by George Yang
(USA)
Anxiety affects many people and to some extent, it can even be as bad as having a panic attack. Now, a panic attack is one of the worse cases of anxiety disorders and when it attacks you, you almost feel like you just want to die. It's really that bad. But, I don't want to talk about panic attacks and how to prevent that only but instead, I want to talk about preventing any kind of anxiety altogether.
One of the major causes of anxiety is fear. You remember the saying, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself". Well, as someone who has had panic attacks before, I can tell you that the anxiety and fear feeling keeps building up because you fear having another panic attack. So, you are fearing fear itself in its worse form. But, how does that fear and anxiety start in the first place?
Learn to problem solve. That's the first advice I'll give you. When problems arise in your life, what happens? You fear the results. You're afraid and don't know what to do. Then you continue to dwell on the problem and your anxiety and fear continues to build. Well, it's not good to dwell on it and not attempt to look for solutions. This is usually what leads people to do drugs, become an alcoholic, and so forth because they are attempting to hide from reality.
What happens after the high or drunk feeling wears off? You're back in reality and you have to deal with it, right? Well, the other issue is that while you were high or drunk, the problem could be getting worse and so when you finally deal with it, it's almost impossible to fix, so why put it off and make things worse for yourself.
Here's an example of why not to escape from your problems. I have a friend who didn't want to deal with his 2nd "no seatbelt" ticket. He basically kept putting it off and then the next thing you know, he had a bench warrant for his arrest. When he found out about it, he finally went to court and dealt with it. However, a ticket where he could have paid it off for less than a hundred turned into over a thousand and some community service. So, it never pays to put things off and things like this just add to your anxiety.
So what do you do when a problem arises? Problem solve. You'll find that when you're looking for solutions, you don't feel anxiety or fear, you tend to be more optomistic. Look at all your options, get help from your friends. You don't have to deal with your problems alone.
My mother has issues with anxiety which leads to depression on many occasions. You know how she deals with it, or actually I should say not deal with it. She stays up all night smoking cigarettes and dwells on the problems until she breaks down and cries like crazy. Without even looking at options on how to deal with it, she dwells on the problem.
Never do that! Look for solutions!
You'd be surprised that once you start to work on the issues and resolve your problems, you'll have no anxiety. If you ignore your problems and try not to think about it, the problem is still there and in your subconscious so you don't even realize that your anxiety and fear is building.
Many people will also say that meditation works too. Well, they're right but not in the way you may think. Meditation itself is soothing and calming but it's also a time for self-reflection. It's a time to get to know yourself better and even work out some problems and issues that you may have.
When you cannot think of any options to solve an issue, I suggest meditating or even taking a nap. You know what Albert Einstein, one of our greatest thinkers of our time, does when he can't think of a solution? He takes a nap. He has one of those long couches in his office that you would find at a shrink's office and he lays back and takes a short nap. You would be surprised at how solutions come about when you're relaxed and calm.
Don't let fear of problems dictate how you live your life. Attack and solve those issues and live your life to the fullest.
George Yang is a person who likes to share his personal experiences for the benefit of all. He has had anxiety issues for a long time and has learned to overcome them. Anxiety Retreat