hafner provides includes: obsessive-compulsive disorder , perfectionism treatment, trichotillomania and skin picking treatment.