Image Therapy: Self-Care for Anxiety and Overwhelm

Ever noticed how scrolling through your favorite photos can instantly lift your mood? There's actual science behind it. 

In this episode, discover how photographs—whether of grandchildren, nature scenes, or peaceful landscapes—can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and interrupt anxious thought patterns. 

Get practical tips for creating your own "calming photo file" to use in waiting rooms, traffic, or anytime anxiety strikes. From "internet vacations" to guided imagery, this episode equips you with a simple, accessible tool you can carry in your pocket.

Research on digital nature images reducing stress

Contact me at terrihutchinson@anchorednotanxious.com or Facebook

Please share your thoughts, ideas, and prayer requests. Connect with me via:

Email me at terrihutchinson@anchorednotanxious.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/terri.hutchinson.140

For more content and resources, visit:

My YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/5AbnBFNzdMY?si=ffHlZULcLJC05xo5

Transcript

Intolerance of uncertainty is fear of what’s not known and the variables that cannot be controlled. Intolerance of uncertainty is a mental struggle with ambiguous, new, or unpredictable situations.

It keeps us from living our best life.

In the background of our mind as we make decisions, face change, or try something new, we ask this question, “how much uncertainty am I okay with if I….” The question is prudent. You want to make reasonable decisions or not put yourself at risk.

If you have no tolerance for uncertainty, you can imagine how it might influence how a person lives. For instance, they may never fly, drive a car, stop wearing a mask, or invest their money.

My husband has no problem flying to get from here to there. I would love to fly to California, go to the West Coast Writer’s Conference, see all my gang in person that I see on Zoom every month. 

My tolerance for uncertainty on that is about 20%. In other words, I believe there are too many unknowns and variables I can’t control for. 

It doesn’t help that the media highlights the crazy passenger beating on others, opening doors, charging the cockpit. It doesn’t help that airplanes can’t seem to navigate the ground space anymore without hitting each other. 

I’m a shining example of intolerance of uncertainty. I try to imagine a peaceful flight but the images from the media insert into my mental image and now I’m what-ifing what I would do if there’s a fight on the plane or it drops 1000 feet or the passenger next to me goes ballistic. 

As my imagined peaceful image turns into imagined turmoil, my heart is racing and my breath quickening because of this mental image. It sounds over the top and I agree but its my reality.

I’ve got to find more tolerance for uncertainty if I’m flying to California.

So what’s the prescription. How am I going to find more tolerance? Psychologists call it a Behavioral Experiment

You’ll test your belief.

First I select a percentage rating concerning my belief I can’t fly safely. I say 85%.

I must test this belief by taking a short flight and rate the level of safety I actually experience. Next, I reassess my belief rating that I can’t fly safely against what I actually experienced. 

If I fly safety on the experiment flight, then my tolerance for uncertainty should increase as I consider flying to California. 

I believe if my tolerance for uncertainty could go from 20% to 55%, it might be enough to get me on a plane to the West Coast. 

The point of the test is to use the actual experience to refute and eliminate the false imagined reality.

A lot of research is being done on the subject of anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and quality of life. I have placed a couple links in the episode description if you’re interested in understanding more about the subject.

Knowing more about intolerance of uncertainty helps you understand the complexities and elevates your empathy for someone you know who struggles with it.