I have been thinking a lot about certain situations and having my worries about what others may think or say.
How can I manage my budding anxiety?
I think it's a great idea that you are asking this question now while it's early on.The first thing I wonder is what age you are. At different transitions and stages in life, it's really common for anxieties to come out of the woodwork. First time this takes place at a greater level is during adolescence, because a teen's "job" is to figure out who they are within the context of other people. Spikes in anxiety also can also occur after high school when you are leaving the nest and heading to college, or the late twenties when it feels like you are expected to have your life figured out and compare to where others are in their lives. That same scenario can show up in mid-life as well for different reasons depending on the person.Aside from age, certain circumstances can influence a jump in anxiety, such as a job change, switching schools, moving, opening a business, college finals, etc. Take some time to explore where the anxiety might be coming from and just see what comes up. It may be something you have some control over, or something that you can ask for help from someone else for--especially if it's social anxiety. The more you practice social skills, the more confidence you'll have in the long-run.A metaphor I use with some people is gas for a car. Anxiety is a necessary motivator for action, though you get to decide where to go with that anxiety. An overfilled tank doesn't get you any further than a normally-filled tank, and more gas doesn't mean the gas is in charge of where you go. Applying that to what I know about your situation--how much of that worrying is getting you somewhere, how much is just extra gas, and are the worries changing what you really want to do? Sometimes knowing the makeup of our anxiety gives us more power over how we deal with it, and I think you could for sure get there with some help.