Anxiety. The silent killer. It comes in many forms and can hit at any time, that’s what makes it so lethal. It is the stealth of ninjas and sneakiest of criminals, waiting until your back is turned and for the moment when you are least expecting it. It will hit without a moment’s notice and drive you to the point of insanity and steal your confidence, pride, and donuts… if you let it.
I don’t like to talk about anxiety that often, for the simple fact that I get anxiety when I talk about my anxiety. It is all this pent up energy inside of me that makes me nervous beyond belief and when I talk about it, I over-think and sometimes feel that people won’t believe that it is real. The sad thing is, the older that I get, the more anxiety I have. I’m not reaching the expectations that I had for myself. I haven’t achieved all that I wanted to by the time I was thirty. I am not doing enough to reach my goals. Does anyone even read the pieces I write – Why do I continue to write if no one is reading? OMG, I hate people why are there so many people at this event – Don’t they know they should stay home. My hair is not parting the way that I wanted it to and everyone is going to think that I am fugly. If this muffin top doesn’t disappear soon I swear people are going to think I am pregnant.
I know that I am not alone when I say that the thoughts in our heads can be crippling. Anxiety can make you overthink, it can make you nervous, hell it can even make you paranoid enough to not want to leave the house. It is easy for us to fall into a dark, sad state instead of dealing with the problem that is in front of us. So before you pick up that bottle of wine or cry yourself into a massive headache, ask yourself, “What the hell is making you act like a blubber basket case over a repeat of the Bachelorette?” (I am brutal with myself – I encourage you to be nicer to yourself and pick a better trashy TV show to watch).
I know that I am not an expert or an actual doctor when it comes to these matters, but I have found a way to help ease my anxiety and maybe they will be helpful for you too:
For starters, take a breath and try to find the main focus of your anxiety. What is really causing you to overthink and panic? Second, take a breath and try not to blow it out of proportion. Most of the time, our anxiety will take a small problem and create a bigger, drawn out scenario versus the one that is really in front of us. Third, move on to something else (anything else) to take your mind off of the problem that you are stuck on. For me, I like to use music, my writing, or yoga. Those are the easiest ways for me to escape out of my head and forget what was causing me so much anxiety for the moment. Just find something else to focus on for a short period of time and allow yourself to calm down before you have to go back to the original thing that caused you anxiety. This way you will feel slightly calmer and be able to handle the situation without as much stress.
Lesson to be learned: Don’t let your anxiety control you. Remember that you are the one calling the shots. You can either let it build inside of you or you can deal with it. Most of the time your anxiety is going to try to make a big deal out of nothing. Don’t let the little things build up inside of you and cause havoc by letting your anxiety explode. Remember to focus on the task at hand, breath and move on to something else. Your anxiety doesn’t have control of your life, only you do.
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