Life is never a straight road.It often takes an unexpected turn or presents unforeseen upheavals.This happens to all of us but while some roll on confidently,a few others become morose and anxious.This can continue for a long spell even if there is no immediate danger ahead.
Anxiety is a feeling of fear,apprehension and worry;out of proportion with actual danger.It is not always toxic.It often precipitates a decision to remove the obstacle which bars our progress.We decide how to overcome that obstacle and lay down a roadmap accordingly.Generally the tentacles of anxiety dissolve after this decision has been taken.But what if they do not?
Mulling indefinitely and often,over distressing circumstances indicates that the problem lies deeper-in our own psyche-to be exact. Perhaps our way of viewing reality and reaching conclusions is at fault.We might be magnifying the repercussions of an ordinary event or belittling our own ability to deal with it. Such judgements are known as Cognitive Distortions i.e. arriving at wrong surmises about exteral circumstances.They breed uncalled-for stress which could have been avoided if we had rechecked our viewpoints about our life conditions and prospects.
Another cause of undue anxiety is Excessive Emotionalism and lesser use of logic.A bad patch or a downturn will distress anybody,but if we give in to our emotions in the presence of a challenge,then we also muddle our thinking process.Emotions biase us.We fail to find a correct solution to our problem and thus prolong our stress.
Overthinking is another culprit which can intensify anxiety.It consists of an unending stream of negative,futile thoughts which deter us from taking action against the problem which is giving us the jitters.Overthinking seldom ends on a happy note.
Introversion too can cause anxiety.If we don't share our worries with anybody,don't go out and meet people,then we store a mamoth amount of fears and worries.Talking releases a lot of stress.In psychology it is known as Catharsis.
"verywellmind" states "Catharsis is a powerful emotional release that, when successful, is accompanied by cognitive insight and positive change."
Then there is Pessimistic thinking which adds to our fears and worries.No matter what the situation,any new event makes us fear that it will end unfavorably for us.If we were to pay more attention to how to salvage that situation we would be saved a lot of agony.
These are some tendencies whch aggravate anxiety.Knowing them and being on guard against them will certainly help us to become less tense and stressful.