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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)
Three Tips for Dealing with Anxiety (Encore)
John Burroughs (born in 1837) was a witty fellow who wrote, "In sorrow he learned this truth -- One may return to the place of his birth, he cannot go back to his youth." Burroughs also said, "I was born with a chronic anxiety about the weather."
Anxieties come in many forms, including panic attacks (a sudden rush of uncomfortable physical symptoms coupled with thoughts of impending doom), fear of flying (making a scene, heart attack, not being able to breathe), obsessive-compulsive disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxieties, phobias (simple and compound), the recently fashionable PTS (post-traumatic stress) disorder, to name but a few. My favorite explanation of anxiety is to compare it to sitting on a chair and leaning back so you're just on two legs, then you lean too far and you almost fall over but at the last second you catch yourself. When you feel like that most of the time, you have anxiety!
Whatever anxieties you were born with or, more likely, learned over time, there are many proven techniques for dealing with and even overcoming anxieties that work for most people, most of the time. Three seem particularly effective from a self-managing approach to lifestyle artistry. There are countless others, any one of which might work best for you, such as progressive relaxation, meditation, variations of mood calming techniques -- and indulgences in fun and games of one kind or another. For now, allow me to focus on the three old standbys.
The first is to bring your anxieties to conscious awareness and assess how reasonable they seem. How much are these worries/fears based on reality, and how much on factors not comprehensible even to yourself? Is the upset proportional? If you decide most of the concerns are a bit (or totally) irrational, see if you can just quietly let them pass? If not, consider medications or professional counsel.
The second tip is to consider how much accountability you are willing to assume for dealing with your anxieties. Are there other strategies for dealing with these unpleasant feelings? Can you develop a course of action consistent with a wellness lifestyle and make the needed changes? If not, why not?
The third suggestion is to ensure that you are doing all that you can to advance your health and life quality. Look closely at the attitudes you adopt and the behaviors you maintain. Have you already embraced a self-managing lifestyle built around personal responsibility? In the wellness arena, we believe the best treatment is prevention, and even better than prevention is a promotion approach. The latter entails a continuous quest for attractive outcomes, such as better health, more fun and positive returns in life, stronger support groups, more fulfilling relationships, increased fitness and related pleasures along these lines.
In summary, change what you can about your life circumstances and how you perceive things, and lower your emotional feelings about the rest through calming techniques and positive wellness lifestyle practices. Then, reach out and be of wellness service to others, in little ways that can provide big returns of better health and appreciation for all the good things in your life.
Oh, and always look on the bright side of life.
Domain: mentalSubdomain: stress management
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