Anxiety Real or Illusion

Lets be realistic, Anxiety is one of the traits that is going to stay with us, In our everyday lives, we have many moments where we get anxious on the drop of the hat, blame it on the multitasking fad or blame it on the numerous tasks that we tend to take as to do lists, without considering the time factor or our ability to complete the task based on our prior commitments.

Anxiety itself is not a problem, Our ability or inability to cope with it is a problem.

I know no one likes this concept, because it puts the blame on ourselves and we are so used to blaming stuff on someone or some other uncontrollable factor beyond our capacity. While I do not want to challenge here that anxiety is something that we make up in our mind or that we are totally responsible for all the anxiety that we face in our life, I just want to break some myths and bring forth some gentle practices that we may undertake in our daily lives when we come face to face with anxiety. (Again these are not fool proof methods or medically proven techniques, but just a shift in your perspective so that you can know that all is not lost and that we are not alone in this journey of facing anxiety)

A Few Gentle ways to Deal with Anxiety

1. This too shall pass -The more we resist, the more it will persist , What if we just sit with it and acknowledge that yes we are feeling anxious and we are allowed to feel the way we are feeling whether it may be sad, depressing, lonely, anxious.
2. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger — Since things are not happening the way we had expected, we feel anxious and are unable to accept that there might another way, By this experience we may learn how to tackle the problem, deal with it and maybe avoid the same in the future, Either ways there is a lesson to be learnt .
3. Worry does not take away tomorrows troubles, It takes away todays peace- We need to remind ourselves that whatever we are worrying about may not be relevant in the next year or for that matter even the next month. So Anxiety is purely temporary and if we are patient, things will be resolved in the time to come.
4. You should meditate 20 mins in a day, unless you are very busy, in that case you should meditate at least 1 hour — This is the most relevant quote that I have heard, While it is difficult to remove time for meditation, we often forget the benefits that it provides weigh far more than the time that it takes. Of course there is no one way to meditate, but you can find solace in any activity that gives you peace of mind and helps to bring your focus on the present moment, thereby distracting your mind from the current anxious situation that you are facing.
5. Getting it out of your system — Instead of mulling over the matter in your own head again and again, it is always advisable to get it out, this maybe in the form of journaling in a diary which you are sure no one will read if you are not comfortable telling to anybody yet, or talking to your best friend/relative/family member and letting them know not only about the situation that is making you feel anxious, but also why are you feeling and what are your fears.
6. Ask for Help — Remember we are all humans and we are not in this alone, Do not hesitate to ask for help when needed, By asking you do not expose yourself but make yourself stronger by letting everybody know that you are as human as them and getting help is your fundamental right .
7. Trust and have Faith — What if instead of constant worrying, we trust that somehow things will work out and that they always work out in the end, Have some faith in the universe and I know that during these times, Faith is the most difficult emotion to be felt but trusting and relying on an higher power helps move mountains.
8. You don’t need to figure out everything right now — I know sometimes we want the answers to our questions right now not knowing that there are no right answers, but we want to figure it out everything immediately and then go on to plan our life so we can live happily thereafter, But there is no happy thereafter promised ever, Life is a constant journey and we have to undertake the highs and lows of life to embrace its full beauty.

Personal Tips

Below are few tips that I personally undertake to distract myself from anxiety, Since I admit anxiety really never goes away, only the degree with which we feel anxiety reduces and then some more till we reach the place where we are ok with sitting with anxiety and working with it.

• Deep Breathing Exercises
• Listening to Calm and Soulful Music to reduce anxiety
• Going out in Nature
• Walking, exercise, or dancing
• Practicing mindfulness
• Listening to music
• Reading Books

Though there is no single time and tested method to deal with anxiety, we all have to find our own unique way to deal with this. My favorite personal way to deal with anxiety is — Get lost in the magical world of books.

P.S. The article was originally published by me on Medium. However now, more than ever I believe LinkedIn is also the right platform to talk about these topics.

P.P.S. I love talking about Finance, Taxation and Investments and I love Books totally, Books are my constant companion and I travel through the books to all the corners of the world. I also actually love travelling, cooking and arguing unnecessarily with my 2 Teenage sons to show them “I am still the boss around”