[su_quote]Concentration is a fine antidote to anxiety. –Jack Nicklaus[/su_quote]
In a world that’s everything but forgiving, it’s hard not to get caught up in your own mental drama. It seems like it’s never been THIS hard to keep a job, maintain a healthy relationship, stick to family values, keep up with all the healthy habits and still preserve the mental strength and clarity. And it’s evident you’ll snap, now or in five years. No, you are not crazy in the clinical sense of that word; you’re overwhelmed with all the expectations thrust upon you.
From a social point of view, the anxiety is on a rapid increase and it’s pretty clear the global attempt to save yourself from the everyday pressures doesn’t really work. You need to rely on your own strength for liberation, and just like any other problem in life, this one too can be overcome with your full attention focused on the issue. Don’t let the anxiety take on a life of its own.
Here are three approaches to try.
Recognize and isolate false alarms
We all tend to breed irrational fears that potentially paralyze our whole being for a few brief seconds (or longer). That fear of the plain crashing, your house burning down because you left the curling iron on, your boyfriend leaving because you saw him chatting with his acquaintance, etc. has never come true. The rapid heartbeat, overwhelming heatwaves and drumming in your ears are your body’s natural response to stimuli, there’s no need to panic. Think of each of the problems you’ve stored in your brain as a fire engine going to another place. Now that you’ve noticed them, you have the power to isolate them from the real/likely circumstance, “set them free” and let go.
Buy a Worry Doll
Remember the story The Goat’s Ears of the Emperor Trojan your mom told you when you were a kid? Sure you do. Only, at that time, you had no idea what the story was about. You probably thought it was about trees and secrets and naivety. However, this tale is a true testament to stress-relief. Okay, it didn’t end up well for the poor Trojan who had his secrets spread through a flute’s melody, but at least he felt better at the time he needed to liberate his soul from what was bothering him.
Psychologists everywhere will tell you this system is an amazing approach to solving problems. Tell them to somebody in order to deal. If you don’t want to include therapy sessions in your daily routine, get yourself any of the worry dolls available for purchase. According to the Mayan legend, worry dolls are a magnet that sucks in all of your worries once you confide in them. It may sound silly but it actually works. Worry Dolls take over the worrying for the person who then sleeps peacefully through the night. In the morning, you’ll wake up stress free and relieved. Try it!
Don’t fight the craziness, embrace it
Again, it’s all about the power of mind. When you are having certain thoughts or needs, the more you fight them, the more overwhelming they become. You may occasionally have thoughts that you’re going insane (a client of mine who is a doctor kept imagining himself screaming in the ER) or that lead you to think you’ll do something terrible (“Am I close to cheating on my wife just because I am attracted to my secretary?”).
Ways to Cope With Anxiety https://t.co/oh7J7lPEFw #MentalHealth #Panic #Distress
— Zigverve.com (@zigverve) August 14, 2016
Whenever you have thoughts of such sort, remember―our minds are creative and they’ll come up with whatever you order them to. All thoughts are triggered by outer influences and are totally random. Everyone is having thoughts like these and for the most part, they are products of stress and lack of sleep/rest. Instead of just deciding you’re crazy, describe it to yourself like it’s a curious object and laugh it out. If you explain those thoughts to yourself on a rational level, they’ll soon become just random issues you deal with on daily basis, anyway.
Whatever approach you embrace, remember that anxiety is the sole product of your (irrational) thoughts and fears. Most of it can be eliminated by creating a different relationship with your feelings and developing a healthy relationship with your expectations of yourself and others.
