When Anxiety Takes the Wheel

Here are some helpful strategies to alleviate anxiety…

1.    Meditations

Controlling your breathing and grounding yourself to what is happening around you is a great way to manage symptoms of anxiety. There are apps that offer meditation including widely promoted “Headspace,” but if you’re working with more of a student budget, check out what YouTube has to offer! 

Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inpok4MKVLM

 2.   Morning & evening routines

Anxiety can often stem from the sensation or feeling of being out of control of your circumstances. Creating a quick and easy morning and/or evening routine is a helpful strategy. Respectively, a routine can help send a signal to your brain that it’s time to wake up or wind down. Make sure to keep it small and simple – just a few steps can go a long way.  

3.   Audiobooks & movies

Establishing familiarity is another way to begin addressing anxiety. Listening to an audiobook or rewatching a comforting movie can spark a sensation of comfort.  

4.   Gratitude journaling

Gratitude is tricky in the sense that you don’t want to minimize or shame yourself for how you’re feeling, but gratitude has also been proven to help lessen feelings associated with anxiety. Try writing down or thinking about a couple of things, experiences, or people you’re grateful for at the end of the day (it can be a great step in an evening routine!).  

5.   Reframing intrusive thoughts

Sometimes different settings, events, or interactions can send someone into a “spiral” or a “snowball.” If you catch yourself ruminating on a particular thought or using negative self talk, try re-framing the thought in a more positive way. For a student this might look like adding “yet” to the end of the sentence. Yet leaves room for improvement and opportunity. An example might look like this:

 “I’m never going to understand chemistry”

Reframed to “I don’t understand chemistry yet…”

For support and guidance throughout your college career as an LSU student-athlete, reach out to your resources.

It’s often the hardest step, but the most rewarding.

Sport Psychology & Counseling: GeauxBeWell@lsu.edu