8 Ways of Attacking Anxiety Caused by People

Attacking anxiety caused by people can make life a lot easier. Do you ever walk around and think you're surrounded by a bunch of idiots? Okay perhaps not, and maybe it’s just me. A lot of the time we can’t cut ties, but we can reduce the amount of anxiety they inflict on us. Here are some ways to help.

Let it Slide: Sometimes it’s best to let things slide when someone upsets you. Did someone bail on a commitment with you? Let it slide. Did someone make a comment that upset you? Let it slide. You can’t control what happened, but you can control how you react. This can save ourselves a lot of anxiety.

Don’t assume: If something bothers you, don’t assume, look into it. I had this friend that would often make comments that could be taken as hurtful. I was really hurt and just assumed she was taking stabs at my self esteem. I never brought it up until one day I asked why she said those things. She didn’t realize I’d take them that way or that I would get so hurt by them.

Don’t Imagine the Worst: Sometimes when you’re experiencing anxiety, what you imagine could happen seems likely to come true. We start to think we have psychic abilities that allow us to accurately guess or predict what will happen. Sure, there may have been instances in the past when you were correct, but let's face it, you aren't psychic either. When you feel like something must be happening, think about all the times in the past when you thought something bad would happen but it didn’t.

Learn to Say No: I had this awful habit of saying yes. I couldn’t say no to favors because I liked helping people. I began to get swamped because I said yes to too many social events. Learn to be more selective about what and who you say Yes to.

Do what Makes you Happy: Far too often we do things to please others. Do what makes you happy. That’s not to say you should be selfish. But make sure there is an equal amount of compromise on both parties. I had a friend who always had her way and I would always appease her. If she wanted to go to a party and I didn’t, I would get this nasty evil eye from her, and she would get her way. Eventually I learned just to ignore her evil eye.

Surround Yourself with Good People: Learn to be friends with people who value your friendship. Instead of trying to win their approval and trying to get on top of their priorities, I went out and found some new friends instead. It’s a lot easier to find people who appreciate you than to make people appreciate you.

Don’t be a Sponge: Being a good friend and a listening ear is good. But if your friend or acquaintance starts leaning on you too much and coming you for every little thing, it starts to wear on you. I had one friend who always had “drama”. If you find yourself worrying too much about you friends, it leaves little time for yourself.

Cut them Out: Sometimes you just have to cut people out of your life because they have a negative impact on you. Ask yourself if the person has a positive or negative impact on your life. If it's negative, and something the person can't or won't change, slowly start to distance yourself from this person.