Anxiety,that terrible feeling of dread,can be extremely debilitating.It creeps up slowly upon your mind and by the time you realize it is playing havoc with your life,it is already well entrenched.You spend a major portion of your waking hours worrying about either your job,health,common everyday pending chores,or the health and safety of your family members.So much so,that negative thinking becomes a habit and you find it difficult to free yourself from your worries.
If you find yourself in a similar predicament it is best to take action at the first suspicion that anxiety has got it's hold on you.Consistent efforts will enable you to regain your peace of mind.It is not difficult at all--tenacity is all that is needed.Different people employ different techniques to kill anxiety.These techniques can broadly be categorized under three heads :---
ACTION
If you were energetic,practical and a doer before anxiety enslaved you,then that is where your salvation lies.Anxiety generates a surplus of adrenalin and cortisol,both of which are stress hormones that make you jittery.Vigorous activity subsumes this extra nervous energy,making you peaceful once again.Take up a vigorous physical routine first thing in the morning.Make it a daily habit.
Line up a row of activities to choose from when anxiety becomes especially enervating.You can take your pick from running,swimming,cycling,dancing,cleaning,gardening,decluttering,organizing or a hard game of tennis ---anything which works for you.The more strenuous,the better.
THOUGHT
If you are basically a thinker and do not care much for physical activities,chances are that you will not be able to sustain physical exertion even if you do take it up on someone's advice.
You certainly need to junk those baleful thoughts but the mind cannot remain in a vacuum.Therefore it has to be filled with other,equally absorbing thoughts.The best choice would be brain games like puzzles,crossword or sudoku.Start with the moderately difficult ones--you don't want to be frustrated at the very beginning ;).
As you grapple with these games a new train of thought will take over your brain and you will,for the time being,forget your troubles.If you manage to do this repeatedly the cycle of negative thinking will come apart and you will experience peace,as well as the satisfaction of knowing that your mental faculties are alive and kicking.
The intellectual kind will benefit immensely if they write down their worries in a journal every day and review their jottings to find out how many of their fears were realistic.They will realize that worst case scenarios seldom take place--so why worry?
The artistic kind can find solace in music,sketching,painting or craft work.All these activities require undivided concentration,so that you will now be occupied with something other than your worries and apprehensions.
Meditation is another technique which you can try.It is a soothing balm for troubled minds.It takes time to show results but it is very effective.
You certainly need to junk those baleful thoughts but the mind cannot remain in a vacuum.Therefore it has to be filled with other,equally absorbing thoughts.The best choice would be brain games like puzzles,crossword or sudoku.Start with the moderately difficult ones--you don't want to be frustrated at the very beginning ;).
As you grapple with these games a new train of thought will take over your brain and you will,for the time being,forget your troubles.If you manage to do this repeatedly the cycle of negative thinking will come apart and you will experience peace,as well as the satisfaction of knowing that your mental faculties are alive and kicking.
The intellectual kind will benefit immensely if they write down their worries in a journal every day and review their jottings to find out how many of their fears were realistic.They will realize that worst case scenarios seldom take place--so why worry?
The artistic kind can find solace in music,sketching,painting or craft work.All these activities require undivided concentration,so that you will now be occupied with something other than your worries and apprehensions.
Meditation is another technique which you can try.It is a soothing balm for troubled minds.It takes time to show results but it is very effective.
MEDICATION
Despite all the suffering caused by anxiety many people become so apathetic that they fail to take any concrete steps to get out of this morass.Medication offers a workable solution.Let the doctor--preferably a psychiatrist--prescribe one for you.There is a vast variety available.If one medicine does not agree with you,you can always shift to another one.
Anxiety is annoying,enervating,exhausting and decapacitating-all at the same time.A chronic sufferer may sometimes be so overcome with lassitude as to resign himself to the fact that this is his fate and he has to live with it.Nothing could be farther from truth.It is true that today's hectic life is tailor-made for anxiety,but you don't have to live a sub-standard life all your life.Make a choice which technique suits you best of all and then stick to it.You can pull yourself out of it and regain control over your life.
All the best !
Anxiety is annoying,enervating,exhausting and decapacitating-all at the same time.A chronic sufferer may sometimes be so overcome with lassitude as to resign himself to the fact that this is his fate and he has to live with it.Nothing could be farther from truth.It is true that today's hectic life is tailor-made for anxiety,but you don't have to live a sub-standard life all your life.Make a choice which technique suits you best of all and then stick to it.You can pull yourself out of it and regain control over your life.
All the best !
Ah! In my teens, I used to have this perpetual anxiety - not even related to any specific issue (I suppose most teens do suffer that - mostly related to a general feeling of not being liked/likable :) ). NOW, anxiety is more often than not related to specific problems. I generally tend to think of 'what if the worse comes true'. More often than not, I find that i can handle the worst - and that helps me dismiss the anxiety.
ReplyDeleteLuckily I am not prone to the all-pervasive version - anxiety that does not have any core reason for existing. It could be shattering. Good that you have offered solutions to handle it.
Thanks for sharing your views Suresh.Yes teens can be terrible for your self esteem--i know.Good that you climbed out of it and can handle the worst.I am also always trying to cope,no matter what the crisis.
DeleteGood Morning !
great article Indu... chocolate works for me when I am anxious ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Archana--keep on hogging it :)
DeleteAnother great help doc.! Thanks a lot...will refer to those who need it.
ReplyDeleteAmit jee you make it sound worthwhile--glad you liked it.
DeleteThanks!
I do have anxiet ies.... One technique I use is to identify that it's an anxiety and not something really happening when it begins to creep up itself... sometimes I take deep breaths or face the thought rather than trying to run away from it ...Then I find it easier to let it go ....
ReplyDeleteWise girl.You have found what works for you
DeleteLove n hugs.
As i said,the trick is to find out what works for you.
ReplyDeleteGood morning Ashwini.
I have faced a few anxiety inducing situations before, not very serious in nature, but the most amazing thing was that things turned out to very positive in the end. Now, I always keep those episodes in mind, instant anxiety relievers!
ReplyDeleteI hope it always turns out that way Arti :)
DeleteLove.
Good one. One has to learn to deal with anxiety issues. It has to be a conscious effort.
ReplyDeleteOh yes ,one has to take it up on a regular basis.
DeleteThanks Alka for the confirmation,it means a lot :)
a good guy living in india itself will lead to chronic anxiety coz you have to face and confront every wrong doer in your day to day life.we can't be silent to fraudsters and cheats who will cause damage to you financially and mentally.so a good guy living in india itself is prone to chronic anxiety disorder by default. why am i saying this ?coz am on alprazolam right from i was 19 yr old. many doctors advised me to meditate etc etc,i told them a person who lives ideal life is like meditating 24 hours.he need not practise meditation again.only way to get rid of anxiety from contemporary life is to go to a place where people don't disturb you. i did travel across india,people will harass for money across india from himalayas to kanyakumari. inner peace is something you find when you are alone far from corrupt minds coz there is nothing beyond a mind that has led life naturally human.
ReplyDeleteIt pains me to know you have been on Alprozalam for so long.Rohan people are what they are--you can't change them but why should you allow their character to depress you?It is you who will have to learn to steer clear or adapt to the circumstances.By this i do not mean you become one of them;but you can practice to not be influenced by them.You can't change others but you can change yourself & unless you change your life will not change.
DeleteWhat you say is NOT meditation--try it,it helps.
All the best.
hmm,others people character won't depress me,while fighting for right things,one has to go through lot of stress that causes anxiety.as long as you are part of this society,this is constant circumstance you are always in.what should i change?fighting for right things or to practice silence when someone is indulging malpractice to which one's daily life is attached.people don't influence me,i think you din't get my point what am trying to say.
Deletewhen i was in college,everyone used to ask me whether i meditate,i came across this question from many people over a period of time though i actually don't meditate.people think my calmness and balanced mind is coz of meditation which is not true.anxiety is resultant of stress due to righteousness vs life by any means.well,doc din't prescribe me alprazolam,its self-medication.i never went to a psychiatrist coz they go by textbook with template thoughts without actually understanding process of individual life that results in insomnia.psychiatrist may be helpful for people who don't understand life and themselves better but not for someone who has seen life in every aspect and understands it.
i just don't belong to this world,it means my mind din't go corrupt with time like it happens with generations,it means its not compatible with my generation and next generation too.changing self means corrupting your mind to suit contemporary society requirements which won't happen with instinctive people.
Rohan i don't know your circumstances therefore i can only say-- even as you are living by your beliefs and ideals,don't cross others unless they impinge upon your rights.That way you will avoid a lot of stress.
DeleteMeditation and physical activity are both followed by me. I have realized that I am a worrier hence I actively work towards calming my mind and thinking positive thoughts. Yoga has helped me a lot. Chanting does help calm my mind. Great that you wrote about this, Indu. I see it a lot among people these days. It seems as if stress is an accepted part of life when it shouldn't be.
ReplyDeleteRachna i like the way you have put it--that stress is accepted as a part of life when it shouldn't be.I too do yoga and meditation but not chanting.Thanks for the compliment,love.
DeletePacked schedule, meditation and brain exercise does help in dealing with anxiety. I play on lumosity.com and it has helped me. Thanks for sharing this article, ma'am.
ReplyDeleteYes Saru,all that helps.I am glad you liked it.
DeleteLove n hugs.
For me it used to be Physical work ---I used to sweep the whole garden and it used to be so engrossing that I would forget everything .
ReplyDeleteThanks like always your posts make you sit up and take stock of life
Love and hugs :)
Once again,you echo my thoughts.That is the best way to release stress.
DeleteThanks for this cute compliment Rajni.