What is giving us anxiety and is it real or a false perspective?
I have found myself getting anxious about certain situations. Last week, I discussed when we feel depressed or we lack mental engagement. Now, I wanted to touch on the times I have felt anxious, worried or anticipating some unforseen dreadful occurance. That never comes! There are a few instances where I worry about an event and it stirs in my mind, which causes the worry to compound many times. This, of course, causes more anxiety and sleepless nights. A majority of the times I have worried for nothing. I have discovered that my expectations of these moments usually are the problem. The point I wish to make is, that we must identify these anxiety triggers. We need to call them out as false understandings of reality.
First, we must dentify what issues are making us anxious. What fears are we anticipating? Our fears of making mistakes or dealing with potental conflict often cause us concern. What we must understand is that this is often out of our control. Of course we must prepare ourselves appropriately for potential issues but we can’t fully prepare for what could occur. We are faced with interactions with some people that cause us anxiety, that we must work through. Each individual is doing the best they can in life. We may not see it clearly always but understanding this allows us to give others more grace.
Anxiety is false if it has to do with our perceived idea of other’s views of us. We will never do everything right in the eyes of others. We must understand this and move forward. Our decisions or plans are based on our values and beliefs and when we stay true to ourselves, we do the best we can. When we try to make everyone happy, we risk making no one happy. Know where you stand and what you stand for and make decisions the best you can, given all the information. When we know ourselves and the reasons we do what we do, we avoid the anxiety in our lives.
The worrying and anxiety is unhealthy for us and if we are truly struggling with these feelings, we must seek help from the individuals who lift us up. I have people in my life who I trust unconditionally. These people have helped me through some difficult times and shared their advice when necessary. We all have these people in life and we must go to them when we feel anxious and worried. Either they will talk us down or reason with us to show us everything will be okay.
When we are faced with anxiousness it is possible to talk it out and reason with ourselves, as to how it is unfounded. This could be a common practice with everyday issues and problems. Take a deep breath, look at the situation, and see it from every angle. With every situation, no matter how difficult, there is an answer. When we train ourselves to take a breath and relax, we calm our minds so that we are able to get through our anxious moments. This allows us to think clearly and dispel many of our worries that cause the unfounded anxiety in our day to day lives.
What issues are triggering your worries or anxiety?
Are your worries based on actual concerns or issues?
Who can you talk to that will assist you with your worries?
Have you thought about your anxiety and why its a misconception? We all face moments that cause us to worry or feel anxious. We must understand that not everything is in our control. The only thing we can control is how we internalize these moments. Much of our anxiety or worries are unfounded. Have faith in yourself and your abilities to see your way through the anxious moments. Thank you for looking in on this week’s post. I hope you have an outstanding week ahead of you, filled with less worry!
Steven C. Bucks- Leading Conversations
