How to cope with anxiety? As a millennial, this must have been a consistent question for days if not years.
In simple terms, anxiety is a feeling of worry or uneasiness caused by fear of danger etc. This can be simple, making us question whether we completed a simple task like locking the door or turning off the stove or not. Although this might sound quite simple, it can get debilitating to the point that it becomes this crippling for some people.
Living with anxiety is no piece of cake. Yet, most suffer from anxiety from a very early age mainly due to the amount of pressure we have to deal with, every day. According to the Wall Street Journal, the new graduates faces the highest amounts of anxiety. The reports show the percentage of anxiety among the genZ has increased to 54% where for millennials it is 40%.
Although anxiety is such a big issue, it is really hard to diagnose. People suffering from anxiety end up going to their physicians complaining about fatigue and other physical problems. Only some understand and tell they are anxious. Being anxious has been so normal over time that we often overlook the amount of harm it does to our body. Luckily, when we admit our anxiety and ask the right questions, it is something we can deal with.
How to know if we have anxiety?
Although it might vary from person to person there are some common symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is avoiding uneasy situations. As humans we all worry what others will think at some times. But the problem begins when that starts to affect us much more than it should.
When we start to avoid things we loved only because of the uneasiness we feel, that’s a sign of anxiety.
This can also be a social situation that we avoid because of fear or worry about something and definitely that’s not a choice!
Another problem people with anxiety can struggle with is difficulty to start or to stop. Things can be tough to start and even harder to stop for people as they start to feel they are losing control over the things they have to do. Anxiety can make people feel overwhelmed and every emotion can be overpowering. The worst feeling with anxiety is the need of reassurance that we usually feel. The pressure of not doing right can be so much when people suffer from anxiety.
Then what is the problem?
Most people take a lot of time to understand their anxiety. When they do, the common approach we take to tackle anxiety is to try to know more about it. We end up searching about anxiety, getting baffled about the types of anxiety there is and ending up with much more stress.
People realize about anxiety so late that some even start experiencing crippling anxiety and panic attacks. The amount of stress and anxiety makes us lose connection with our logical mind.
So what can we do?
With anxiety, we feel that everything is out of control. Everything happens so quickly that we don’t even know where we are. The first and the foremost thing we must do is to try to feel grounded. We have to realize our position and become aware of our condition. When we understand what our situation is, we can look at our options and might consult a physician and this time with the right questions.
Although we should get help, for some it is not an option. The first thing we can do is push ourselves. When anxiety rises, try to breathe in and out deeply. The main point is being aware of ourselves. We can talk to a faithful friend and vent out all the wrongs that have been going on. The next thing could be doing the things we love to do, that doesn’t involve people who causes anxiety. We can write in our diaries, paint, sketch, listen to music or go for an outing far from the daily problems. Every simple task that helps us calm down can be a solution.
These are all short term solutions. If we want to cut it off from the roots, we have to work harder. Meditation is a good start. There are many videos online that can help us practice good meditations. Moreover, we must get ourselves go for a walk, do some exercises every day. What we really want is change and in order to go through all the changes we must give ourselves the chance to do better. We can’t really cure anxiety over night, what we can do is make ourselves practice every day and build ourselves up. As we grow every consecutive day, the change will be visible soon.
No matter how much someone else helps or guides us, in the end we have to fight our own battles, push ourselves to work and train ourselves to be better. Remember as the American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” So let’s start by believing in ourselves. We can learn to control and manage anxiety: the first thing you have to do is to believe that you can do it, and then take it one step at a step. It’s hard, yes, but over time, it gets easier.
