When the clock is ticking and I have to be somewhere, my stress level goes through the roof. To stabilize before emotional paralysis sets in, I use three LifeTOOLs to manage my schedule, emotions, and mind.

There is one trigger which has the power to absolutely paralyze meâ¦
TIME
All my life, it seems Iâve tended to get very stressed out with anything having to do with time.
Maybe itâs the fear my parents put into me to make sure I never missed the school bus or was late for school!
This week Iâve been dealing with a deadline for a REALLY BIG project.
Have you ever noticed how the more important the situation is, the stronger the stress response is?
The next thing I know, my brain is being hijacked by all these negative thoughts:
- âYouâre going to be late.â
- âYou wonât get this done on time.â
- âYouâre going to miss it.â
- âYou donât have enough time.â
Itâs a good thing Iâve learned some LifeTOOLS so I donât become paralyzed by the anxiety!
LifeTOOL #1âThe Override
This is when I pick a positive thought that cancels out a negative one by overriding it! Here are some positive phrases that I repeat on a daily basis:
- âI have ALL the time that I need!â
- âI am right where Iâm supposed to be!â
- âI get there when I get there!â
LifeTOOL #2âThe Serenity Solution
This is when I repeat the Serenity Prayer over and over and over in my head, crowding out the negative thoughts.
My shortened, in-the-moment stress version of the Serenity Prayer is:
âCan I do anything about it RIGHT NOW?â
If the answer is yes, I do it!
If the answer is no, I tell myself to let it go!
LifeTOOL #3âThe Buffer
Because I know how anxious I can get, I purposely build in âbuffer timeâ with my schedule. I give myself EXTRA time! Here are some of the ways I create buffer time with certain stressful situations:
-
Going somewhere new?
- I give myself an extra 30 minutes of âlost time.â
-
Facing a deadline?
- I start the project early and create a personal deadline a week in advance of the actual deadline.
-
Going to an appointment?
- I give myself an extra 30 minutes for traffic time.
Do you struggle with this, too? Let me know in the comment box what YOU do to manage this trigger.
~ To Living Well TODAY! ~
The post How to Overcome Anxiety When Triggered by Time appeared first on hopetocope.com | Hope To Cope With Anxiety & Depression.

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