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| Picture from morgueFile |
Almost everyone I know is anxious at the moment. I don't know if it's our age, the general misery of the winter, tube strikes and flooding, or something about the increasing complexity of life, but I believe that it is one of the most damaging conditions when it comes to your happiness.
I suffer from it myself. Every so often, I feel paralysed and frightened about the fact that I have to run my own company all by myself, unable to cope with the demands made on me by clients and colleagues, and really tempted to shut myself in my bedroom and creep under the covers, never to emerge. It passes, but when it strikes, it leaves me tearful, afraid and unable to make brave or even sensible decisions.
Like depression, anxiety can turn the world into an unfriendly and confusing place. It seems everyone is doing well except you.
Don't believe it! We're very good at hiding our weaknesses. When you scratch the surface, there's a whole world of stresses and strains behind a person's facade. The trick is to have a few friends you can be completely honest with, and talk it through. You'll probably find out they've had the same problem at some point.
As Plato said: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
We are all afraid of admitting weakness, but one of the strongest things you can do is be honest about your fears. And recognising it and accepting it is half the battle to regaining your happy self.
Don't let the anxiety make you feel "everything is wrong". Instead, say to yourself "I feel anxious today" and have a think about what is making you feel like that. The chances are it's not as big as it seems at the time.
When anxiety strikes, recognise it for what it is. Be aware that it is a temporary state of stress, accept it, let it in, feel the feelings associated with it. Have a cry, or a good scream into a pillow. Go for a walk, feel the panic subsiding, take some deep breaths, come back to your normal self, and move on. Once you know that you can feel panicky and anxious and not allow it to change your course of action, it will lose its control over you.
Top Tip: Get some perspective.
When I feel helpless, it really helps me to think about how inconsequential and small my problems really are.
Click on the link here - press start and drag the slider to the right hand side. Then slowly slide it left, and really get a sense of how small you are in the universe. Nothing you do is that important, nothing you say will have much of an effect. See the bigger picture, get some perspective, and live life bravely and positively. There's nothing you can do that will make much of an impact on the universe, so go for it and do the best you can.
