What about anxiety? A simple tip ……or three
So many people are affected by anxiety on a regular basis. Some may even wake up with an anxious knot in their stomachs, others may experience a sense of rising anxiety as the day progresses. Sometimes we can relate these bodily manifestations to events out there: an important exam, a confrontation with the boss or a neighbour, or a talk in public. Sometimes we are not even aware of the stimulus, we are simply aware of a sense of unease or even dread. However when you examine your thought processes the cause will always become apparent.
Anxiety is part of the human condition – we fight it every day and it is not always clear who the winner is. Many people believe that anxiety is something that you need to control: bite your teeth, suppress those butterflies, put on a brave smile and forge ahead. Yes, and it works sometimes, because we may not give in to the dictates of anxiety as that would be like feeding a monster.
What is required is an attitude of letting go, just letting go. The very opposite of control! When you become aware of the first sign of anxiety and you will know what it is for you….a sudden sweaty palm, tension in your chest from holding your breath or a dry mouth, or a need to piddle when you have just been……….
Acknowledge to yourself that you are in a situation that is having this specific effect on you, then reassure yourself that it is ok to feel this way and then give yourself, meaning your body, a coping message such as: “I can deal with this” or “I can cope. “
Note that it is a positive message designed to cancel out the previous message you sent your body which was probably: “OMG this is a disaster, what am I going to do? What if………everyone hates me, or I forget my lines or I am not good enough…………..”. Yes, the list is just about endless and moreover each anxiety attack is preceded by such self talk. This self -talk can be automatic and to change it you need to become aware of it first.
The second helpful thing to do is to stop whatever you are doing and take five deep and deliberate breaths…..it works like magic. Just try it right now. Anxiety makes us breathe very shallowly and that worsens the whole experience.
The third is to make exercise a part of your daily routine. Twenty minutes of moving about, getting your heart rate up, will help you discharge some of that trapped energy that comes from a sedentary lifestyle. So turn up the music and dance about, let the dog take you for a brisk walk, jog up and down the staircase or join a walking group. Choose something you enjoy otherwise it will lose its appeal before you know it. Exercise forces you to move out of that creative mind of yours and into your body.
Aneta Shaw (PhD) in a Clinical Psychologist who works with the mind-body connection.
