Shortness of breath. Twirling sensation in the tummy. That
feeling that takes over your entire body and all you can do is remind yourself
to keep it together. Hello, anxiety.
Millions of people suffer from anxiety every day. The drug companies
love anxiety because it’s what has made such medicines like Lexapro, Prozac,
and Xanax their billion-dollar babies.
But what if instead of popping pills, we would face anxiety
head on. After all, anxiety is a natural emotion. Yes, you’re not crazy! Rather
than resisting the feeling, we could pay attention to what our body is trying
to tell us. As we know, our body’s reactions are its way of saying, “ Hey, I
need to show you something about yourself that you ought to know.”
Use your body’s discomforts to learn about yourself and to
become better than what you are already. Your greater truth is trying to break
through. Listen to it, and here are a few steps to help you get started:
- Acknowledge
Accept that you’re feeling anxious.
Don’t run away from it. You are safe. Your body is not trying to hurt you; it’s
simply trying to talk to you.
Be aware of what your body’s
indicators are. Once you spot them, simply say to yourself, “I’m feeling
anxious.”
- Ask
Get to the bottom of why you’re
feeling anxious. Ask yourself, “What is making me feel this way?”
And it might not always be so
obvious. You’ll most likely have to dig. Let’s say you’re late for a meeting
and you start noticing your anxiety triggers. Are you nervous because you don’t
like being late? Are you feeling this way because you have too much on your
plate? Or are you anxious because when you arrive to the meeting you feel you
will be rejected? That sounds about right.
Finding the reason to why you’re
feeling anxious is liberating and may lessen the feeling instantly. Now that
you know your problem find a way to work on it. See, it’s way beyond just being
late to a meeting.
- Taking
responsibility
Now that you know the problem,
change it. This is where you stop being the victim and take control of your
feeling. Whether your anxiety hits when you’re reminded of a past traumatizing
experience or if it’s when a fear is resurfaced, you must face the fear and
retrain your mind.
There’s tons of ways to do this:
hypnotherapy, positive affirmations, therapy… whatever works for you. But I
promise, there’s a healthier and better way to face your anxiety that doesn’t
involve popping a pill. A drug is a band-aid, be courageous and heal yourself.
