Anxiety is an emotion characterized by a feeling of concern about events that could arise in the future and that we may encounter in everyday life.
Events that cause anxiety
The family, health, academic or work goals, the economic situation can become sources of chronic concern that start the vicious circle of anxiety with all its consequences.
Anxiety can be characterized by excessive fear of needles, blood, stings, heights, elevators, dentists, water, animals such as spiders, reptiles or dogs, thunderstorms, closed places, etc. .
Anxiety can be triggered by activities that we have to carry out in public or under the eye of colleagues, friends, relatives. An exam, a performance, a sports competition, or any other situation that involves the proper performance of a task to be performed in public.
For example, the disproportionate anxiety of speaking in public. We feel that the world turns a thousand per hour, we tremble, we are nervous and we believe that we will forget everything when others see how ridiculous we are.
Even normal moments of socialization can lead to anxiety. The anxious person feels nervous, tense and unable to articulate words during their social encounters. Thoughts such as
- I have nothing interesting to say
- I can’t talk to anyone
- They will think that I am a strange person and a failure
- I don’t deserve nobody cares about me
The vicious circle of anxiety
The concern about events that are overestimated in all their characteristics and consequences starts a vicious circle. The anxious person tries to find solutions to deal with the events that worry him, cannot bear uncertainty.
It constantly reviews all the details and solutions relating to the overestimated event. Since he does not accept margins of uncertainty, he does not want to leave the slightest probability to doubt.
He can’t help but do it. If he didn’t, he would feel guilty. The brooding becomes so chronic because continuing to think about the worrying event leads to a further overestimation in a vicious circle from which it is difficult to escape.
The person tries to escape from this situation, to chase it away, but he cannot. Feelings of guilt grow and the event becomes more and more threatening.
The anxious person engages in incessant work that absorbs many resources and can become incompatible with other jobs. This generates a stress that feeds itself more and more.
The anxious person must accept that he is suffering from anxiety.
Instead of trying to suppress it, you have to understand it. The body works well, so anxiety is just a warning that you must pay attention to. Running away is useless. Accepting the situation helps to remedy it.
Accepting a situation that makes us anxious is not easy. In fact, very often when we think about it, we feel even worse. It is not easy to face our ghosts. But the truth is that there is no other way to overcome them than to face them. To do this, you need to be strong and courageous.
It means understanding that, at this moment, you are experiencing a feeling of anxiety and that you will probably feel even more anxious during the recovery process. There will be a time when negative thoughts will continue to appear – that’s natural. You just have to learn to accept them for what they are, anxious thoughts and that’s it.
If we stop giving them the importance and consider them normal, anxiety is reduced. If we consider everyday discomforts normal, discomforts that everyone feels, the biochemical reactions of our body will return to normal.
Take care of yourself
You need to get enough sleep, eat properly, exercise, indulge in some hobbies, relax. Dedicate quality time to yourself. You don’t have to be available to others all day. Also, you have to stop working for a few hours. Taking care of yourself allows you to take care of others too because you will be in better conditions to carry out your commitments and responsibilities.
Living to the full doesn’t have to mean living with an adrenaline rush all day. But enjoy every moment in a conscious way. Succeeding, however, is impossible if your mind and body are not ready. Surround yourself with positive people and things, be kind to yourself and others, and prioritize the things that really matter in life.