I am Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.
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Anxious thoughts can cripple you into indecision. It can do the opposite as well. Your panic builds until you rashly take action that doesn’t produce the greatest result. That’s why dealing with anxious thoughts is important when they pop up. It’s never the best practice to ignore them and hope they disappear.
If you do that, you’re liable to find they have a lot of company. Your brain will move on to some other anxious thought related to what you were already thinking. Fear, panic, and dread show up to support their good friend anxiety, and the odds that your thoughts lead to inappropriate actions skyrocket.
It’s best to process negative thoughts and feelings when they appear. Don’t judge yourself. Most of the thousands of thoughts you have every day should never be acted upon. They’re your brain processing information and trying to steer you toward your best outcome. If you often let negative thoughts affect your quality of life, start writing them down.
Go Old School with a Pen and Paper
People use the term “old school” to refer to the way things used to be. In this case, we are talking about taking a pencil, pen, or marker in your hand and physically writing your thoughts on paper. You may even want to create an anxiety relief journal. However you decide to go about it, you want to give your anxious, fear-based thoughts life and write them down.
Don’t worry about being the greatest writer of all time. Punctuation and grammar don’t matter. Just get your thoughts out there. You’ll find that they will often lead to other thoughts. Get everything off of your mind and down on paper.
Then, walk away for a few minutes. Practice deep breathing exercises or take a walk around your neighborhood. If your anxiety returns, tell it to go away, and you will deal with it shortly.
Go back to what you wrote. Read it as if you are seeing it for the first time. Do you feel the same way? Can you think of another way to look at the situation that isn’t so negative? You’ll find that writing out your thoughts, much like speaking them, is often all you need to do to get them out of your head.
Some people write about their anxious thoughts then burn the paper they wrote them on. They envision anxious feelings leaving their mind and returning to a place of peace and calm. Whether you ignite your troubling thoughts or not, this is a proven way to remove the sting of anxiety. It gives physical life to your thought process and reminds you that you can choose to think anything you like, positively or negatively.
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Once you’ve decided that you want to leave your current job to start your practice, you need an exit plan. Check out our blog post here for tips on developing an exit plan and starting your new independent practice.
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I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/contractnegotiations to pick up the free guide to help you negotiate the contract of your dreams.
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