Anxiety is a state of restlessness, and most of the time such state cannot be justified. It is not fear of something concrete at the outside but expresses our inner emotional conflicts. The person feels threatened by something of unreal nature, and is unable to handle such emotions. The anxious person may have been conditioned very early and may continue to be anxious in adulthood. It then becomes a characteristic of his nature that pervades all their actions and which turns the person in a candidate to suffer stress. Anxious people are fast, are always in a hurry, can not afford the time for all the activities they want to develop and are used to work on two or three things at once. When eating, anxious people swallow whole foods -tasteless- and consequently often suffer from dyspepsia, indigestion, bloating, irritable bowel, etc.
Anxious people are often balancing their legs when sitting or drumming their fingers on the table. They respond before you ask a question, and are also ahead of events and “fleeing forward”. When anxious people fear the may lose control they can suffer panic attacks. They need to have control over things and processes, and they cannot cope with contexts in which they are not in full control of the events.
Anxiety, luckily, can be controlled and reversed and we can learn to live a more balanced and relaxed life, and improve our quality of life overall:
- Learn to breathe.
- Sit down to eat slowly and chew all food. If needed, put a sign in sight to remember to eat slowly.
- Yoga may be helpful.
- Learn to observe. Anxious people must learn to concentrate on the little things that surround them. Do all your daily routines more slowly, observing everything around. Do what you love to do slowly, enjoying the process and without committing only to results, because if you focus only on the results, you will feel anxiety. An excessive desire to excel, to be the best of the best, triggers anxiety because it relies on the commitment to results. Know how to visualize your goals properly.
- Lighten your schedule and learn to say no. There is a difference between being selfish and having self-esteem. Self-confidence is respect for oneself and one’s own needs, and selfishness is to use people for personal benefits. Learn to manage your time.
- Take a walk, every day. Watch nature, trees, birds, the color of sky and detect changes from day to day.
- Do not dismiss pending issues and take advantage of opportunities to pursue them.
If you suffer from anxiety, do something today, seek professional help, start right now.