Let’s talk about “Anxiety and Last Minute Plans”. Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States. It affects 40 million adults and 7 million children.
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Anxiety is a normal human emotion, but it can become debilitating when it prevents people from completing tasks and everyday activities.
People with anxiety are susceptible to panic attacks, which can cause extreme physical symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations.
Table of Contents
Symptoms of Anxiety
Panic Attacks
People with anxiety often experience panic attacks. These can be caused by some unexpected event in the future or something that just happened unexpectedly.
If you are prepping for unexpected events during a panic attack, it is important to have an emergency plan in place for when it inevitably happens.
Some people experience a panic attacks when they are feeling overwhelmed. This is a very common response to the constant stress of the world.
It can be helpful to make sure that you limit your time reading, watching television, or any other activity that you find hard to focus on.
Nausea and vomiting.
If you currently have an illness that causes nausea, your symptoms may be worsened by panic attacks. Some people experience a feeling of nausea or vomiting as they go through the course of their panic attacks.
These symptoms can worsen if they are in a situation where it is difficult to escape or find relief from their anxiety.
It is important to make sure that you are prepared and escape from any situation where anxiety is causing these symptoms.
Muscle tension.
Some people experience an increase in muscle tension during their panic attacks. These symptoms may be particularly intense when they are feeling the most anxious.
It is important to practice the relaxation techniques recommended by your therapist or try some things like deep breathing exercises, yoga, and other physical exercises
How to Cope with the Unexpected During Last Minute Planning
Last-minute planning is stressful. And, while we all try to be prepared, it can be difficult to predict what will come up. So, how do you cope with the unexpected during last-minute planning?
Here are five tips for dealing with the unexpected during last-minute planning:
- Keep a list of resources on hand. You never know when an emergency might pop up in your life, so keep a list of resources handy in case of a medical emergency, car trouble, or other unforeseen situation.
- Leave yourself time to sleep and eat healthy meals. Don’t skimp on sleep or healthy foods because it could put you at risk of getting sick and missing out on time with family and friends.
- Ask for help from others when necessary — even if it’s just asking someone to watch your kids for an hour while you run errands or go grocery shopping! This will give you some much-needed “me” time without being overwhelmed by stressors that may arise during last-minute planning.
- Create backup plans as needed — this is especially helpful when traveling! If something comes up unexpectedly while traveling (your flight gets delayed), having backup plans can help alleviate stressors that come along with last minute
- Be flexible with your plans — but only if necessary! While being flexible is great in theory, sometimes trying too hard for perfection can lead
4 Ways to Calm Your Nerves for Last Minute Plans
The best-laid plans often go awry, but it’s important to stay calm when things don’t go as expected. Here are four ways to prepare for last-minute plans:
- Have a Plan B.
- Relax and Take a Deep Breath
- Stay in the Moment
- Focus on What You Can Control
Watch This Video:
How to Plan for the Unexpected When You’re Experiencing Anxiety Symptoms
Create A Plan For The Unexpected
If you have to cancel your plans at the last minute, it’s important that you let your friends know as soon as possible.
Give them an idea of when they can expect to hear from you again so they don’t worry about you. If they’re the ones canceling, give them some time to find another option if it’s not possible for them to join you.
Don’t bring up your anxiety with friends who cancel or change plans with you, unless they bring it up first and ask how you’re feeling about it.
It’s important that everyone involved in the situation feels comfortable communicating their needs without feeling judged or criticized by other people involved in the situation.
Learn To Recognize Your Anxious Symptoms
Anxiety is a normal response to stress, but when it becomes chronic and lasts for more than six months, it can interfere with your daily life.
Anxiety can make you feel like you’re constantly on edge, which makes it difficult to relax or enjoy yourself.
If you’re having trouble identifying your symptoms of anxiety and how they affect your life, try keeping a log or journaling about how you feel over the course of one week.
As soon as possible after an event that triggers anxiety for you, write down what happened, how it made you feel, and what thoughts were running through your head during that time period.
This exercise is useful because it helps you recognize patterns of anxious thinking that might otherwise go unnoticed by simply looking at your day-to-day activities.
Practice, Practice, Practice
If you’re going to tackle this last-minute anxiety problem head-on, there’s no better way than by practicing how you’ll handle it ahead of time.
For example, if you know that a big project is due on Friday afternoon and your boss asks you for it on Thursday afternoon, try having a little bit of fun with the situation by saying something like this: “I’m so sorry! I misread my calendar and thought tomorrow was Friday.”
This way, when the real situation happens later in the week, it won’t seem as stressful because you’ve already been there before and survived!
Give yourself credit
Give yourself credit. When you have a tendency to worry about what might go wrong, it’s easy to get caught up in fear and self-doubt.
Instead of letting go of the negative thoughts, try giving yourself credit for the things you do well instead.
Think about all the times you’ve been able to handle unexpected situations without getting overwhelmed or anxious—and acknowledge that it’s possible for you to handle this situation as well!
FAQS
So, when you know in your heart that you lack the willpower to socialize and are confident that doing it anyway would just make you feel worse, it could be a huge relief to just let yourself opt out. The majority of the time, the other party won't raise any objections or have any problems with your cancellation.
This anxiety can occasionally be brought on by a paralyzing fear of failing. They occasionally simply lack direction. But their anxiety typically stems from their need for perfection.
Strategies for overcoming social anxiety Make an effort to relax using techniques like stress-relieving breathing exercises. Break up challenging situations into manageable parts, and focus on relaxing with each one. Consider trying to pay attention to what others are saying rather than quickly assuming the worst.
A recent study found that those who change their plans at the last minute tend to be more pessimistic. A recent study found that persons who make last-minute changes to their plans frequently also display darker personality traits like narcissism and Machiavellianism (the capacity to manipulate others and a lack of morals) (extremely self-absorbed). Is It OK To Cancel Plans Because Of Anxiety?
Why Does Making Plans Give Me Anxiety?
What Helps Anxiety Before Going Out?
Why Do I Always Want To Cancel Plans Last Minute?
Conclusion: Making Last Minute Plans Without Panic Attacks
Planning for the future can be a daunting task. But there are ways to make it less stressful and more manageable.
Start by making a list of what you need to do in order to prepare for your future plans. From there, prioritize the tasks that are most important and follow through with them first.
It is also helpful to write down your goals and visualize them in order to keep yourself motivated.
Lastly, when you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the things you need to do, take a break and come back later so you don’t feel overwhelmed or even panic attack.
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