Life can be totally unpredictable. We often deal with a constant state of sensory overload. Modern conveniences like social media and e-mail have made it easier to stay in touch, but it also means we’re permanently available. It can be a struggle to step away from the long list of tasks and projects that have to be carried out in the short and long term.

The weight of it all can cause pressure. Stress comes when we feel outmatched, and when we get nervous it makes it even harder to accomplish our goals. Here are some ways to address and conquer anxiety and move through the day with clear-sighted confidence.

Don’t Procrastinate
The temptation to procrastinate is one that can derail our productivity and cause even more anxiety. Forward-moving action to complete the task at hand is the best way to feel better about the work. When we put it off and opt to waste time instead, it only makes things worse. Buckle down, start chipping away, and that little progress will make you feel empowered and serene in your efforts.

Assess
If you get moving and still feel overwhelmed, take some time to assess what exactly needs to be done. Step outside of your nervousness and get a handle on whether or not you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill. We usually get ourselves worked up into frenzy about what has to be done on the whole. When we’re thinking about certain projects as they pertain to our entire careers, or, worse yet, our entire lives, then it’s easy to see why that leads to a lot of unhelpful pressure.

Talk
Try to build a support system of people you trust that can give you unbiased feedback. We don’t want to surround ourselves with people that will just repeat our own thoughts and assumptions back to us, we want to rely on people that will tell us when we are wrong or when we’ve bit off more than we can chew. The simple act of talking about a problem can alleviate so much of the burden.

Once you’ve practiced these steps, hopefully you will have a better perspective on how to carry on. Human nature leads us to make things out to be worse than they are, to create severity around an issue that is totally out of proportion with the issue itself. When we calm down and see clearly, we soothe our nerves and strive toward victory.