Anxiety: A Familiar Foe
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, tension, or fear, often focused on future events.
As if your mind is subscribed to the "Worst-Case Scenario Channel" and refuses to change the channel. It can feel like being trapped in a personal disaster movie, where you are the main character constantly replaying the worst-case scenarios. Except that you are home in bed in your pyjamas so the likelihood of those scenarios happening is pretty slim.
At its core, anxiety is a complex interplay of physical sensations, feelings and thoughts. Our bodies might respond with physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, sweating, dizziness or difficulty breathing, making us feel uneasy, or sick. Our minds meanwhile can race with negative thoughts, making us feel threatened as if our own life is at stake. When anxiety strikes, we often find ourselves consumed by worry and fear, fixated on potential negative outcomes. We may attempt to control these outcomes through excessive rumination as the fear of the unknown can be paralysing.
Because these sensations and thoughts are overwhelming, we seek escape and create coping mechanisms that may not be helpful. Our emotions are driven by an unconscious desire to avoid discomfort and uncertainty and ultimately to feel.
We may find ourselves running away from our feelings, much like Forrest Gump, hoping to outrun our emotions.
Coping Strategies and Self-Reliance
Anxiety can manifest in various ways, often leading us to seek reassurance from others or engage in avoidance behaviours. We try to avoid feeling, but no one will feel your feelings for you or face your discomfort for you. While it would be nice to delegate these feelings sometimes, it doesn't quite work.
Talking about delegation anxiety can lead us to seek constant reassurance, hoping others will validate us, make decisions for us, tell us how amazing we are or simply tell us we will be okay. Reassurance can temporarily relieve anxiety, but this reliance on external validation can be overwhelming for both us and those around us. It prevents us from building internal mechanisms for self-regulation, leaving us constant dependent on others. While having a support system is important, it's also crucial to develop internal mechanisms for self-regulation. This can help us navigate life's challenges with greater independence and resilience.
Procrastination is another common manifestation of anxiety. Since returning to studies, I've been overwhelmed by assignments and deadlines. I noticed I quietly tell myself "I can't do it as I don't know how." While this might have been a challenge in the past, today's abundance of information makes it less likely. The real issue wasn't a lack of knowledge, but rather the discomfort of facing the task itself.
The outcome is not determined by what I think it will happen or by my desires but by my actions. The more unprepared I am for what actions I need to take the more anxious I will be. The more I engage in unproductive distractions the more my inability to handle it.
Embracing Anxiety: A Path to Growth
Anxiety, the uninvited guest that creeps into our lives, can be overwhelming. What if we could reframe anxiety, not as an enemy to be defeated, but as a catalyst for growth? What if we approached anxiety with curiosity, as if it were an art piece to be examined and understood? If you are not into art, imagine it's a friend you never thought you needed or wanted, but you want to hug nevertheless.
Anxiety can signal areas where we need to improve and face our emotions head-on. It's a sign that we need to pay attention to something we are avoiding. Perhaps we need to be less perfectionistic, more accepting, build our confidence, build resilience or connect with our emotions.
We often worry about something that “could” happen in the future. However, the outcome isn't determined by our fears or desires, but by our actions. When anxious, we may find ourselves ruminating rather than taking action. By pausing to focus on our physical sensations and challenging our negative thoughts as just thoughts, not the ultimate truth to life, we can better manage our worries.
Writing your Anxiety
Writing can be a powerful tool for understanding and addressing anxiety.
When we write about our anxieties, we can delve deeper into our experiences. Writing about: Where do I feel physical discomfort? What am I avoiding? And what specific actions can I take to move forward? By addressing its core causes, we can identify patterns and develop effective coping strategies.
Many people experience anxiety at some point in their life, and the good news is that there are tools and techniques to manage it. Writing is one such tool. By putting our thoughts and emotions on paper or using a laptop, we can gain clarity, reduce stress, and promote emotional wellbeing.
Ready to start your journey towards emotional wellbeing? Visit Grafto and explore our new Anxiety prompt.
Commenti