Battling Anxiety
Worry is regularly agonizing and overwhelming. I’ve been contending with anxiety for as long as I can remember, and similarly to a majority of people, for a long time I didn’t have the necessary awareness to identify what it was and how it was negatively affecting me.
Anxiety manifests itself in numerous ways, but it generally surfaces because of a fear that something bad has happened or will happen in the future, and that fear is often crippling if you don’t have a plan of attack. As a result of enduring a long period of trial and error, I’ve compiled a shortlist of some of the most effective techniques for combating anxiety.
Qualify your worries
Every single worry can be categorized into one of these groups: resolvable worries, and unresolvable worries. It sounds a little pandering on the surface, but if an effort is truly made to characterize your worries, one of two things can happen:
- All of your unresolvable worries are immediately let go. A lot of emotional weight can be lifted off of your shoulders by identifying what is out of your hands, and a large portion of brain-power and imagination that is usually run by worry can be directed in more productive fashions.
- If it is a resolvable worry, take some time to conceptualize the issue and brainstorm a list of ideas to start formulating a plan of attack. All of these worries are completely within your power to break through.
Distract yourself from worry
Sometimes worry feels inescapable, and in some extreme cases that may be the case. More often than not, however, finding ways to occupy your time can keep your mind off of some internal or external stressors. Exercise is a great way to fight anxiety. Other activities in the community that encourage interaction like shopping, community service, or any other extracurricular activities also serve as a great diversion for staying focused on what is worth your time.
Talk it out
It’s not a groundbreaking claim to suggest that mental health issues do not have the greatest connotation in our society. I am however proud to see our country begin to address the issue as a real threat and establish systems to prevent/treat mental health issues moving forward. One of those long-time systems that I believe should and will become more accessible is access to a licensed therapist.
Bottling up severe worries can drastically affect a person’s overall wellbeing. Not only is it beneficial to open up about what you are struggling with, but a therapist is also ready to equip patients with plenty of knowledge and relevant skills concerning how to move forward with whatever they are going through. It is absolutely not a sign of weakness to go in for help and talk through significant problems – asking for help is a sign of strength.
In addition to the three techniques I touched on above, talking to a doctor about potential medication is another viable route to fighting back against anxiety/worry. Again – there is nothing wrong with looking for help from those around you. Worry doesn’t have to consume every moment of your life, start to take back some agency from the infection that is anxiety and make sure you are in charge of what you are dedicating an abundance of time and energy.
