How I Keep My Anxiety from Affecting Those Around Me

Now, I've learned how to keep my anxiety from hurting others. There was a time when I was a lot younger that I was easily agitated and often angry. What I realized later on in life was that this was related to my anxiety. I often found myself experiencing these intense feelings that I couldn't quite express, and unfortunately, I couldn't quite find an outlet for them either. As a result, I found that I would often express these feelings to others. Things are different for me now, though, as I work to keep my anxiety from affecting others.

When I am referring to how I have kept my anxiety from affecting those around me, I am referring to the irritability and anger that I have often felt as a result of it. Earlier in life, I was often told that I had a "bad temper" and was quick to anger. I would always just agree with this because I wasn't sure how else to describe the intensity of the emotions that I would feel. I always just knew that I often felt like I was on edge, almost as though I was expecting something terrible to happen, and I would never be able to figure out why.

Strategies I Use to Keep My Anxiety from Affecting Others

Throughout the years, I've learned different ways to manage my anxiety when I am around others so that I am not expressing my feelings in a harsh way and so that it is not negatively impacting my relationships with others. Additionally, I've learned to manage my anxiety so that it does not impact me to the point when it is difficult to function.

First of all, to keep my anxiety from affecting others, it has become important for me to recognize when my anxiety is causing me to feel irritable to the point that I might start snapping at others. When I recognize this, I usually either take a break or, if I am with someone I am close to, I express to them that I am feeling this way, so I need to step away.

Additionally, practicing mindfulness helps me to stay grounded and focused on the moment. Anytime I start to feel myself becoming extremely anxious and agitated, I focus on grounding myself in the moment. Mindfulness allows me to feel calm and in control and prevents me from taking out my frustrations on others.

Lastly, to keep my anxiety from affecting others, I schedule time to address the issue that is making me feel stressed if I know what that is. So, for example, if there is a problem that I need to solve, I schedule time for me to focus on it, and I don't allow myself to worry about it until then. This prevents me from feeling unnecessarily frustrated when I know it is not the right time to experience that. It also prevents me from then expressing those frustrations inadvertently towards others.