What is Anxiety?

To overcome something, we first need to clearly understand what is it that we are trying to overcome. We’ve all studied for important tests or prepared for interviews and have been nervous about the outcome–that’s perfectly natural. Anxiety is taking this common nervousness a step further.

When you become anxious over too many things, when thoughts start taking over every waking moment of your life, that’s when it becomes “anxiety”. That’s when you know there is a problem you need to address pretty soon. Anxiety, when left untreated for long periods of time can turn into a chronic problem, which is referred to as an Anxiety Disorder. Of course, for many of us anxiety is not yet a disorder – but it is a problem that needs attention.

The word anxious literally means “Experiencing worry, uneasiness, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” It’s almost always a mental phenomenon.

Since anxiety is a mental problem, we have control over whether or not to allow it to occupy any space in our mind, and we also have control to go beyond it fully. Believing that we are in control is important. The remedies involve common sense, time, and commitment. Read on further to discover several ways of going beyond anxiety.

As with most problems, there are short-term “fixes” and long-term “cures”. Short-term fixes are good for immediate relief, but investing in a long-term cure is the best way to overcome anxiety for good.

To get quick relief from anxiety, try one or two, or even all of these tips:

1) If you’re anxious about something that’s going to happen soon, like a test or interview, do your homework, ensure that you’ve reviewed everything pertinent to the test or interview, and make yourself as smart as possible on the subject at hand.  Being prepared is one of the best ways to avoid anxiety.

2) When you notice the thought process of anxiousness beginning to happen, stop and take 10 slow and deep breaths by keeping your entire focus on the breath. You can sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, take 10 deep breaths, and if you need more, do this muscle relaxation exercise: Start with your toes and scrunch them tight for a few seconds, then release. Move to your feet and tighten those muscles, then relax. Move on up your body to your calves, thighs, buttocks, abdomen, chest, hands, etc. until you get to the scalp. Yes, you can scrunch your scalp, and it feels good! This breathing and muscle exercise has got to make you feel better. If you need more, read on.

3) If an anxious thought enters your mind and refuses to go away, force it out! Think of a color–let’s say Imagine the color blue in your mind and repeat the word “blue, blue, blue” until your mind is full of blue and the nagging thought is gone. This sounds kind of silly, but it really works!

4) You can even hold your breath for a few seconds; notice that you don’t have thoughts when you’re holding your breath–maybe our bodies get worried that we might not take another breath so the focus turns from anxiety to the breath. Don’t hold it until you pass out, though!

5) Try to identify what it is about the situation that is making you anxious. If you’re trying to make a decision about something, take a pen and paper and make 2 lists; one with positives about the decision, and one with negatives. This will help you get the thought process out of your mind.