Understanding Anxiety in Your 30s
Your 30s often mark a period of significant change. Career demands may increase, relationships may evolve, and the pressure to achieve certain life milestones can intensify. As a result, it's not uncommon for anxiety to make its presence felt. You might find yourself worrying about job stability, financial security, or the complexities of family life.
Common Anxiety Triggers
Career Advancement: The pursuit of professional success can bring about stress, as you navigate career growth, job changes, total career upheavals, or entrepreneurial ventures.
Family and Relationships: Balancing the demands of a growing family or dealing with changes in relationships, such as marriage or divorce, can be emotionally taxing.
Financial Concerns: Managing finances, including mortgages, investments, and savings for the future, can be a significant source of anxiety. Living in our society as a millennial is really hard, and financial stress is extremely common.
Health and Aging: As you move through your 30s, concerns about aging and health may become more prominent. Existential dread can kick in big time, but it’s important to learn where it takes over brain space that could be freed up for something that feels better.
Identity Questions: We are often taught that we should have ourselves totally figured out by 30. We should know our purpose, values, career path, family values, sexual identity, and so forth. Turns out that people operate differently than that, and it’s very common to explore identity shifts in your 30s and beyond. However, processing and exploring identities, especially when wants and needs are suppressed, can cause a whole lot of anxiety.
Unprocessed Trauma and Experiences: By your 30s, you’ve experienced a lot of life. It’s not uncommon for folks to start analyzing their past history at this age, only to notice pieces of history that are unprocessed and affect daily life. Therapy can help identify and process parts of your life that have been ignored or pushed down.
A Few Practical and Simple Strategies for Managing Anxiety
Mindfulness and Meditation: Incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily routine. Even a few minutes of meditation each day can help you stay grounded and reduce anxiety. Remember that mindfulness can look like many things - from noticing your feet on ground, utilizing guided meditations (Insight Timer is an amazing free app with hundreds of meditations to choose from), journaling, yoga, or any other activity that helps you remain present and focused.
Stress Management: Identify specific stressors in your life and develop healthy coping mechanisms. This might include exercise, hobbies, or engaging in creative activities. Maybe you have a set of stress management tools that you’ve found helpful in the past, and maybe you need to try out some new tools.
Bio Needs: Pay attention to your body. Ensuring you are eating enough, drinking plenty of water (iced coffee doesn’t count), getting quality sleep, and moving your body can work wonders. Even if these practices don’t fully fix everything, they will help give you a better foundation to tackle life challenges. Conversely, poor sleep, neglecting to eat, and so forth, can leave you feeling depleted and unable to overcome obstacles.
Seek Support: Don't hesitate to reach out to a therapist or counselor for guidance. Talking through your concerns and developing strategies for managing anxiety can make a significant difference.
Set Realistic Goals: Reevaluate your life goals and ensure they align with your values and priorities. Adjusting unrealistic expectations can reduce unnecessary stress.
Limit Information Overload: In an age of constant information, consider limiting exposure to news and social media. Consuming too much negative information can contribute to anxiety. Doom scrolling won’t help your mental health. Curate your social feeds to help enrich your mind, and know when to put your devices down.
Build a Supportive Network: Cultivate meaningful relationships with friends and loved ones who can offer emotional support and understanding during challenging times. Connecting with community and loved ones, especially those with shared experiences, can help ease anxiety in many situations. Humans are relational beings!
The Role of Therapy
Therapy can be an invaluable resource for managing anxiety. A skilled therapist can help you identify the underlying causes of your anxiety, develop effective coping strategies, and provide a safe space for exploring your feelings and concerns.
Remember, experiencing anxiety at any age is common, and you're not alone in facing these challenges. By incorporating these strategies and seeking support when needed, you can navigate this transformative period with greater resilience and mental well-being.
If you're looking for guidance in managing anxiety or addressing specific concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm here to provide the support and tools you need to thrive.
