“Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.”
-Jodi Picoult
The great illusions of anxiety are always the hardest to break. And one of them is that it makes us feel like we are doing something about the situation or our life, an illusion of control, but in reality we are not. In fact we are stopping the spontaneous flow of life by trying to command it. Instead of using the mind and being a master of our mind, the mind becomes our master. We live our life through the lens of this mind, knowing each event only through the glasses of our interpretations, thoughts and feelings. Another illusion of anxiety is that it is uncontrollable. When people talk about their anxiety, it’s as if they are addressing an invisible monster that has possessed them and they can do nothing to stop it. Though it may feel that way, there are ways to overcome anxiety. Let’s look at some of the simple steps to deal anxiety:
- Go for therapy:
Even if you think your anxiety is not as ‘severe’, there is no reason to wait for it to get worse. A stitch in time saves nine. Don’t try and diagnose yourself with an anxiety disorder. Don’t use Google as a treatment program. Talking to a qualified mental health professional is the ideal way to address anxiety and process it. Cognitive behavioral therapy, Mindfulness based Cognitive therapy, Dialectical behavioral therapy, Rational emotive behavior therapy are some examples of therapies which are used to treat anxiety. A mixed or eclectic approach is used by therapist combining the best of these therapies according to the client’s needs and goals.
- Meditate:
It may seem paradoxical to tell someone who is restless or anxious to sit still and meditate. But meditation helps calm the mind, watch the thoughts without getting stuck with them and spiralling and improve one’s quality of life. For beginners, there are many active meditations using dance or music which help people who find it difficult to meditate. To delve into one’s inner state, to introspect one’s thoughts and emotions, nonjudgementally, by increasing awareness is one the best things you can do to deal with one’s anxiety.
- Journaling:
Introspective writing is beneficial to sort through one’s thoughts and identify what thoughts are causing anxiety and keeping us stuck in a loop of negative thoughts feeding negative emotions and vice versa. Processing anxious thoughts becomes easier and one can reflect on them more easily.
- Identifying thought patterns and emotional scripts:
Certain thought patterns and emotionally charged scripts or fixed things we say to ourselves strengthen our anxiety. For eg. A sarcastic remark from a loved one can result in thinking negatively about ourselves, this self deprecating pattern may increase our anxiety levels. Or if a coworker makes a mistake and we respond internally with anger, which leads to thoughts of frustration, can also bump up anxiety. Knowing our thought patterns and scripts thus, helps us disidentify from the factors which increase anxiety.
- Exercise:
Physical exercise in any form does contribute to lower levels of anxiety. Yoga, dancing, Zumba, Pilates or learning a defense form such as kickboxing also helps alleviate anxiety through endorphin release and regulation of our mood.
- Breathing exercises:
Breathing is both a voluntary and an involuntary action. Breathe work brings us in the present moment, thus helping us in putting a pause to our spiralling anxious thoughts. Observing these thoughts without getting involved in them leads to allowing the thought and emotion loop to dissolve, thus truly letting go of it. There are many exercises such as Boxed breathing exercise, Pursed lips breathing or simply watching the normal flow of breathe for a few minutes.
- Beginning a new hobby:
A new activity activates the reward system of our brain and helps in coping with stress. Novel situations help release neurotransmitters or chemicals which regulate our mood and thoughts.
- Digital detox:
Excessive stimulation leads to distractibility that makes anxiety worse. Mindless scrolling on social media, intake of lots of news articles or compulsively taking in digital content can make one feel frazzled and all over the place. Detox yourself from all devices for at least one day in the week if possible or limit your screen time to few hours in the day. This allows the mind to relax and naturally process anxiety without needing a screen distraction all the time.
- Nature walks:
Spending some time with nature helps to increase our coping mechanisms and releases happy hormones which are necessary to keep the balance of our thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Take your dog out more often, go for picnics, do bird watching, walk without the purposeful brisk steps of someone who is exercising, observe trees, flowers, walk on grass with your barriers or simply drive down a green road slowly. If you feel bored that simply your mind that’s in a seeking mode, hungry for more stimulation. Observing the boredom will also dissipate it. Devote a few hours in the week to being around nature.
- Share:
Voicing out your thoughts and emotions to a close friend or family member also helps put things in perspective. But people have many hang ups about confiding such as fearing being vulnerable, not wanting to repeat one’s issues when we have already shared once, fearing judgement, feeling embarrassed or not understood. The idea here is not to depend on the other person’s response to make us feel better but to verbalize what we are feeling, acknowledge it and build a space for free expression.
There are many more ways to deal with anxiety but these are the most efficient and easy to do for a person with a busy lifestyle. Anxiety is a crippling issue for many people and there is also shame in admitting that one is struggling to keep up with things that others seem to be doing fine with. Spreading awareness about anxiety is one way to help people identify these barriers that keep them from working on their issues. At our rehabilitation center, Zorbacare, we aim to spread information regarding anxiety as well as build our program that caters to people with different, diverse issues. Many clients have underlying anxiety issues that co-occur with mental illnesses such as depression or other mood disorders, Substance use disorder, Dissociative disorders and so on. Rehabilitation process focuses on a total assessment and treatment for all these issues. Our team of mental health professionals offers customized therapeutic treatment for each individual, focusing on finding innovative ways to build coping mechanisms and tools to deal with the stressors of one’s life. Anxiety indeed is like a rocking chair in which one has something to do but doesn’t get one very far. But one can get off that chair and experience the joy of being still and free from one’s emotional suffering!