Anxiety and the Feeling of Failure

If you find yourself constantly consumed with thoughts that failure is looming around the corner, you’re probably living in the land of “what-ifs” as opposed to living in the land of the here and now. The very important way to combat this tendency is to engage in mindfulness. Mindfulness is a skill that involves a lot of different parts, but the core of it is that you’re focusing on noticing your thoughts and feelings as they come and go without judging them, and then bringing your attention back to the here and now: the physical sensations in your body, what’s going on around you and your environment, things that are actually happening. That takes us away from the anxious cycle that we tend to go down otherwise. Other important ways to combat those fears of failure include engaging in positive affirmations, so telling yourself “I’m going to do this, I’m going to be great”, focusing on your strengths, writing them out even at times and visualizing success – so when you’re going into something, visualizing what it’s gonna look like for you to be successful. Having all of those strategies helps you have a positive mindset and combat those fears of failure.